Expect a defensive battle between the No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders and rivals the Texas Longhorns in a matchup in Austin this coming weekend. The Red Raiders are currently priced +5,000 to win the national title, while their in-state rivals are +10,000 to be the last team standing this season.
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Betting Preview for the Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Texas Longhorns College Basketball Game on January 13, 2019
Where: Frank Erwin Center, Austin
When: Saturday, January 13, 2019, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders (odds) vs. Texas Longhorns (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (13-1 Overall / 2-0 Conference)
After taking a 69-58 neutral-location loss to the Duke Blue Devils on Dec. 20, the Red Raiders have stitched together three-straight wins against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros, West Virginia Mountaineers, and the Kansas State Wildcats. Their 23-57 home win over the Wildcats was a big one, as it netted Texas Tech a win against a Top 50 team. Plus it gives them more momentum heading into Tuesday’s showdown in Lubbock against the No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners. Against Kansas State, the Red Raiders flashed their mighty form on defense again. Texas Tech owns the second best scoring defense in the nation, as the Red Raiders are allowing just 53.1 points per game. Teams are also just making 33.4 percent of their shots against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders likes to force their opponents into racking up plenty of turnovers, which the Wildcats did, as Kansas State picked up a total of 14 turnovers. That said, Texas Tech committed 19 errors of its own, so that’s something it will have to clean up.
On the road so far this season, Texas Tech is 3-1 straight up (SU) and 0-3 against the spread (ATS).
Betting on the Texas Longhorns (10-4 Overall / 2-0 Conference)
Texas seems to be starting to get it together. Once marinated in three-straight losses to the Michigan State Spartans, Radford Highlanders, and VCU Rams, the Longhorns are on a three-game winning streak prior to Tuesday’s matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater. Shaka Smart’s boys last whipped the West Virginia Mountaineers at home last Saturday to the tune of a 61-54 score. The Longhorns’ defense has been superb of late, having allowed no more than 56 points in each of their last three games. Texas is top 10 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency and 27th in scoring defense with 63.8 points allowed per contest. Texas Tech is going to make it hard for the Longhorns to score, but Texas seems to have the ability to return the favor to the Red Raiders. In any case, Texas needs Kerwin Roach to get it going again after the school’s leading scorer put up only five points in the West Virginia game. He is averaging 12.9 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting from the field.
The Longhorns are 3-2 ATS in their last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Texas Tech wins, 69-63.
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