Kansas vs. Texas Tech Odds, Betting Pick & Prediction: Will KU Defense Control This Game?
Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire. Pictured: Kansas Jayhawks guard Devon Dotson (1).
- Updated odds for Kansas at Texas Tech list the Jayhawks as a 3-point favorite, down slightly from the opening line.
- Kansas hasn't lost since Jan. 11, while Texas Tech has stumbled with three straight losses but did take Baylor to overtime on Monday.
- Get our picks for Kansas-Texas Tech below.
Kansas at Texas Tech Odds
- Spread: Kansas -3.5
- Over/Under: 133.5
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (27-3, 18-12 ATS) head to Lubbock to take on the desperate Red Raiders team on a three game losing streak.
Per ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Texas Tech (18-12, 14-16 ATS) is currently projected to be a No. 8 or 9 seed and could improve its seeding to avoid potentially playing a No. 1 seed in the second round of the tournament with a win on Saturday.
This matchup is very intriguing if you’re fan of defense. According to KenPom, Kansas and Texas Tech both rank top-10 in the country in terms of defensive efficiency. I think we can all admit at this point of the season that Kansas is the best team in the country. The main reason they can make that claim is their strong defense.
Kansas is elite at defending teams inside the arc, allowing a 43.7% eFG% and 42.4% 2P%, which both rank fourth in the country; Texas Tech defensively ranks inside the 70s in eFG%, 3P%, 2P%, and Turnover percentage.
As a stat nerd, I chuckled when I saw that Kansas and Texas Tech play the exact same adjusted pace of 67.5, which is below the NCAA average adjusted pace, so I think this will be a slow grind it out defensive struggle on both ends of the floor.
For those of you who like over/under trends, the under is 11-0 in Kansas road games this year. My model has Kansas -2.88, so I wouldn’t touch the spread on this game. However, my model has the total at 129, so I think there is value on the under 133.5 or better, but I wouldn’t play anything below 133.5.
The PICK: Under 133.5
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