Amazingly, this weekend will mark the first time that the Texas Tech Red Raiders and South Carolina Gamecocks square off on the basketball court. Although neither one is known for its basketball prowess, both schools have had success in recent years. South Carolina made the Final Four last season, while Texas Tech made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in almost a decade two seasons ago. Currently, the Red Raiders are having their best season in years, and are looking to keep that momentum going.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, January 27, 2018, at 12 p.m. ET at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Texas Tech looks set to make it to the NCAA Tournament once again. The Red Raiders are already 16-4 and just a few more wins this season should be enough to punch their ticket to March Madness.
However, this team has had its struggles lately. Texas Tech has failed to cover in any of its last five games and has been killed on the road. The Red Raiders were short underdogs to Oklahoma and favorites against Texas and Iowa State on the road, but lost all three. Under has cashed in five of the team’s last six.
This season has been one step forward and two steps back for South Carolina. Frank Martin was looking to capitalize off of last year’s momentum, but it’s been slow going. The Gamecocks did get two nice wins against Georgia and Kentucky in back-to-back weeks, but a home loss to Tennessee over the weekend sent this program back to the drawing board.
Under has been a good bet in Gamecocks games this year. It has cashed in four of the last five and is 12-6 overall.
Coaching Angle
Chris Beard has done a remarkable job with this team. Since becoming a head coach, Beard hasn’t stayed in one place for too long. He has rocketed up the coaching ladder, spending his last six seasons at four different schools.
Beard has made big jumps each time he has left for a new job. He got his start at McMurry Community College, then moved to Division II Angelo State, before getting the job where he first made a name for himself. In his one year at Arkansas-Little Rock, he led the team to a 30-5 record and an NCAA Tournament upset over Purdue.
He came to Lubbock after that season and has turned the program around pretty quickly. Beard emphasizes defense and that has been the key to Texas Tech’s success. In the high scoring Big 12, opponents are averaging just 62 PPG against the Red Raiders.
Key Stat
South Carolina has had some major shooting woes this season. The Gamecocks have really struggled to put points on the board, and are hitting just a shade over 40 percent of their field goals on the year.
Chris Silva is the only player that has been somewhat reliable for South Carolina this year. He is the only player hitting better than 47 percent from the floor and unsurprisingly leads the team in scoring as a result. Silva is asked to create too much sometimes though, and he knows he needs some help from his teammates.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
This is a bad matchup for South Carolina. The Gamecocks are already one of the worst shooting teams in the country and will now face a Red Raiders team that is great at shutting down opponents. Texas Tech is going to ride that stingy defense to a win in a low-scoring affair that will give the Big 12 an early leg up in the challenge.
College Basketball Odds: Texas Tech 73, South Carolina 66
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