Montana State vs Texas Tech Odds, Lines and Spread

• Texas Tech is a 15-point favorite over Montana State in an NCAA Tournament first-round game on Friday
• The winner advances to play Alabama or Notre Dame
• A look at the Montana State vs Texas Tech odds and matchup can be found below with a pick

Making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1996, #14 seed Montana State will try to spring a major upset when it meets #3 seed Texas Tech in a West Region first round game at 1:45 p.m. ET Friday at Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl in San Diego.

Montana State (27-7) has won six games in a row after polishing off Northern Colorado 87-66 on Saturday in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game. The Bobcats will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAAs.

Texas Tech (25-9) has been selected to six of the last seven Big Dances. The Red Raiders have split their last six games, including losing to Kansas 74-65 on Saturday in the Big 12 Tournament title game.

The winner moves on to face Alabama or Notre Dame on Sunday in the March Madness bracket.

Montana State vs Texas Tech Odds

Odds as of March 17th at Barstool Sportsbook. Editor’s note: as of 11:08 am ET, March 18, the game total had been bet down to 131.5 (-109o/-112u).The moneyline and point spread had stayed the same. 

In a game that will be televised on TNT, Texas Tech is a 15-point favorite in the college basketball odds. The Red Raiders have a 94.34% implied winning probability at -1667 on the moneyline.

The Red Raiders have NCAA Tournament title odds of +2500.

Montana State Betting Outlook

Montana State covered all three of its games in the Big Sky tourney and is 17-14-1 against the spread this season. The Bobcats’ 27 straight-up wins are the second-most in school history behind 36 in 1928-29.

Senior guard Xavier Bishop leads the Bobcats. He is averaging 13.9 points and 4.3 assists a game.

Xavier Bishop is named the tournament MVP, and teammate Amin Adamu named to the all-tournament team. #BigSkyInBoise pic.twitter.com/THsHmnYUod

— SWX Montana (@SWXMontana) March 13, 2022

In the win over Northern Colorado, Bishop shined with 19 points and eight assists. He has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games.

Montana State shot a sizzling 55.6% (10 of 18) from three-point land and 51.9% (27 of 52) overall. Meanwhile, the Bobcats held Northern Colorado to 30.2% (19 of 63) from the field and 25.0% (6 of 24) on trifectas.

Montana State also held a 41-29 edge in rebounding as it built a 40-28 halftime lead then went up by as much as 25 points in the second half.

Senior guard Amin Adamu scored 16 points, raising his average to 11.6.

Sophomore guard Nick Gazelas added 15 points after being held scoreless by Weber State in 14 minutes in the semifinals a night earlier. Freshman guard Tyler Patterson made 4 of 5 three-point attempts and finished with 14 points.

After today's win over Montana Western, freshman Tyler Patterson and Nick Gazelas are putting in work to improve their three-point shooting. pic.twitter.com/vLHneAdicp

— John Miller (@JohnMillerNBC26) January 1, 2021

Junior forward Jubrile Belo is a factor inside with averages of 13.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots.

Texas Tech Betting Outlook

Texas Tech was one of college basketball’s most profitable teams until losing five of its last six games against the spread. Overall, the Red Raiders are 21-13 against the number in 2021-22.

Senior forward Bryson Williams is scoring a team-high 13.7 points a game after transferring from UTEP but defense is Texas Tech’s strength. The Red Raiders lead the nation in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency as it is allowing 84.9 points per 100 possessions.

This is still a Bryson Williams fan page! And we HUNGRY! pic.twitter.com/P8TX12kT53

— Christopher McQueen🌵👆❤️🖤 (@cmacwreckem) March 14, 2022

Williams scored a team-high 17 points in the loss to Kansas in the Big 12 title game. That came after he managed 15 points total in the tourney’s first two games.

Junior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is the only other Texas Tech player with a double-digit scoring average at 10.4. He had a 14-point effort against Kansas.

Senior forward Kevin Obanor added 11 points and six rebounds.

Senior guard Davion Warren spearheads the defense with 1.5 steals a game. He and Obanor both have 9.9 scoring average.

OH MY Davion Warren!!! pic.twitter.com/DbB0i9hUEE

— Austin Massey (@austinmasseySBI) December 28, 2021

Each of Texas Tech’s top six scorers have made at least 26 three-point field goals, though the Red Raiders drained just 5 of 19 (26.2%) shots from deep in the loss to Kansas.

Montana State vs Texas Tech Prediction

The teams last played in 1995-96 and Texas Tech rolled to an 86-67 home victory.

If the adage about defense winning championships is true, then Texas Tech is indeed a contender to win it all. However, the Red Raiders’ style of play can lead to lower-scoring games, which makes Montana State a tempting play with the points.

The Pick: Montana State +15 (-110)

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• SBD’s Expert Brackets and March Madness Picks 2022
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