Texas Tech Red Raiders at Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview

Monday night will feature a battle of two of the top teams in the Big 12 as the No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-4, 5-2 in Big 12) take on the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks (16-2, 5-1 in Big 12). The Jayhawks will host this one at Allen Fieldhouse with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.

After being upset by Kansas State on the road on January 15, the Red Raiders have won back-to-back games against No. 15 Iowa State and West Virginia. They beat West Virginia 78-65 on Saturday.

In the win, Terrence Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 23 points. Kevin Obanor (18 points) and Bryson Williams (13 points) also had big games for Texas Tech.

These two matched up back on January 8, with the Red Raiders winning 75-67 at home. For Kansas, they are hoping to exact some revenge as they play host this time. Since that loss, Kansas has won four in a row, including a 78-75 win over Kansas State Saturday.

Ochai Agbaji was fantastic in the win, going for 29 points and seven rebounds. Both Jalen Wilson (16 points, ten rebounds) and David McCormack (11 points, 15 rebounds) had double-doubles in the victory.

The Jayhawks are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -280 to win while the Jayhawks’ moneyline sits at +225. The spread features Texas Tech +6.5 (-106), and the over/under for total points is 140 (-110).

More Odds

The Jayhawks are currently the slight favorite to win the Big 12. They are +180 to do so, while the Red Raiders are +360.

In terms of the National Championship, Kansas has the seventh-best odds of winning it all at +1400. Texas Tech has the 12th-best odds at +4000.

By The Numbers

Kansas currently ranks in the top-10 in terms of offense. They rank ninth in scoring averaging 80.8 points per game (83 at home). The Red Raiders rank 89th as they are averaging 73.9 points per game (61 on the road).

Defensively, it is Texas Tech with the advantage. They rank ninth in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 59.1 points per game (61.4 on the road). Kansas ranks 95th, allowing 66.7 points per game (62 at home).

Texas Tech Hopes To Sweep Season Series

To help both their national and Big 12 standings, Texas Tech would love nothing more than to sweep their season series with Kansas Monday. In the first matchup, they were able to take down the Jayhawks despite not even having Terrence Shannon Jr. available.

Out for a month with a back injury, Shannon is starting to round back into form. In nine games this season, the junior guard has averaged 12.8 points on 47.6% shooting.

Aside from Shannon, the Red Raiders have three others that are averaging double digits. Bryson Williams (12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds), Kevin McCullar (11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals), and Davion Warren (10.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals) have had nice seasons.

Showing their depth, Kevin Obanor (9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds) and Adonis Arms (8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds) can also be major parts of the offense.

Kansas Looks To Stay Perfect At Home

Texas Tech was able to give Kansas their lone conference loss a couple of weeks ago, but Kansas is hoping to repay the favor on Monday. To their advantage, Kansas will host this one at Allen Fieldhouse, where they are currently a perfect 9-0 on the season.

Leading head coach Bill Self’s offense is senior guard Ochai Agbaji. This season, he is averaging 20.4 points on 52.3% shooting. In their first matchup with Texas Tech, he dropped 24 points in 35 minutes.

The only other player averaging double digits is junior guard Christian Braun. He is averaging 15.3 points to go along with 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Other contributors for the Jayhawks include Jalen Wilson (8.9 points, 6.5 rebounds), David McCormack (8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.1 blocks), and Remy Martin (8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists).

Take Texas Tech And The Points

It is hard to read too much from the first matchup between these two simply because of how well Kansas plays at home, but the Red Raiders also showed that they can be a force to be reckoned with.

Their stifling defense can make life tough for the Jayhawks, and Kansas will really need someone beside Agbaji or Braun to step up.

Especially with Terrence Shannon back in the mix, don’t be surprised if this is a tightly contested game again.

It is hard to say whether Texas Tech can pull off the upset, but there is definitely a lot of value in taking them plus the 6.5 points.