It is the third round of the Big 12 Tournament as BYU faces Texas Tech. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a BYU-Texas Tech prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
BYU made it into this game by defeating UCF in the second round of the Big 12 tournament. It was a dominating effort by BYU. BYU took the lead on the first basket of the game, hitting a three to open the game. They would not give back that lead. It did get close in the second half, with UCF making it a three point game, but BYU went on a 10-0 run to take control of the game again, winning 87-73.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech ended the regular season at 22-9, with an 11-7 conference record, earning them the four seed and the double bye. To get there, Texas Tech won their last three games. First, it was wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma State. They would then upset Baylor on the road, winning 78-68 to grab the fourth seed in the conference tournament.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: BYU-Texas Tech Odds
BYU: -2.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -128
Texas Tech: +2.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +106
Over: 153.5 (-110)
Under: 153.5 (-110)
How to Watch BYU vs. Texas Tech
Time: 12:30 PM ET/ 9:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread/Win
BYU is ranked 16th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 43rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. BYU is currently 17th in the nation in points per game this year while sitting second in the nation in assists per game on the year. Jaxson Robinson leads the team in points per game this year. He comes into the game with 13.9 points per game this year. He was solid in the gasme with UCF, coming in off the bench and scoring eight points. Meanwhile, Trevin Knell is second on the team with 11.4 points per game. He added 12 points in the game against UCF. Further, two other players sit with over ten points per game. Also, Dallin Hall and Aly Khalifa have been great in the passing game. Hall comes in with 5.0 assists per game while Khalifa comes in with 4.2 assists per game this year. I nthe game with UCF, Khalifa had five assits, while hall had four
BYU has been solid on the glass this year, sitting 11th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. Further, they are seventh in the nation in defensive rebounding rate this year. Spencer Johnson leads the way here. He comes into the game with 5.9 rebounds per game this year. Johnson has right rebounds in the game with UCF last time out. Further, Noah Waterman has 5.6 rebounds per game while Fousseyni Traore has 5.2 rebounds per game.
BYU is 88th in the nation in opponent points per game on the year. They are also 53rd in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. BYU is also 12th in the nation in scoring margin this year, with a +12.7 differential per game. Spencer Johnson leads the team with 1.1 steals per game but also has 1.5 turnovers per game.
Why Texas Tech Will Cover The Spread/Win
Texas Tech comes in ranked 25th in adjusted efficiency rankings according to KenPom. They are 24th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 52nd in defensive efficiency. The Red Raiders are 88th in points per game, while also sitting 71st in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Pop Isaacs leads the way on offense this year. He is averaging 16.0 points per game while being solid from three. He has shot 30.1 percent from three this year and leads the team in three-pointers made with 68. Joe Toussaint is second on the team in points, coming in with 12.3 per game while leading with 4.4 assists per game. Further, Darrion Williams has 11.6 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent, and Chance McMillan has 10.6 points per game.
On the boards, Texas Tech is 171st in rebounds per game this year and ranks outside the top 100 in both offensive and defensive rebounds. Darrion Williams leads the way here. He comes in with 7.6 rebounds per game this year, with two rebounds per game on the offensive glass. Further, Warren Washington has 7.4 rebounds per game but has missed the last four games.
On defense, Texas Tech is 79th in the nation in points against but sits 89th in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. Williams and Issacs have a lot to do with this. Both of them are averaging over a steal per game. Joe Toussaint averages 1.4 steals per game, while Warren Washington averages 1.5 blocks per game this year.
Final BYU-Texas Tech Prediction & Pick
BYU may be the lower seed, but they are the favorite in this game. BYU lost the only meeting between these two this year, falling by seven on the road. Still, they got better towards the end of the season. BYU has covered in six of their last seven games overall. Texas Rech has covered in three of their last seven, but three straight. The difference in this game may be the BYU offense, which is much better than the Texas Tech one, while the two defensive units are simiarly matched. Take BYU to get the win in this one.
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Final BYU-Texas Tech Prediction & Pick: BYU ML (-128)
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