While the rest of the Big 12 is knocking each other off, the Texas Tech Red Raiders continue to win and now hold down the top spot in the conference as they look to dethrone Kansas. But the season is far from over and while Tech is currently alone at the top, there are still several big games left. And the Big 12 is loaded, so anything can happen. The Raiders will attempt to extend their win streak when Trae Young and the Oklahoma Sooners visit on Tuesday.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at the United Supermarkets Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oklahoma’s inability to win on the road lately will likely have them as a bigger underdog against the No. 1 team in the Big 12. The Sooners have lost six straight away from Norman going 0-6 ATS in the process. They’ve failed to reach their season scoring average of nearly 89 points in any of those six games, allowing the under to go 4-2.
Things are going in a different direction for Texas Tech, which has the longest winning streak in the conference at six games. The Raiders matched last season’s win total by knocking off Texas on Jan. 31. They reached the 20-win mark for the first time in over a decade two games later and took over sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with a win at K-State on Saturday. Tech has yet to lose at home going 15-0 SU.
Player to Watch
When a guy goes for 22 points and 11 assists and it’s considered a bad game, you know that player is special. That’s the case for Young, who leads the nation in scoring and assists. But even his big numbers haven’t been able to prevent the Sooners from their free-fall in the Big 12.
There’s a lot of pressure on the kid and he handled it beautifully earlier in the year. But now opposing teams have a game plan, and it’s working. Young will get his points because he shoots the basketball a lot, but teams are making him work for his opportunities.
They’d rather have him give the ball up since no other player averages more than 12 points, and he’s done his share of that. But the Sooners win – and lose – with Young running the show. The grind of the Big 12 season could be getting to OU, or maybe they aren’t as good as most thought.
Last Meeting
Texas Tech was dealt one of its three Big 12 losses when the Sooners got the 10-point win in Norman on Jan. 9. And as usual, Young played a big part in the outcome. Tech did a nice job on the nation’s scoring leader in the first half, but they couldn’t contain him for the full 40 minutes and he did a bulk of his damage in the second-half.
Young tallied just five first-half points, but the Raiders couldn’t finish off the job, allowing Young to get 22 points in the second half as the Sooners pulled away for the 75-65 win.
The Red Raiders didn’t help themselves by shooting only 37.3 percent overall and 24 percent on threes. Keenan Evans, who tallied 19 points, was the only TTU player to reach double figures. The Raiders also committed 13 turnovers and shot just 64.3 percent from the free throw line.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Oklahoma has struggled on the road and Texas Tech is undefeated at home. So the result is a simple one, right? Wrong. The Big 12 is the most competitive conference in college basketball and with it come a lot of close games and teams winning that should probably lose, and vice versa.
The Sooners have been losing, six straight on the road and six of eight overall. Young’s numbers have slipped a bit, but that’s almost to be expected after they were astronomical for the season. The good news is that OU has other players, they just haven’t been in the spotlight.
You can flip a coin to pick winners in this conference, that’s how tightly cramped the teams are. A six-game winning streak is almost unheard of and the odds of it continuing get slimmer each time out. Look for Young to do what he does best leading the Sooners to the road victory.
College Basketball Odds: Oklahoma 77, Texas Tech 73
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