NCAAB Odds, Pick for Oral Roberts vs Texas Tech

Texas Tech welcomes Oral Roberts to United Supermarkets Arena on Tuesday looking to extend its 26-game non-conference home winning streak.

The Red Raiders have played a challenging schedule so far, owning a 6-2 record with a win over Michigan.

Meanwhile, this will be the Golden Eagles’ third trip to a Power Five foe this season, with close losses at Texas A&M and Kansas State on their resume.

With conference play upcoming for both squads, they'll look to create momentum with a big victory here, which should give us a good matchup in Lubbock.

After leading the program to the Sweet 16 in 2021 and winning 30 games a season ago, coach Paul Mills took his talents to Wichita State in the offseason. Oral Roberts decided to elevate an assistant to the head job in Russell Springmann.

In his first-ever season as a collegiate head coach, the Golden Eagles' schedule hasn't done Springmann any favors. In fact, KenPom rates their schedule as the 35th-toughest in the country coming into this game.

However, Springmann’s squad has shown that it's a tough out for bigger foes. Oral Roberts covered a 20-point spread in a loss at No. 13 Texas A&M before also covering in an overtime defeat at Kansas State.

One of the team's key performers this season has been Issac McBride. The senior guard ranks second in the Summit League in scoring (20.0 PPG) and eighth in 3-pointers made per game (2.1).

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Texas Tech also made a switch at head coach by hiring former North Texas coach Grant McCasland to lead the program. McCasland guided the Mean Green to the 2023 NIT Championship, and the program consistency had an elite defense.

Beyond coaching at a new school, McCasland is also working with an overhauled roster, which includes nine newcomers and just five returnees from last season.

One of those key new arrivals has been former West Virginia and Iowa transfer Joe Toussaint, who leads the team in scoring (15.6 PPG).

He's joined in the backcourt by Pop Isaacs (13.9 PPG) to make this one of the better guard duos in the Big 12.

When I dive into this matchup, one key player is missing for the home squad, which tilts me towards taking the underdog here.

So, my best bet is for Oral Roberts to cover the 13.5-point spread, which I would play to +12.

In Texas Tech’s previous game, starter Devan Cambridge suffered a season-ending knee injury against Omaha. The forward was third on the team in scoring (10.5 PPG) and rebounding (4.5 RPG) and had started every contest.

This was already a roster that had major turnover and made a coaching change coming into the year. After having a settled starting lineup through eight games, the Red Raiders will now be forced to shuffle for the first time.

I also like how well Oral Roberts defends shots inside the 3-point arc, holding opponents to just 44.9% shooting to rank in the top 50. This has been where Tech has primarily scored from, especially with their struggles shooting 3s.

This is also a Golden Eagles squad that's covered this same number against the Aggies and Wildcats, and they don’t turn the ball over.

In a game between two squads that play slow tempos, I just feel this is too many points here. Give me the underdogs to keep it close.

Pick: Oral Roberts +13.5 (Play to +12)

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