NCAAB Odds, Pick for Texas Tech vs West Virginia

Big 12 play rolls on as the Texas Tech Red Raiders hit the road to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday.

Both teams are in the midst of a slide, and will be looking to turn things around before it is too late. The damage is already done for West Virginia's NCAA tournament hopes, but Texas Tech cannot afford a loss in this spot.

The Red Raiders have a 19-9 record on the year, but are not playing their best ball right now. Texas Tech has now lost six of its last nine games, including back-to-back losses by double digits in its two most recent contests against UCF and Texas. This team has lost four straight games on the road in Big 12 play, so it will need a quality performance to buck that trend here.

West Virginia has been a mess for much of this season. The Mountaineers are tied for last place in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State and have lost six of their last seven games.

With that said, they have been more competitive of late, losing in overtime to Kansas State and by just seven points to a great Iowa State team the game before that. All nine of West Virginia's wins have come at home this year, so there is reason for hope in this game.

Let's take a closer look at both sides in our Texas Tech vs. West Virginia preview and prediction.

Texas Tech's offense has been legitimately great this season. The Red Raiders rank 22nd in the country in offensive efficiency and they are efficient from everywhere on the floor.

Texas Tech shoots 36% from 3-point range, which ranks 56th nationally. The Red Raiders are even better from the free-throw line, where they make 78% as a team, good for 19th in the country.

Defense, however, has been the concern. The Red Raiders have fallen to 79th in defensive efficiency. They are most susceptible on the boards, where they allow teams to rebound their misses 31% of the time, which slots in at 278th nationally. Giving up second chances is a good way to let a lesser opponent hang around.

Unfortunately, West Virginia is not set up well to take advantage of Texas Tech's shortcomings. West Virginia misses plenty of shots, but rarely rebounds its own misses, ranking just 252nd in the country in OREB%.

The Mountaineers are mediocre on both sides of the ball, ranking outside the top 130 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. This roster was built through a spending spree in the transfer portal, which has resulted in a disconnected group that feels more like a collection of players than a team.

Their biggest strength is getting to the free-throw line. They are 75th in free-throw rate, so if they can get some freebies at the line, they might be able to hang in this game at home.

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While neither side has been strong lately, the Mountaineers have been competitive against teams of Texas Tech's caliber for the last two weeks. Expect them to live at the free-throw line and keep things too close for comfort.

Pick: West Virginia +3.5