The Texas Red Raiders are among the elite in the Big 12, and are considered as among the contenders for the national title. But before they try their hand in March Madness, they will have to finish their business first in the conference. Will the Red Raiders win their last game in Lubbock this regular season? Or will Iowa State make it 2-0 SU against Texas Tech? Going into Saturday’s game, Texas Tech is priced at +2500 to win the 2019 national championship while Iowa State has longer odds at +6000.
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Betting Preview for the Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Iowa State Cyclones College Basketball Game on March 9, 2019
Where: Hilton Coliseum, Ames
When: Saturday, March 9, 2019, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders (odds) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (25-5 Overall / 13-4 Conference)
The Red Raiders are closing the regular season strong. And if they want to be sure to have a solo lead atop the Big 12 standings at the end of the regular season, they probably need to beat Iowa State in Ames this weekend. Doing that would also be a successful revenge for the Red Raiders, who lost to Iowa State in Lubbock last month, 68-64. Jarrett Culver lead Texas Tech in that game with a monster game of 20 points and 16 rebounds to go with two steals. He didn’t shoot efficiently (7-for-21) and had five turnovers, but Culver is nonetheless a central figure and a barometer for Texas Tech in the rematch with the Cyclones. Also going to be crucial for Texas Tech is its 3-point shooting. The Raiders can’t afford to lose bullets in a potential shootout with Iowa State, which is second in the league in 3-point shooting percentage. Texas Tech, meanwhile, is third with a 36.2 percent clip as of this writing.
Texas Tech, which is fresh off a 70-51 home win over the Texas Longhorns, is 3-0 against the spread (ATS) in its last three road games.
Betting on the Iowa State Cyclones (20-9 Overall / 9-7 Conference)
The Cyclones are no longer in play to win the Big 12 title, but they could get a better seed in the national tournament if they can beat Texas Tech at home. It’s not always that the Red Raiders are outshot in Big 12 games, but Iowa State did that in the first meeting, coming away with a 44.6 field goal percentage to Texas Tech’s 41.3. Marial Shayok negated Culver’s production, as the transfer from the Virginia Cavaliers dropped 20 points and hit 3-pointer in 35 minutes of action. The Cyclones only used two players off the bench against Texas Tech, but Lindell Wigginton scored 11 points. He’s a great source of bench points for the Cyclones, and his ability to take over the and dominate the second-unit matchups will play a crucial role in the rematch with Texas Tech. The Cyclones need to shoot better from the foul line. They went 6-for-15 from the charity stripe in the Texas Tech game.
Iowa State is 3-1 ATS in its last four games at home against Texas Tech.
Writer’s Prediction
Iowa State wins, 69-68.
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