It will be a battle between Big 12 opponents when the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-5) welcome the No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers (15-3) to United Spirit Arena. The game gets underway at 1:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and will air on ESW and ES3.
The Red Raiders beat TCU 76-69 the last time they played. Justin Gray had 14 points, three assists, and one steal for Texas Tech. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, are coming off a 56-49 loss at the hands of Texas in their last outing. Jonathan Holton scored 10 points and recorded 14 rebounds earning his fifth double-double of the season.
Texas Tech, a three-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against West Virginia. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 141 points. The Red Raiders enter the game with records of 12-5 Straight Up (SU) and 9-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Texas Tech has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .734. West Virginia has a habit of getting in foul trouble (24.2 fouls per game), so expect the Red Raiders to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, West Virginia has a SU record of 15-3 and an ATS record of 9-6. The Mountaineers are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 41.4 rebounds per game. The West Virginia defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking 22nd in Division I with only 63.3 points allowed per game. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Mountaineers, who are third in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 85 this season. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Mountaineers are the best in the nation with an average of 10.9 steals per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference rivals played, West Virginia won, moving its SU record against Texas Tech to 7-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Additionally, with a 5-3 record, West Virginia has the advantage ATS. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – WVU, ATS Winner – WVU, O/U – Over
Notes
Texas Tech is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games.
Texas Tech is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas Tech’s last 5 games when playing West Virginia.
West Virginia holds a 4-2 SU record against the Big 12 Conference this season, while Texas Tech has an underachieving 2-4 SU record against the conference.
West Virginia is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 82.3 points per game (ranked 24th). Texas Tech allows 67.2 points per game (ranked 88th).
West Virginia scores 75.9 points per away game (ranked 52nd). Texas Tech ranks a poor 109th in points allowed at home, allowing 65.4 points.
The West Virginia Mountaineers rank 41st for their offensive rating of 113.7. The Texas Tech Red Raiders have a defensive rating of 98.3 (ranked 96th).
The Texas Tech Red Raiders average a field goal percentage of 45.5% this season. The West Virginia Mountaineers have a winning 3-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 45.5% or greater.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Texas Tech is 172nd and 101st in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while West Virginia ranks 162nd and 86th in these categories.
West Virginia ranks 60th in assists, recording 15.7 per game. Texas Tech performs worse at 162nd with 13.8 assists per game.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are among the worst defensive rebounding teams (ranked 156th), while the West Virginia Mountaineers are one of the country’s top offensive rebounding teams (ranked 222nd).
On average, Texas Tech forces a turnover rate of 19.9%. When West Virginia turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a stellar 7-2 record.
