The Texas Longhorns (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) visit No. 10 Texas Tech to take on the Red Raiders (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) in what should be a low-scoring game. The game can be seen on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 126.5 points with Texas Tech set as a 7.5-point favorite.
Texas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red Raiders ATS Prediction
The Longhorns will be looking for similar success after defeating the Ole Miss Rebels in their last contest, 85-72. The Longhorns had a superb turnover percentage of 8.7 (better than their season average of 15.7) and had a free throw rate of 0.302 (above their season average of 0.228). Texas received a boost from Mohamed Bamba, who was the top scorer from either team with 25 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
In the Red Raiders’ last game, they were victorious over the South Carolina Gamecocks, 70-63. The Red Raiders knocked down 23 of their 28 free throws (82.1 percent) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.500 vs. 0.422). Keenan Evans was the top scorer from either team with 31 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Baskets could be hard to come by in this battle between a pair of the nation’s best defenses. Texas Tech currently ranks third in defensive efficiency (89.4) and Texas is 34th (95.8).
Texas comes into the contest with records of 14-7 straight up (SU) and 9-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas tends to set the total high when the Longhorns are involved, as 58.8 percent of their games have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech owns records of 17-4 SU and 9-8 ATS. Coinciding with Texas, games featuring the Red Raiders also have a tendency to finish under the O/U total (64.7 percent).
Bamba has averaged 13.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks over the last five games for Texas.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Bamba put up 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks and the Longhorns beat the Red Raiders 67-58, covering as 3.5-point underdogs. The game finished with a total of 125 points, which was just 3.5 points below the projected point total of 128.5 points. Texas’ 0.333 free throw rate was their largest strength over Texas Tech, who had a mark of 0.164.
Texas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red Raiders Free Pick
Free Basketball Tip: SU Winner – Texas Tech, ATS Winner – Texas, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Texas is 4-5 ATS on the road with 5 unders and 4 overs.
At home, Texas Tech is 5-4 ATS with 6 unders and 3 overs.
Texas Tech ranks 22nd in rebounds allowed per game (30.9) while Texas ranks 199th (36.4).
The Red Raiders rank 84th in assists per game (15.0) while the Longhorns rank 229th (11.7).
Texas Tech ranks 22nd in steals per game (8.1) while Texas ranks 138th (6.0).
The Longhorns average 5.8 blocks per game, which ranks 12th in the nation. The Red Raiders rank 66th in blocks allowed per game (3.0).
Texas ranks 131st in three pointers attempted per game (22.2) while Texas Tech ranks 135th in three pointers allowed per game (21.7).
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Texas is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Texas Tech is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Longhorns’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 0.4, down from 6.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Red Raiders have scored an average of 65.4 points per game (11.2 below their season average) and allowed an average of 68.2 points per game (6.1 above their season average).
