Before the tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011, there used to be a single opening-round game between No. 16 seeds just to get in the actual tournament. But with the enhanced TV deal with Turner Sports and CBS that was set to start back in 2011, the NCAA worked to take a different approach with the First Four.

The Musketeers, who will play this game less than an hour from campus, are 2.5- or 3-point favorites at the best Ohio sportsbooks. The over/under is 149.5 points. Here are our March Madness First Four predictions and best bets for Xavier vs. Texas.

The North Carolina Tar Heels (22-13) and the San Diego State Aztecs (21-9) are slated to match up in a 2025 First Four contest on Tuesday. The Tar Heels narrowly made the tournament this year, as they were the last team to get selected.