It’s back to the drawing board once again for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are coming off a gut-wrenching loss to No. 6 West Virginia last Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders, though, will be in an even tougher matchup tonight against the first-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Can Texas Tech somehow find a way to shock the world with an upset?
Read on below for a complete breakdown of this Big 12 matchup. And if you’re craving for more NBA action, check out our previews of the Thunder at Knicks and Clippers at Pacers.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Oklahoma Sooners Preview
Where: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma
When: Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders (+14) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-14) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-6, 2-5 Big 12)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] Following a 76-69 triumph over TCU, the Texas Tech Red Raiders couldn’t sustain their current form as they fell short, 80-76, to the visiting Mountaineers Saturday afternoon. As a result, the Red Raiders have now lost five of their last six games and have fallen to 12-6 overall this season.
It was indeed a tough loss for the Red Raiders, who had the lead for the most part of the second half. Up next on their schedule is an even more intimidating matchup with the first-ranked Oklahoma Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center. Texas Tech is 1-9 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 road games.
Defense will be of utmost importance for the Red Raiders. They’ll be faced with an almost-impossible task of stopping the sixth-highest scoring team in the nation (85.5 PPG) and one that has the likes Buddy Hield and Jordan Woodard on their side. Texas Tech’s defense is giving up 73.9 PPG which is not a very good sign.
As for the offense, all eyes will be on the pair of Devaughntah Williams and Toddrick Gotcher to lead the charge in racking up the points. The two lead Texas Tech in points this year with 12.5 PPG and 10.9 respectively.
Also, it’s worth keeping an eye on Zach Smith for this game as well. He’s posting 9.8 PPG and will be fresh off a career performance opposite West Virginia, wherein he tallied a season-high of 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
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Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (16-2, 5-2 Big 12)
With a 10-point win over the No. 13 Baylor Bears last Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners reminded the world why they are worthy of college basketball’s highest ranking. That win inserted them in a four-way tie for the No. 1 spot in the Big 12 and helped them regain some confidence back after a tough loss to Iowa State on January 18.
Moving forward, the first-ranked Sooners will now attempt to make it two wins in a row when they play host to the struggling Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma is 5-0 SU and 0-5 ATS in its last five games at home.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on Buddy Hield to lead the attack for the Sooners. Hield, the fourth-leading scorer (25.7) in the nation, has been a major headache for opposing teams. Over his last five games, he’s putting up 24.0 PPG. That stretch includes their win over Kansas State on January 9, wherein he finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help his squad pick up the 86-76 victory.
It also goes without saying that Hield’s going to attract tons of double teams in this game. That being the case, it could open up their pair of outside gunners in Jordan Woodard (14.9 PPG) and Isaiah Cousins (12.7 PPG) to make their presence felt. Both are shooting 54.1% and 44.0% from beyond the arc this season.
Having all that said, it’s really hard to see the Sooners lose such a favorable matchup. Expect their loaded offense to eventually overpower the Red Raiders’ inconsistent defense down the stretch and ultimately capture the win.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma (-14) wins and covers the spread.
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