The No. 22 Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-11, 9-7 Big 12) travel to Waco, Texas, to face the No. 2 Baylor Bears (25-3, 14-2 Big 12) on Monday. The Bears are in second place in the conference standings with two games remaining, while the Red Raiders are in third.
This is an important game for both teams but would be a much-needed victory for Texas Tech, which has dropped two in a row. Baylor won the first meeting between these two teams by five (57-52) back in early January.
The conference bout is set to start at 9 pm EST inside the Ferrell Center. Baylor is an eight-point favorite.
What to Know – Texas Tech
The Red Raiders start the final week of the regular season off back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Texas. This is an important week for Texas Tech, which faces Baylor and top-ranked Kansas at home on Saturday to end the regular season. Texas Tech has struggled on the road this season, sporting a 3-6 mark.
Four guards average in double figures to pace the Texas Tech offense. Freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey leads the Red Raiders attack, scoring 15.5 points per game. Junior Davide Moretti (12.9 ppg), sophomore Kyler Edwards (11.8 ppg) and freshman reserve Terrance Shannon Jr. (10.1 ppg) add additional scoring options for the visitors.
Texas Tech ranks third in the league, averaging 72.4 points per game. The Red Raiders lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 35.9% from the arc.
Defensively the Red Raiders allow 63.2 points per game, which is eighth in the conference. Texas Tech ranks 23rd in both KenPom and NET rankings.
What to Know – Baylor
Baylor has dropped two of its last three contests after winning 23 consecutive games. The Bears are coming off a three-point loss (75-72) on the road to TCU on Saturday. The losses allowed conference foe Kansas to take over the top spot in the national rankings while Baylor slid to second.
A win Monday night would further cement the Bears’ case as a top seed in the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks. Baylor is 15-5 all-time at home against the Red Raiders.
The Bears showcase a pair of guards, sophomore Jared Butler (15.8 ppg) and redshirt junior MaCio Teague (14.1 ppg), that handles a majority of the offensive output. Redshirt sophomore guard Davion Mitchell poured in a team-high 14 points in the previous meeting between the two schools.
Baylor features the fourth-best scoring offense in the league, averaging 71.4 points per game. On defense, the Bears allow 58.2 ppg, which is third in the conference. The Bears rank third in KenPom and second in NET rankings.
The Pick is In
In the previous matchup, the Bears dominated the Red Raiders on the boards and held them to a season-low 52 points. Expect this one to be another defensive tilt, but Baylor to run away with it in the end. We like Baylor -8.
