The No.8-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the No.9-seeded Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA tournament at PNC Arena. Action begins at 12:40 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and can be seen on TRU.
The Red Raiders fell to TCU 67-62 in the 1 of the Big 12 tournament. Despite the loss, Zach Smith earned his second double-double this season with 13 points and 15 rebounds. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 74-60 loss to Providence in the 2 of the Big East tournament. Kellen Dunham had a good shooting night, leading the team with 17 points.
Ball control could weigh heavily in this showdown. Butler commits the fourth-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 14.7%), while Texas Tech’s gambling defense forces the 29th-most (opponents’ TO% of 19.1%).
The Red Raiders are hoping to build on their records of 19-12 Straight Up (SU) and 16-13 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 8-2 ATS. Texas Tech has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a superb .746. Turning to the defensive side, the Red Raiders prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 50th in the nation with 237 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game).
Over on the other bench, the Bulldogs have 21-10 SU and 16-14-1 ATS records. The Bulldogs rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 32nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.40. Switching gears to the Butler defense, teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Bulldogs, who are 39th in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 222 this season.
This game will be the first meeting for Texas Tech and Butler in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Butler
Notes
“Texas Tech is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games “.
“Texas Tech is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas Tech’s last 6 games “.
The Butler Bulldogs rank 16th for their offensive rating of 116.0. The Texas Tech Red Raiders have a defensive rating of 104.3 (ranked 64th).
The Butler Bulldogs average a field goal percentage of 46.6% this season. The Texas Tech Red Raiders have an abysmal record of 2-6 when opponents have a FG% of 46.6% or greater.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Butler Bulldogs both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Texas Tech is 194th and 142nd in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Butler ranks 69th and 55th in these categories.
Butler ranks 32nd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40. Texas Tech is ranked lower at 155th with an A/TO of 1.09.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders make an average of 5.9 steals per game. When the Butler Bulldogs allow 5 or more steals, they are an exceptional 12-4.
