The Kansas Jayhawks and the Texas Tech Red Raiders are virtually assured of a spot in the Big Dance, but that’s not going to make this Big 12 Tournament championship game any less glittery. Check out our preview below of this Kansas-Texas Tech Big 12 showdown.
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Betting Preview for the Kansas Jayhawks vs Texas Tech Red Raiders NCAA College Basketball Game on March 12 2022
Where: T-Mobile Center, Kansas, MO
When: Saturday, March 12, 2022, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Kansas Jayhawks (-1) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (+1) – view all 2022 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (-1)
Record: 27-6 Overall/14-4 Conference
Kansas is limping into the conference tournament, as the Ducks carry a 0-3 record over their last three games. They have not been in good form for quite some time now, having gone just 2-6 over their last eight games overall. That said, one of the wins they pulled off during that stretch was a 68-63 victory in Eugene on Feb. 24 against the UCLA Bruins. In fact, the Ducks are 2-0 straight up this season against the Bruins. The most important thing to know about the Ducks heading into the Pac-12 tourney is the status of their best player, Will Richardson. The senior guard missed Kansas’s last game – a 94-74 road loss to the Washington State Cougars over the weekend – due to illness. His status for the Texas Tech game is currently up in the air. If he can’t go, the Ducks will look to lean on Jacob Young more. Young led the Ducks with 17 points in their 78-56 home win over the Beavers on Jan. 29.
Ochai Agbaji was not going to be held back by anything Friday night, as he led the Jayhawks to a 75-62 win against the TCU Horned Frogs in the semifinals of the 2022 Big 12 Tournament. Agbaji poured in 22 points against the Horned Frogs to help Kansas book a spot in the Big 12 championship game. Agbaji, who is averaging 19.7 points per game this season, didn’t have much problem finding the basket in the previous two meetings with the Red Raiders. He had 24 points, albeit in a 75-67 loss in Lubbock, then torched the Red Raiders later on for 37 points in Kansas’ 94-91 overtime win in Lawrence. But it’s not just Agbaji who the Red Raiders will have to worry about. Kansas’ defense is locking opponents up in the tournament. The Jayhawks held the West Virginia Mountaineers in the quarterfinals to only 32.8 percent shooting and forced TCU to commit 14 turnovers.
Kansas is 3-0 against the spread in its last three games overall.
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (+1)
Record: 25-8 Overall/12-6 Conference
Texas Tech claimed its second victim of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday. After beating the Iowa State Cyclones in the quarterfinals, 72-41, the Red Raiders survived a much more competitive game in the semifinals, as they eked out a 56-55 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas Tech got the job done in the semis with defense. The Red Raiders limited Oklahoma to just 38 percent shooting from the field. The Sooners also went only 5/19 from behind the arc. Texas Tech has always been mostly about defense this season. This is a team that owns the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the nation with 85.1 points allowed per 100 possessions. Scoring easy baskets can become a tough task for teams against Texas Tech, which lets opponents make only 43.4 percent of 2-point attempts. As for their offense, the Red Raiders can look for Bryson Williams, who scored a total of 55 points in the two meetings this season with Kansas.
The Under is 3-0 in Texas Tech’s last three games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas wins, 67-65.
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