The No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders are finally out of a slump, which is something the No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks could not say as of the moment. Bill Self’s boys, however, can boost their morale and their chances to win the Big 12’s regular season title if they could take down the Red Raiders this Saturday at home. Texas Tech is +5,000 to win the national title, while the Jayhawks have a price of +2,500 to take home the NCAA championship to Lexington in April.
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Betting Preview for the Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Kansas Jayhawks College Basketball Game on February 2, 2019
Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence
When: Saturday, February 2, 2019, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders (odds) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (17-4 Overall / 5-3 Conference)
The Raiders are seemingly on their way to recovery. That is if they haven’t already. After two successive losses (both on the road) to the Baylor Bears, 73-62, and to the Kansas State Wildcats, 58-45, the Red Raiders woke up and won the next two games. Those are wins at home against the Arkansas Razorbacks, 67-64, and against the TCU Horned Frogs, 84-65. After malfunctioning in losses to the Bears and the Wildcats, Texas Tech’s defense finally showed its fangs again. Against the Horned Frogs, the Red Raiders forced TCU to commit 13 turnovers to Texas Tech’s seven. The Red Raiders’ offense fed off the team’s effective defense, as they shot 54.2 percent from the field and went 9-for-21 from deep (42.9 percent). With Kansas missing badly the services of the injured Udoka Azubuike in the middle, Jarrett Culver (18.5 PPG) and the Red Raiders should be able to find ways to get shots near the basket.
Texas Tech, which is allowing just 56.8 points per game, is 2-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last three road games against Kansas.
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (16-5 Overall / 5-3 Conference)
It’s not time yet for the Jayhawks to panic, but it’s understandable if folks over in Lexington are feeling like it. The team has now lost three of its last four games, including a 73-63 upset defeat at the hands of the Texas Longhorns in Austin on Tuesday. Kansas was obviously stymied by the Longhorns’ defense, as the Jayhawks shot just 43.1 percent from the field and coughed the ball up 13 times. Granted Azubuike is a huge loss to the team, the healthy bodes left on Kansas’ roster should still be enough to beat most other teams – elite or not – in the Big 12. Perhaps the Jayhawks just need to unleash senior guard Lagerald Vick again, who’s scored just 10 points in each of Kansas’ last two games. Some of those points were even scored when the game was merely waiting for the final score. Kansas needs to involve Vick early and often, as he has the ability to open the game for his teammates, especially when he gets it going. On the season, Vick is putting up 14.8 points per contest.
The over is 2-0 in the last two home games of Kansas, which is averaging 77.3 points per game.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas wins, 73-70.
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