No. 11 BYU heads to No. 15 Texas Tech for a Top 25 match up on Saturday night in Lubbock at the United Supermarkets Arena, with a tipoff set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Cougars come in 16-1 (4-0 Big 12), while Texas Tech is 13-4 (3-1 Big 12). The Red Raiders have won four of their last five games, including an 88-74 home win over Utah on Wednesday; BYU has won four consecutive games in league play against TCU, Utah, Arizona State and Kansas State heading into Saturday.
Texas Tech vs. BYU opened as a pick-em game, with an over-under of 159.5, but has moved to Texas Tech -2.5 or -3 in some sports books, with an over-under of 160.5.
TOP STORYLINE: THE BIGGER OF TWO BEASTS
Through their last 10 games, BYU (89.7 ppg) and Texas Tech (84.2 ppg) are two of the most productive offenses in the country. AJ Dybantsa is averaging 23.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists for the Cougars, while Christian Anderson is pulling down an average of 20.5 points through his last 10 starts. Defensively, both sides commit roughly 17-18 personal fouls per game, and it’s safe to expect that brand of physicality on Saturday.
MATCH UP TO WATCH: SECOND-CHANCE POINTS
BYU (40.6 rpg) and Texas Tech (38.7 rpg) are two glass-conscious teams that’re going to scratch and claw their way to the basketball on Saturday. Those second-chance points will be like gold, and Texas Tech will be looking to 6-foot-9 forward JT Toppin (21.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.2 apg) to pull down a lot of them. BYU rebound leader Keba Keita (8.1 rpg, 7.4 ppg, 0.4 apg) is averaging 9.8 boards per night over his last five starts.
PREDICTION: TEXAS TECH 82, BYU 81
BYU’s first conference loss comes in Lubbock. Toppin is looking for his seventh consecutive double-double, and he’ll have a home crowd behind that effort. The Red Raiders are 9-0 at home this season, and have won most of those by double-figures (save for Wyoming). Connecticut remains BYU’s only loss on the schedule, but the Cougars are coming off two narrow wins inside six points or fewer at Utah (89-84) last Friday and TCU (76-70) on Tuesday.
