West Virginia @ Texas Tech
Recommendation: West Virginia -5.5
The Mountaineers head down to take on Texas Tech Monday night in a contest that won’t be as close as the odds makers think. West Virginia has been rolling pretty much all season. They’re coming off of an 11 point victory against a very impressive TCU squad Saturday. The Mountaineers are ranked 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] in overall scoring, and much of that has to do with how well they attack the offensive glass. West Virginia ranks 1[SUP]st[/SUP] in the nation in offensive rebounding. This obviously leads to a higher output of scoring due to second chance opportunities. I’ve been very impressed from what I’ve seen out of WV’s defense as well. Bob Huggins has his team playing great on ball pressure (often full court) and as a result, their forcing a lot of turnovers. Juwan Staten is a little banged up but WV has plenty of talent to cover this number.
Texas Tech is coming off a loss to rival Texas Saturday, a game in which they were outrebounded by a wide margin. The Red Raiders rank near the middle of the pack in pretty much every statistical category. Their schedule has been middle of the road. One thing the Raiders have an awful time at is shooting the long ball. Tech averages just 4.7 3 pointers per game which is ranked 300[SUP]th[/SUP] in the country. Even on the road, this line looks a little low to me. Take West Virginia.
Recommendation: West Virginia -5.5
The Mountaineers head down to take on Texas Tech Monday night in a contest that won’t be as close as the odds makers think. West Virginia has been rolling pretty much all season. They’re coming off of an 11 point victory against a very impressive TCU squad Saturday. The Mountaineers are ranked 22[SUP]nd[/SUP] in overall scoring, and much of that has to do with how well they attack the offensive glass. West Virginia ranks 1[SUP]st[/SUP] in the nation in offensive rebounding. This obviously leads to a higher output of scoring due to second chance opportunities. I’ve been very impressed from what I’ve seen out of WV’s defense as well. Bob Huggins has his team playing great on ball pressure (often full court) and as a result, their forcing a lot of turnovers. Juwan Staten is a little banged up but WV has plenty of talent to cover this number.
Texas Tech is coming off a loss to rival Texas Saturday, a game in which they were outrebounded by a wide margin. The Red Raiders rank near the middle of the pack in pretty much every statistical category. Their schedule has been middle of the road. One thing the Raiders have an awful time at is shooting the long ball. Tech averages just 4.7 3 pointers per game which is ranked 300[SUP]th[/SUP] in the country. Even on the road, this line looks a little low to me. Take West Virginia.
