After four exciting days of action in Omaha, aebraska, the College World Series is down to its six teams: Wake Forest, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, TCU, and Oral Roberts. Today, two elimination games will take place to determine which two teams will join #1 Wake Forest and #2 Florida in the semifinals.
First up, TCU (43-23) will take on Oral Roberts (52-13) for the second time in Omaha. The rematch between the Horned Frogs and Golden Eagles is set for 2:00 pm ET, and it will be televised on ESPN.
If today’s matchup is anything like Friday’s tournament opener at Charles Schwab Field, we’re in for some thrills.
TCU and ORU went to the bottom of the eighth tied at 2, then the Horned Frogs scored three runs in that frame to claim a 5-2 lead. But the Golden Eagles didn’t fold in their final at-bat, responding with four runs in the top of the ninth, three coming on a home run by Blaze Brothers, to propel them a 6-5 win.
Now, after TCU defeated Virginia to stay alive and Oral Roberts lost to Florida to drop into the losers’ bracket, the two teams will meet again in a win-or-go-home showdown. The winner will move on to face the Gators on Wednesday at 2:00 pm ET, needing two wins to move on to the best-of-three championship series.
TCU vs Oral Roberts Odds
Moneyline
- TCU -145
- Oral Roberts +115
Over/Under
- Over 11.5 (-120)
- Under 11.5 (-110)
Will We See Yet Another One-Run Outcome in Omaha?
Close games have been the story of this year’s College World Series thus far, especially in the bracket featuring these two teams.
Through the first four days of the tournament, six of eight games have been decided by one run, including all four games in Bracket #1 (#2 Florida, #7 Virginia, TCU, and Oral Roberts). Also, the largest margin of victory thus far is three runs, which came in LSU’s 6-3 win over Tennessee on Saturday.
If the trend of close contests continues today, which team does that favor?
To this point this season, TCU has been in 22 games that have been decided by one or two runs. In those 22 games, the Horned Frogs have tallied a 10-12 record.
By comparison, ORU has been involved in 18 games that have been decided by one or two runs. In those 18 games, the Golden Eagles have tallied a 10-8 record.
Will we see increased scoring in today’s elimination games? Given that no more than 11 runs were scored in any of the first eight games, this total feels a bit off.
But both teams have done plenty of scoring over the course of the season and during the postseason.
TCU is averaging 7.9 runs per game this season, and while they have yet to light up the scoreboard in Omaha, they scored 48 runs in four games on the way to winning the Big 12 Tournament and 44 runs in three games in winning their regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Oral Roberts, meanwhile, is averaging 8.4 runs per game this season, and they scored 27 runs in three games in winning their regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma and 27 more runs in three games in their Eugene Super Regional win over Oregon.
TCU vs Oral Roberts Prediction and Picks
Prediction for TCU vs Oral Roberts: Oral Roberts to win
Picks for TCU vs Oral Roberts: Oral Roberts ML & TCU/Oral Roberts over 11.5
The Golden Eagles may have fallen just short against Florida on Sunday, but they have proven that they definitely belong on the big stage, and I like them to get another crack at the Gators.
While the total for this matchup is a little high based on how the first eight games have played out, I do still like the over anyway. ORU has shown that they can score against more than Summit League opposition, and an explosion from TCU could happen at any time.
The 2023 College World Series will continue through this week and weekend, with the best-of-three championship series scheduled to begin on Saturday. Subscribe to the Betting News newsletter so you don’t miss out on our rundown on this weekend’s most notable sporting events, including the CWS championship series, a ton of MLB action, and more.
