Texas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Preview

The Texas Tech Red Raiders host the Texas Longhorns on Saturday morning for a huge matchup in the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech knocked off Texas in the first meeting of the season and are now looking to sweep their conference rivals.

Texas was once considered a Final Four contender, but things have not gone as well since conference play began. The Longhorns have gone just 8-5 in conference action and come in with an overall record of 14-6.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are just 6-7 in Big 12 Conference Games this season, and they have been struggling of late. Texas Tech has now lost three games in a row, and their NCAA Tournament seed continues to slip.

Texas Tech is a 3.5-point home favorite over the Texas Longhorns in this matchup. 

Guards Guiding Texas Run

The Texas Longhorns live and die by the three-pointer, and they have a trio of guards leading the way. Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey, and Matt Coleman III are all scoring at least 13 points per game, and all can really shoot.

Texas will try to push the tempo in this game and try to score before the Texas Tech defense is able to get set up. The Longhorns will give up some points of their own, and they will need to lock in defensively to even the score against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The Longhorns are nearly impossible to beat if they are shooting the ball well, and that is the hope for head coach Shaka Smart and his team. 

Red Raiders Relying on Defense

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are able to score some points when they need to, but defense is definitely the specialty for this team. Texas Tech is holding opponents to just 63 points per game, but they did give up nearly 80 to Texas in the first meeting of the season.

Guard Mac McClung leads the way for Texas Tech with 16.9 points per game, and he has really been impressive in his first season with the Red Raiders. Terrence Shannon Jr. is scoring nearly 13 points per game, and he has been solid this season as well. 

Texas Tech is another team that gets most of their offense from the guard position, but they are able to get it done in the paint. Look for the Red Raiders to slow this game down on Saturday morning in an attempt to sweep Texas. 

Longhorns Pull Off Upset

There is no doubt that Texas will be looking for revenge in this game after being upset by Texas Tech earlier this season. The Longhorns are playing much better basketball than the Red Raiders at this time, and that should play a role in this matchup.

Texas Tech can really defend, but Texas just has too many offensive weapons to be completely shut down. Look for the Longhorns to make a ton of shots in this game as they are able to pick up a nice upset win on the road.

Take the Texas Longhorns money line over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in this Big 12 Conference showdown.

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