The nation’s top team will be at home when the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (16-2) welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-6) to Lloyd Noble Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 26 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Sooners enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Baylor 82-72 on Saturday. Jordan Woodard was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 80-76 loss against West Virginia on Saturday. Zach Smith led the team in scoring with 18 points.
Trips to the foul line may prove key for the Red Raiders in this one. They’re ranked 22nd in the nation in FTA rate (44.7), while Oklahoma is among the best at keeping opponents off of the charity stripe (ranking eighth by allowing a FTA rate of 25.3).
This one isn’t expected to be close when Oklahoma, a big 13-point favorite, takes on Texas Tech. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 152 points. The Sooners have gone 16-2 Straight Up (SU) and 8-8 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 8-2 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (3-7). The Sooners are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 11.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. The rebounding edge goes to the Sooners in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.6 boards per game. Oklahoma’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Sooners allow a .394 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country.
In the other locker room, the Red Raiders have records of 9-6 ATS and 12-6 SU. The Red Raiders convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 20th in the nation at .750.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Oklahoma won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 7-3 over Texas Tech in their most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Oklahoma held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Texas Tech never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Okla, ATS Winner – Okla, O/U – Over
Notes
Oklahoma is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Oklahoma is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oklahoma’s last 9 games.
Oklahoma is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Oklahoma is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Oklahoma is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas Tech.
Oklahoma holds a 5-2 SU record against the Big 12 Conference this season, while Texas Tech has a losing 2-5 SU record against the conference.
The Oklahoma Sooners have a defensive rating of 96.8 (ranked 60th), while the Texas Tech Red Raiders have an offensive rating of 108.5 (ranked 110th).
Texas Tech has an average field goal percentage of 45.5%. Oklahoma is a winning 3-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Oklahoma Sooners rank lower for their field goal percentage (39th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (14th), but the Texas Tech Red Raiders have a better FG% ranking (101st) than eFG% ranking (173rd).
Oklahoma ranks 33rd in assists, registering 16.4 per game. Texas Tech performs worse at 175th with 13.6 assists per game.
Oklahoma, the 12th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.8 per game. Texas Tech ranks 92nd with 4.2.
Texas Tech ranks 236th in offensive rebounds, while Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in defensive rebounding.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 20.1% when playing Texas Tech this season. Oklahoma is undefeated this season (7-0) when its TO% is 20.1% or higher.
