The Big 12 will be on full display Monday night as the No. 24 Oklahoma Sooners (11-4) will be taking on the No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-5). The Red Raiders will host this one from United Supermarkets Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
Oklahoma comes in as one of the hottest teams in the nation. They have won three straight games over top-25 teams, including victories against No. 15 Kansas (75-68), No. 5 Texas (80-79), and No. 9 Alabama (66-61). They will look to pick up a fourth over ranked opponents on Monday.
Texas Tech has been a little more inconsistent lately, having lost two of their last three, but the two losses came against No. 11 West Virginia and No. 2 Baylor. The Red Raiders still should be confident as they were able to beat Oklahoma 69-67 on the road back on December 22nd.
Despite their current hot streak, the Sooners are 5-point underdogs playing on the road. The over/under for total points is 138.
By The Numbers
Offensively, both of these teams are solid. Oklahoma ranks 53rd in the nation averaging 76.9 points per game. The Red Raiders come in 72nd averaging 75.5.
Defensively, it is Texas Tech who holds the advantage. They rank 14th in scoring defense allowing an average of 62.2 points per game to opponents. They have struggled a bit more over their last three allowing 75.7 points.
Oklahoma ranks 88th, allowing 67.3 points per game to opponents.
Sooners Hope To Avenge Earlier Loss
It was a tale of two halves for Oklahoma in their December 22nd loss to the Red Raiders. After going down 40-32 at half, they outscored Texas Tech 35-29 in the second half, but fell just short of a victory. Monday, they will look to exact some revenge from their earlier loss.
Leading the way for the Sooners this season have been guards Austin Reaves and De’Vion Harmon. Reaves has averaged 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
Unfortunately, both Reaves and bench player Alondes Williams are technically questionable for Monday’s contest due to COVID-19 protocols. Even without them, the Sooners were able to take down No. 9 Alabama on Saturday.
For Harmon, he is averaging 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals. In their earlier loss to the Red Raiders, he led the Sooners with 17 points.
Other contributors include Brady Manek (11 points, 4 rebounds), Umoja Gibson (7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds), and Kur Kuath (7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds).
Texas Tech Looks For Big 12 Victory
Despite a strong overall record of 12-5, the Red Raiders have struggled in the Big 12 with just a 4-4 record. That has been good enough for the 7th out of the ten teams. They will obviously look to reverse that trend with a win over Oklahoma Monday.
Junior guard Mac McClung has been leading the way for the Red Raiders. He is averaging 17.5 points on 44.4% shooting. He is also chipping in 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1 steal per game.
The other double-digit scorer has been sophomore guard Terrence Shannon Jr. He is putting up 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.4 steals.
Other notable contributors include Kyler Edwards (9.9 points, 5 rebounds, 2.6 assists), Kevin McCullar (9.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.3 steals), and Marcus Santos-Silva (8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks).
Taking Oklahoma And The Points
Both of these teams are exceptionally good, but Oklahoma has been rolling lately with three straight wins over top-25 teams and five wins in a row. It is going to hurt if they are without Reaves again, but De’Vion Harmon has shown he is capable of putting the team on his shoulders.
Not only has Oklahoma been rolling lately, but they have been much more successful against the spread this season than Texas Tech. They are 10-4-1 against the spread, while the Red Raiders are just 7-10. For my money, I am taking Oklahoma and the points.
