Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview
Two of the best teams in the Big 12 will square off to determine the conference tournament champion Saturday as the No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (25-8) take on the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (27-6). This game will be played at the T-Mobile Center, with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 ET.
These two split a pair of games during the regular season, with the home team winning each game. Back on January 8, the Red Raiders secured the home victory 75-67. A couple of weeks later, on January 24, Kansas won at home 94-91 in double overtime.
To get to the championship game, Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma on Friday 56-55. In the win, Davion Warren and Kevin Obanor led the offense with 11 points apiece.
Kansas had a bit of an easier night on Friday as they beat the No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs 75-62 to get to the championship. Ochai Agbaji had a game-high 22 points while Mitch Lightfoot added 15.
Kansas is just a slight favorite in this one. They are -118 to win while the Red Raiders’ moneyline sits at -102. The spread features Texas Tech +1 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 135.5.
More Odds
Looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, Kansas has the sixth-best odds of winning the National Championship at +1300. Texas Tech is +2500 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Kansas has one of the best offenses in college basketball this season. They rank 15th averaging 78.8 points per game. Averaging 72.4 points per game, Texas Tech ranks 113th overall.
Defensively, Texas Tech is one of the best in college basketball. They rank sixth in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents just 60.1 points per game. The Jayhawks rank 143rd, allowing 68.4 points.
Red Raiders Looking For First Big 12 Title
For the first time in school history, the Red Raiders will be looking to secure a Big 12 championship. In fact, this will be their first appearance in the championship since 2005. Under Mark Adams, they will look to take down Kansas Saturday night and secure their first title.
While the team has gotten here because of an elite defense, the team is led by senior forward Bryson Williams on the offensive side. This season, he is averaging 13.8 points per game on 54% shooting. Williams also averages 4.3 rebounds and an assist per game.
The Red Raiders have three others averaging double digits, including Terrence Shannon Jr (10.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, two assists), Davion Warren (10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals), and Kevin McCullar (10 points, five rebounds).
Kansas Looks For Even Year Magic
Going back to 2016, Kansas has won the Big 12 title in every even year the tournament has been played. Granted, that comes with the caveat that the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020, but the team won it in both 2016 and 2018, beating West Virginia both times.
On Saturday, they will try to keep their even-numbered magic going by taking down the Red Raiders.
Leading the Jayhawks is senior guard Ochai Agbaji. In 31 games, he is averaging 19.7 points on 47.7% shooting. He is also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Other major contributors include Christian Braun (14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists), Jalen Wilson (11 points, 7.2 rebounds), David McCormack (10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds), and Remy Martin (7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists).
Take Kansas To Win
This one should be a lot of fun. Not only do these two teams know each other really well, but they have had some really entertaining battles already this season.
While Texas Tech’s defense could be a gamechanger in this one, expect Kansas to come out strong and establish a presence on the offensive side. Really, what this game might boil down to is the depth of Kansas’ offense, especially if Remy Martin continues to produce like he did in the semifinal.
Expect this one to be close down the stretch, but ultimately, take Kansas to cover the modest one-point spread as they win this one outright.
