Texas Tech vs. Iowa State prediction, odds, pick, how to watch Men's College Basketball game - 2/17/2024

Two of the best in the Big 12 face off Saturday as Texas Tech visits Iowa State. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Texas Tech-Iowa State State prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Texas Tech comes into the game sitting at 18-6 on the year while sitting 7-4 in Big 12 play. That places them tied for third place in the conference, a game back of Houston and Iowa State. They have already lost to Houston earlier this year, but have had some big wins. Texas Tech has wins over BYU and Oklahoma, while last time out, thye faced Kansas. Texas Tech led by nine going into the half, but took off in the second half. They would go on to win 79-50.

Meanwhile, Iowa State comes in sitting at 19-5 on the year while also sitting 8-3 on the year in conference play. That sits them tied for first in the conference. The first conference loss of the year was an eight-point loss early in the conference schedule to Oklahoma, but thye would win the next game over Houston. Iowa State would then lose to BYU, but come back and beat TCU the next time out. Their third loss was on the road at Baylor before they beat Texas, TCU, and Cincinnati. All three losses were on the road.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Texas Tech-Iowa State Odds

Texas Tech: +7.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +240

Iowa State: -7.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -300

Over: 135.5 (-110)

Under: 135.5 (-110)

How to Watch Texas Tech vs. Iowa State 

Time: 12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PT

TV: Big12 Network/ESPN+

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Texas Tech Will Cover The Spread/Win

Texas Tech comes in ranked 38th in adjusted efficiency rankings according to KenPom. They are 13th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 88th in defensive efficiency. The Red Raiders are 85th in points per game, while also sitting 53rd in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Pop Isaacs leads the way on offense this year. He is averaging 16.5 points per game while being solid from three. He has shot 32.2 percent from three this year and leads the team in three-pointers made with 58. Joe Toussaint is second on the team in points, coming in with 12.4 per game, while leading with 4.2 assists per game. Further, Chance McMillan is second in three-pointers made, shooting 41.2 percent from three and scoring 10.2 points per game.

On the boards, Texas Tech is 173rd in rebounds per game this year and ranks outside the top 100 in both offensive and defensive rebounds. Warren Washington leads the way here. He comes into the game with 7.7 rebounds per game, while also scoring 10.2 points per game. Second on the team is Darrion Williams, who has 7.1 rebounds per game this year, while also scoring 10.3 points per game.

On defense, Texas Tech is 57th in the nation in points against, but sits 87th 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. Further, tempo is a big part of this. Texas Tech is 273rd in tempo this year.

Why Iowa State Will Cover The Spread/Win

Iowa State ranks ninth in adjusted efficiency by KenPom while sitting 45th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and third in adjusted defensive efficiency. Iowa State is 50th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 21st in assists per game. They are 60th in effective field goal percentage this year. They are led by Keshon Gilbert. Gilbert comes into the game with 13.8 points per game this year, while also shooting 45.7 percent from the field. Further, he is second on the team in assists with 4.1 per game. Meanwhile, Tamin Lipsey has been solid this year. He comes in with 13.3 points per game this year while shooting well, hitting 43.8 percent of his shots. Further, he moves the ball well, with 5.5 assists per game on the year. Rounding out the top scorers is Milan Momcilovic. Momcilovic comes into the game with 12.1 points per game this year

Iowa State is 221st in rebounds per game this year. They are 39th in offensive rebounding rates this year, but sit 199th in defensive rebounding rate. This is a team effort in the rebounding game. Tre King leads the wayside with 5.0 rebounds per game while having 9.4 points per game. Meanwhile, Tamin Lipsey had 4.9 rebounds per game, while three other plays are averaging over four rebounds per game this year.

Iowa State is fifth in the nation in opponent points per game this year while sitting 59th in opponent effective field goal percentage. They are third in the nation in steals per game this year. Lipsey has been great here. He is averaging 3.0 steals per game. Furthermore, Keshon Gilbert comes in with 1.7 steals per game and Curtis Jones comes in with 1.8 steals per game.

Final Texas Tech-Iowa State Prediction & Pick

Texas Tech and Iowa State should be a tight game. Still, Iowa State is slightly better on offense this year, while they are much better on defense. Texas Tech is the better rebounding team,  but that will not be enough in this game. The game will remain tight, which will drive the score up. The best play in this game is on the total. Texas Tech will get enough second chance opprotunites to put up some solid points in this game.

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Final Texas Tech-Iowa State Prediction & Pick: Over 135.5 (-110)