We Just Need Texas Tech To Keep It Close

Texas Tech vs. TCU, 7:00 ET

The game of the night is between two ranked teams. That isn't much of a surprise, but we don't get ranked opponent matchups every night. Heck, we don't even get ranked teams playing every night. So, when two square off, and are put on national television, it provides a good opportunity to watch a good game and even put a bet on it. I'm looking forward to the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the TCU Horned Frogs.

Texas Tech has been a solid team this whole season, going 16-3 on the year and currently 5-1 in conference play. This is a stretch of tough basketball that the Red Raiders are going through. The team ran off nine straight wins, and while only a few of those opponents were anyone of substance, it was still a good stretch of basketball for them. They then ran into Houston in Houston and couldn't get any offense going as they only put up 54 points in that game. They have played two ranked opponents in their last two games though and won both of them. They were able to beat BYU by seven at home, and then they won by one point on the road in Oklahoma. Texas Tech does a great job of getting their guards to dominate games. They are both capable scorers and they are both willing defenders. Their forwards have been solid as well and combine to average 20 points per game. Even guards off the bench are contributing to the scoring and defense. This isn't an overly deep team, they are talented in many ways, but they aren't a squad that has a ton of support off the bench. Sure there are contributors, but if they get in foul trouble, or one of the starters are off it can be hard to recover.

On the other side of the court is the home team, TCU. They've also had a solid campaign to this point in the year, but have struggled in conference play compared to their opponent. TCU, ranked 25th in the country, is just 4-3 in conference play. They are coming off two straight wins which came on the end of two straight losses. They were able to beat Oklahoma State and Baylor on the road in back-to-back games. The one against Baylor was a great momentum game where they won 105-102 in triple overtime. However, that game took place on Saturday? Will legs be a little tired today after the travel and all those minutes? It certainly impacts NBA players, but to be honest, I'm not sure how it impacts the college level kids. A couple of other wins that stand out to me this season for TCU are home wins over Oklahoma and over Houston. I mentioned the beating Texas Tech took at the hands of Houston, but I can't just equate that to a win for TCU tonight because they are very different situations.

I think you have to grab the points here for Texas Tech. On a neutral court, I think they probably would be favored or at least a pick'em. On their home court, they certainly would be favored. So, getting 5.5 points in this case has some value. They are playing good basketball and I think we need to back them even on the road. TCU has been good at home this season and played close against a lot of the top teams they have faced. I don't need them to lose, I just need them to win by 5 or fewer.

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