Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech Prediction, Preview, and Odds
Oklahoma State (8-6 SU, 4-9-1 ATS) travels to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech (12-2 SU, 7-7 ATS) on Tuesday night from United Supermarkets Arena at 8pmET in Big 12 action.
Last season, these teams met twice with Oklahoma State winning both games and with Texas Tech covering on the road.
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Streak is broken
Oklahoma State (97th KenPom) had won five straight games, which were all at home, before falling to No. 18 Baylor 75-70 on Saturday from Gallagher-Iba Arena. Oklahoma State had a rough non-conference slate, losing to the likes of Southern Illinois on the road, Creighton by 14 at home, Abilene Christian at home, Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure on a neutral site. The Cowboys held the Bears to just 13.3% (2 of 15) from long distance, but shot just 4-of-20 (20%) from long range themselves and were outrebounded by eight. Brandon Garrison led the way with 20 points and eight boards for Oklahoma State, while Javon Small added 17 points and eight boards.
What has been the problem thus far? They rank 151st in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency according to KenPom. That's terrible considering their strength of schedule is at 312. Small leads the Cowboys with 15.3 points per game and 4.7 assists with 5.3 rebounds on 44.5% shooting (42.3%). Senior guard Bryce Thompson adds 12.7 points on 40.2% shooting and 37.1% from long range. Overall, the Cowboys average 75 points per game on 46.2% shooting (36.6% 3pt). They also struggled at the free throw line, where they rank 292nd (67.5%). On defense, they are giving up 66.6 per game on 41% shooting (31.6% 3pt).
Big win over rivals to keep streak going
Texas Tech has won seven straight games going into this matchup, but none of them mattered as much as facing Texas on the road in the first Big 12 contest for both. Beating the likes of North Alabama and Vanderbilt is not going to open eyes. The Red Raiders lost just two games in non-conference play to Villanova and Butler in overtime. So beating Texas 78-67 on the road on Saturday was a pleasant surprise. They were led by Pop Isaacs, who scored 21 points but this came the day after he was named in a lawsuit alleging sexual assault of a minor during a team to the Bahamas in November. Texas Tech shot a sizzling 53% from the field and 47% (7-of-15) from long range. They held the Longhorns to just 41% from the field amd 33% (6-of-18) from three-point range.
Isaac, a 6-2 sophomore guard, leads the Red Raiders in scoring with 16.2 points and adds 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals on 36.5% shooting (30.4%). Guard Joe Toussaint, a 6-foot West Virginia transfer, adds 14.4 points and 4.1 assists on 47.1% shooting (33.3% 3pt). Overall, Texas Tech allows 64.6 points per game on 40.7% shooting (31% 3pt). On offense, they are averaging 78 points per game on 46.1% shooting (36.2% 3pt). KenPom has the Red Raiders ranked 28th overall and their strength of schedule is at 227.
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Rating:
Looking at this from a handicapping perspective and not a personnel perspective, the Red Raiders are in that letdown mode after beating a good, but not great Texas team on the road. Nobody is great in the Big 12 outside of Kansas, Houston, and maybe Oklahoma. Add to the fact that the allegations about Isaacs can be a distraction and I'm taking the points here. The Cowboys had been playing pretty good basketball before losing to a Baylor team that was a bit better. Oklahoma State also has some quality big men in Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245) and Mike Marsh (6-10, 250), who will help them gain an advantage on the boards.
Prediction: Oklahoma State +8.5
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Rating:
Texas Tech is 253rd in Adjusted Tempo according to KenPom and Oklahoma is at 224. So both teams are pretty methodical and half-court squads. Oklahoma State has gone under in two straight games, while the Red Raiders have done it on the defensive end. They've allowed 70 or less points in five straight six of their last seven games. Garrison's size also allows him to protect the paint as he's averaging 2.0 blocks per game and had eight over his last two games.
Prediction: Under
Ben has been a sports writer for over 35 years, dabbling in college and pro basketball, college and pro football, baseball, college lacrosse, minor league baseball and even college gymnastics. He's also been involved in the gaming industry for nearly 30 years and has been looking to beat the books since he was 13! Ben has had great success in handicapping college football, the NFL, college basketball, the NBA and MLB for 27+ years. His Twitter handle is @BenHayesWAW
