The #5 Texas Longhorns (20-5, 9-3 Big 12) tangle with the Texas Tech Red Raiders (13-12, 2-10 Big 12) in a Big 12 Conference showdown on Monday night. Texas beat the Red Raiders earlier this season in a 72-70 classic in Austin.
The conference contest tips off at 9 p.m. EST inside the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. The Longhorns are a four-point favorite, and the over/under total is 146.0 points.
What to Know – #5 Texas Longhorns
Texas enters the week holding a one-game advantage over the Kansas Jayhawks and Baylor Bears in the conference race with six games remaining in the regular season. The Longhorns have won three of their last four and are 4-3 on the road this year.
The Longhorns rank first in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 80.0 points per game thanks to 47.9% shooting from the floor and 33.8% shooting from the 3-point line. Defensively, Texas surrenders 68.1 ppg, 44.2% shooting from the field, and 32.6% from beyond the arc.
Powering the Texas offense is senior guard Marcus Carr. The veteran leads the team averaging 16.9 ppg while shooting 45.9% from the floor. Senior Sir’Jabari Rice is next in line, tallying 11.7 ppg for the Longhorns.
The Longhorns are 11-14 against the spread this year and 3-4 ATS in true road contests. Texas is 1-5 ATS in its previous six contests against the Red Raiders.
What to Know – Texas Tech Red Raiders
The conference season hasn’t gone to plan for the Red Raiders after rolling through the non-conference slate with an 11-2 record. Texas Tech has just two conference wins to-date and five of its ten Big 12 losses have come by single digits.
On offense, the Red Raiders rank 7th in the league scoring 73.8 ppg. Texas Tech shoots 46.1% from the field and 35.5% from deep. The Red Raiders defense allows 68.3 ppg, 42.0% shooting from the floor, and 32.2% shooting from three.
Senior Kevin Obanor gets the job done on the offensive end for the Red Raiders. Obanor is eighth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg, Fellow classmate De’Vion Harmon is next in line scoring 13.3 ppg for TTU, giving the Red Raiders a pair of offensive playmakers.
The Red Raiders are `10-14-1 ATS with a home record of 5-9. Texas Tech is 4-1 ATS over its last five matchups.
The Pick is In
Texas Tech needs to string some wins together if it wants to make it into the field of 68 next month. With three of their last six games against ranked opponents, the Red Raiders have a chance to close out the season on a high note and rack up some Quad 1 victories.
Texas is in the driver’s seat in the Big 12 but don’t be surprised if Texas Tech pulls out the victory in this one. We like the Red Raiders to get the job done at home.
The Pick: Texas Tech Red Raiders +4
