Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Houston Cougars Betting Picks

The 2-0 Texas Tech Red Raiders will matchup with the 2-0 Houston Cougars at 5:30 PM ET in Dickies Arena. This game will take place on a neutral court and it’ll be interesting to see how these two promising teams face off early in the season. Let’s dive into how this one will go down and who will end up covering the spread. Let’s dive into how this one will go down and who will end up covering the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of my NCAAB Picks and Predictions for the upcoming week.

• Red Raiders are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games following an ATS win.
• Cougars are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog.
• Under is 7-1 in Cougars last 8 games following an ATS loss.
• Under is 7-3 in Red Raiders last 10 games following an ATS win.

Both of these teams are stacked. Let’s start with Texas Tech. They’ve blown out each of their opponents and the offense looks phenomenal. Junior PG Mac McClung looks to have turned a corner and he’s led the squad with 19 points on top of 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 rebounds per game. Senior big man Marcus Santos-Silva is averaging a double-double (11 ppg, 10,5 ppg) and he will be a key against a Houston team that isn’t great down low. You then have Kyler Edwards, who was projected to be the team’s leading scorer. He’s yet to get going and could do so at any time. Texas Tech shoots a ton of threes and they live or die by them.

Houston is just as talented as Texas Tech, and a bit more experienced. They’re led by returning starters at guard in junior Quentin Grimes and sophomore Marcus Sasser. They’ve each averaged 16+ points per game through the first two. The pair will matchup with the lethal guards on Texas Tech and it will likely determine the outcome of this game. 

Freshman Tramon Mark is the Cougars top newcomer and he’s impressed with 15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest through two. He can be the x-factor Houston needs in this one. Defensively, Houston has been elite against the three-point shot (2-for-28) and will need to be tonight against a Red Raiders team that shoots a ton of them.

I like the Houston Cougars to win this game outright and the 2.5 points are a nice insurance. The Cougars are more experienced in the backcourt and the addition of Tramon Mark is a dangerous one. These two teams matchup incredibly well and the game likely comes down to how well the Texas Tech offense can shoot from behind three. If Houston successfully limits the outside shot, this just isn’t the same team. The Cougars are more versatile and I’m not sure there is a path to take them away just yet.

These are two dynamic offenses, but both of these teams also play a ton of defense. All we need is a five or six minute cold streak and the under will hit here. The public is all over the over, but I can’t justify it. The under is the smart bet here and I’ll be laying a unit on it myself.