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It wasn’t the smoothest of starts for the No. 3 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders, who needed a late rally to avoid a first-round NCAA Tournament upset at the hands of Stephen F. Austin. Texas Tech did survive and advance and hopes to start faster in a second round matchup with the Florida Gators.
Florida also watched first-round for St. Bonaventure hang around for a little while before eventually taking care of business. Florida is the more traditional college power but Texas Tech has been the better team this season and will be the favorite. This could be a very competitive showdown with a berth into the Sweet Sixteen on the line.
Don't miss the hardwood action from American Airlines Center at 8:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Texas Tech is 24-9 straight up and 14-16-1 against the spread. The Red Raiders have gone 2-3 against the spread on neutral courts this season. Texas Tech is 12-12-1 against the spread as the favorite this season.
Florida is 21-12 straight up and has covered in 16 of its 33 games against the spread. The Gators are 3-4 against the spread on a neutral court this season. Florida has only been the underdog six times this year, covering in four of them.
Last Time Out
There were a lot of nails being bitten in the first round for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders trailed by three points at the half and the deficit ballooned to eight points early in the second half. Stephen F. Austin led with four minutes remaining but Texas Tech closed on a 13-2 run to come away with a 70-60 victory.
Texas Tech was led by Keenan Evans, who poured in 23 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Stephen F. Austin played well early but the Red Raiders’ defense eventually clamped down to help lead the team to the victory.
Florida led St. Bonaventure by five points at the half and then played really well to begin the second half and cruised to a 77-62 victory. The Gators were led by Egor Koulechov, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Florida did a really nice job defensively in the contest, holding St. Bonaventure to a field goal percentage of 35.4 percent and only 15.8 percent from three-point range.
Injury Report
Evans -- The Texas Tech senior guard is dealing with a sore toe but he continues to play through it. Evans suffered the injury several weeks ago but is able to be on the court and played very well in the first round.
He is averaging 17.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest on the season. Evans is shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range. Not every player handles the bright lights of March Madness well, but clearly Evans has a lot of experience and is relishing the moment.
As long as he doesn’t aggravate the ankle injury he should play heavy minutes and play a huge determinant in the outcome.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
Florida has had really strong teams in the past but this one is more middle of the road. While the Red Raiders aren’t a dominant team, they are pretty solid all the way around. Take Texas Tech to come away with a sloppy win, although the Gators are the pick to cover the March Madness spread.
Keep an eye on where the scoring total is set because this one could be more low scoring than many March Madness contests.
NCAA Odds: Texas Tech 71, Florida 68
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