Big 12 Tournament: Texas Tech vs WVU Picks, Predictions, Odds

The West Virginia Mountaineers can probably lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.

West Virginia is only 18-13, but the Mountaineers are the 17th best team in the country according to Ken Pomeroy's metrics. They have six Quad 1 wins and are 5-1 in Quad 2 games, yet that one Quad 2 loss came against Texas Tech in Morgantown last month. Another defeat to the Red Raiders here would be devastating, and it could very well keep the Mountaineers out of March Madness.

The Big 12 Conference Tournament will get underway on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU with the Texas Tech Red Raiders taking on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Once again, this event will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. WVU Mountaineers Betting Prediction

These two teams split their two games in the regular season with each team winning on the road. Texas Tech enters the Big 12 Tournament on a three-game losing streak, but the Red Raiders lost all three of those games by four points or less.

Of their 13 losses to conference opponents this season, six came by four points or less, so Texas Tech is a very live dog. This should be a close game, so I'll grab the Red Raiders and the points.

Best Bet: Texas Tech +4.5
Score Prediction: West Virginia 73, Texas Tech 72

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. WVU Mountaineers Betting Odds

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. WVU Mountaineers Betting Resources

Date: Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2023
TV-Time: ESPNU, 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: T-Mobile Center
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Matchup
Expert Picks

Big 12 Tournament Odds

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. WVU Mountaineers Betting Stats

Texas Tech Red Raiders
SU: 16-15
ATS: 14-16-1
O/U: 18-11-2
PPG: 73.7
OPPG: 68.7

West Virginia Mountaineers
SU: 18-13
ATS: 16-15
O/U: 21-10
PPG: 76.7
OPPG: 71.1

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Analysis

Head coach Mark Adams was suspended by the school a couple days ago for an inappropriate comment, so Corey Williams will be the acting head coach of Texas Tech during the Big 12 Tournament.

The Red Raiders rank in the top 60 nationally in both offense and defense according to Ken Pomeroy's numbers. Kevin Obanor is the leading scorer on the team with 14.4 PPG, and he is knocking down 49.2% of his field goals. Obanor has a lot more freedom on both ends since Fardaws Aimaq returned from a foot injury that caused him to miss three months of the season, as Aimaq is a 6'11 power forward that is averaging 11.8 PPG and 8.3 RPG. Additionally, Daniel Batcho can help Texas Tech maintain a size advantage with his 6'11 and 235-pound frame.

Jaylon Tyson is a very good three-point shooter that is knocking down over 41% of his triples on the season. Kerwin Walton is a solid perimeter shooter off the bench that is also making more than 41% of his attempts from distance, and Pop Isaacs is making a little over 38% of his treys. That gives Texas Tech three shooters to go with its three big bodies, and the Red Raiders would probably be a 20-win team in any other conference.

West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Analysis

Bob Huggins has done a good job of changing the identity of this program on the fly. West Virginia isn't as overtly aggressive as we have seen in the recent past with the trap, and Huggins is letting his team cook more on offense. That has allowed the Mountaineers to be a top 15 offense, and they rank in the top 50 nationally in turnovers forced too.

Erik Stevenson is the top scorer on West Virginia with 15.5 PPG. Stevenson is one of the top high-volume three-point shooters in the country, hitting 39.2% of his treys, and he has the ball in his hands a lot. The second leading scorer is Tre Mitchell with 11.5 PPG, and he is making 38.1% of his threes.

West Virginia does a great job of getting to the foul line and knocking down its free throws. The Mountaineers have five very good free throw shooters as every starter except Jimmy Bell is making at least 78% of their freebies. This is a senior-laden team too, as the top six players are all seniors. That will give them some added resolve on Thursday night, as this could be the final collegiate game for most of them.