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Texas Tech vs Kansas Odds and Picks

John Hyslop

by John Hyslop in College Basketball

Updated Feb 19, 2021 · 3:17 PM PST

Kansas guard Christian Braun
Kansas guard Christian Braun (2) is congratulated by teammate Devon Dotson after a three-point basket during an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor in Waco, Texas, in this Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, file photo. Sophomore guard Christian Braun is one of the Big 12's best sharpshooters. (AP Photo/Ray Carlin, File)
  • The Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-6, 6-5 Big 12) take on the Kansas Jayhawks (16-7, 10-5 Big 12) on Saturday, February 20th 
  • Texas Tech will be playing their first game in 11 days after having Covid-19 and weather concerns caused three postponements 
  • See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet below

The Texas Tech Red Raiders will be glad to be back in action Saturday when they travel to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse (2:00 pm ET).

The Red Raiders have had three postponements in the last week, one Covid-19 related and two others due to weather concerns. The last time they played was February 9th when they took a 82-71 beating at the hands of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Things couldn’t be better for Kansas at the moment, riding a four-game win streak into the weekend. They looked dominant in their most recent performance, a 59-41 win over instate rival Kansas State.

The Jayhawks have had success at the expense of the Red Raiders recently, winning five of the last six meetings including a 58-57 win back in December.  The current odds are showing Kansas as slight two-point home favorites.

#15 Texas Tech vs #23 Kansas Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Texas Tech Red Raiders +2 (-110) +100 Over 134.5 (-110)
Kansas Jayhawks -2 (-110) -110 Under 134.5 (-110)

Odds as of Feb 19th at FanDuel.

Texas Tech Is Getting Restless

NCAA Basketball postponements and cancellations have become the norm in 2021 for obvious reasons. The Red Raiders were supposed to play Baylor last Saturday but that game was postponed due to Covid-19 concerns in the Bears’ program. What no one could see coming was their game with TCU on Tuesday and then Thursday getting postponed due to cold weather in Texas of all places.

Texas Tech now finds itself in a position where it hasn’t played in 11 days. What makes the layoff worse is the fact that the Red Raiders lost their last game against West Virginia by double digits. In that game, the Mountaineers took almost 20 more free-throw attempts, which ended up being the difference.

Kansas Can Lock Down

The Jayhawks lost four out of five games to close out January which no doubt sent shock waves through Lawrence. February has been a completely different story as Kansas has now won five of six to open the month. They’ve done it with a defense that ranks 12th in the land in efficiency (adjusted for opponent) according to KenPom. That defense was out in full force in their last game against Kansas State.

Holding a team to only 41 points in a full college basketball game is quite the feat. Kansas State is not exactly an offensive juggernaut but 41 points is 41 points. In this contest, the Jayhawks’ defense swarmed the ball forcing bad shot after bad shot. The Wildcats could only muster a 31% success rate from the field which is not good even at the high school level. Marcus Garrett had a strong showing in this one scoring 14 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

Best Betting Angle

Not to take anything away from the Kansas turnaround but it’s hard not to notice the completion, or lack of. Four of the five wins came over Big 12 bottom feeders, Kansas State and Iowa State. Those two teams rank 205 and 191 respectively in the nation in offensive efficiency. It’s hard for even a decent defense not to look like a world beater against competition like that.

Even with the layoff, Texas Tech should be ready to go for this one. They have been able to practice which is different from the Covid-19 layoffs we have grown accustomed to seeing. They will no doubt have revenge on their minds after last minute loss earlier in the season. It’s highly unlikely that Kyle Edwards will miss every shot he takes like he did in the first matchup. The Red Raiders could easily win this game outright.

The pick: Texas Tech +2 (-110) 

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