The TCU Horned Frogs travel to Lubbock, Texas, to play the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a massive Tuesday evening matchup. Both teams are projected to reach the NCAA Tournament, with Texas Tech even earning a Top 16 seed. For TCU, it’s a little bit closer. The Horned Frogs are on the bubble, receiving one of the last four byes, but a bad loss here, and that could all change. Here’s a preview, prediction, key storylines, and updated odds to keep an eye on in this matchup as we get set for today’s game.
Texas Tech vs. TCU Basketball Updated Odds
The Red Raiders are currently listed as an 8.5-point favorite at home, with an over/under of 147.5 total points.
Key Storyline: Tournament Time
As I noted in the intro, this game is a big, BIG deal. In the event that Texas Tech suffers a loss at home, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, though its seeding would surely drop. For TCU, every game down the stretch is crunch time. The Horned Frogs are in the tournament field by six teams right now, and in the event that this game gets out of hand or Jamie Dixon’s squad doesn’t put on a good show, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee would certainly point to that when discussing tournament resumes. A loss to Texas Tech wouldn’t be all that bad, but the team has to be careful with how it goes down.
Match Up to Watch: Texas Tech Offense vs. TCU Defense
While TCU may not put up elite numbers on offense, its defense is what’s kept it competitive in the Big 12 this winter. Texas Tech is obviously somewhat of a different team without JT Toppin, one of the nation’s leading scorers, on the basketball court, but even so, they’ve been lethal. The Horned Frogs will have their hands full dealing with an incredible backcourt in Lubbock that’s built for games like this, and it will take an incredible defensive effort to slow them down.
Prediction: Texas Tech 87, TCU 79
Sometimes SportsBooks will drop their lines and predictions for games, and it looks way off base. This is not one of those moments. An 8.5-point spread feels right on the money for these two, and with a Top 10 team taking the court at home, it just doesn’t feel like TCU has enough juice to walk out of Lubbock with a win. Still, it is the Big 12 Conference, and anything can happen. For now, give me the Red Raiders to avoid the slip.
