Montana State Bobcats vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders Picks, Predictions, Odds

Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Friday’s early action in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region tips off with the Big Sky’s Montana State Bobcats tangling with the Big 12’s Texas Tech Red Raiders at Viejas Arena in San Diego. Game time on TNT is set for 1:45 p.m. (ET).

Score Prediction

Texas Tech 77, Montana State 64

Best Bet

Montana State +15 (-110)

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MONTANA STATE BOBCATS vs. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS PREDICTIONS

Coming into this Big Sky/Big 12 matchup, the Bobcats are riding a straight-up six-game winning streak. This is current run is highlighted off by a dominating 21-point victory against Northern Colorado as 4.5-point favorites in last Saturday’s conference tournament title game. Montana State is 27-7 SU overall and Big Sky regular season champs as well at 16-4 in conference play.

Texas Tech opened postseason play as the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament with a SU 12-6 record in conference play. The Red Raiders wasted little time in making their mark with 31-point win over Iowa State. After sneaking past Oklahoma in the semifinals, they lost to Kansasby nine points in the Big 12 title game.

There is no doubt that Montana State brings some serious momentum into Friday’s game as the best the Big Sky has to offer. The current 15-point spread definitely offers some betting value for the underdog. Texas Tech has posted some impressive wins this season but it has had its issues covering larger spreads. I may be taking the bait but I am taking the points and the Bobcats in this one.

MONTANA STATE BOBCATS vs. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS BETTING ODDS

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MONTANA STATE BOBCATS vs. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Friday, March 18, 2022
Matchup: No. 14 vs. No. 3
Region: West
Venue: Viejas Arena
Location: San Diego, California
TV-Time: TNT - 1:45 p.m. ET

MONTANA STATE BOBCATS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 27-7
ATS: 18-14-1
O/U: 17-16

The Bobcats have gone 4-2 against the spread during the current winning streak. Overall, they are 18-14-1 ATS this season and 5-2-1 ATS in eight games closing as underdogs. Interestingly enough, the team’s road record ATS is 9-5-1 while going 5-8 ATS in 13 home games. Montana State was able to cover in four of five games played at a neutral site.

Another strong betting trend for this team is on the total line. The total has now gone OVER in eight of the last 11 games. On the year, it went OVER in 17 of the Bobcats’ 33 games. Averaging 77 points per game, they have held opposing teams to an average of 68.5 points to help inflate the final score.

Montana State’s fortunes in this game hinge on the play of guard Xavier Bishop and forward Jubrile Belo. These two have combined to score an average of 26.9 points with 10.1 rebounds a game. Guard Amin Adamu is adding 11.6 points a game while shooting 50.7% from the field.

The Bobcats are connecting on 47.5% of their shots from the field and 36.9% of their attempts from three-point range. They are averaging 35.4 rebounds a game with 8.7 on offense. Montana State has a 75.3 completion percentage from the free throw line.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 25-9
ATS: 21-13
O/U: 16-18

The Red Raiders went an even 3-3 SU over their last six games with losses to TCU and Oklahoma State as favorites. They are just 1-5 ATS during that same span. The total went OVER 134.5 points in the 74-65 loss to Kansas after staying UNDER in their previous three contests.

Texas Tech is 25-9 SU on the year with a 21-13 record ATS. It has posted a 15-11 record ATS closing as a favorite and it was 2-4 ATS in six neutral-site games. The total stayed UNDER in 18 of 32 games overall.

Behind six different players averaging at least eight points a game, scoring depth is one of this team’s strong suits. Forward Bryson Williams has led the way with 13.7 PPG. Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (10.4 points) is shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range. He is also the team’s best foul shooter at 79.7%.

The Red Raiders have averaged 71.7 points this season while holding opposing teams to 60.3 points a game at the other end of the court. They are shooting 47% from the field and 31.4% from three-point range. Under the boards, Texas Tech is averaging 36.5 rebounds a game.

**Texas Tech has won the 1H in 20 of its last 23 games when facing a non-AP-ranked school. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - MONTANA STATE BOBCATS

Record: 27-7
PS/G: 77 (41st)
PA/G: 68.5 (160th)

INSIDE THE STATS - TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Record: 25-9
PS/G: 71.7 (158th)
PA/G: 60.3 (11th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

MNST: Xavier Bishop - G (13.9 ppg, 4.3 apg)
MNST: Jubilee Belo - F (13 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
TTU: Bryson Williams - F (13.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
TTU: Davion Warren - G (9.9 ppg)

MONTANA STATE BOBCATS vs. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS BETTING CONCLUSION

Montana State is as good as billed playing in a second-tier Mid-Major conference like the Big Sky. The Bobcats also know they are playing with house money with nothing to lose which always makes a good team dangerous.

Texas Tech has been extremely impressive at times while also playing well below this team’s capabilities on more than one occasion. The 15-point spread just happens to be the magic number for going with the underdog.

MARCH MADNESS PICK RESOURCES

MONTANA STATE BOBCATS vs. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS BETTING TRENDS

Montana State has lost three straight NCAA Tournament games.
Montana State has allowed 83 points or more in two straight NCAA Tournament games.
Montana State has covered the spread in three straight games.
Montana State has covered the spread in four of its last five games when playing on a neutral court.
Montana State has gone OVER the point total in four of its last five games.
Montana State has won 18 of its last 20 games.
Texas Tech has won six of its last eight NCAA Tournament games.
Texas Tech has won 10 of its last 13 NCAA Tournament games when playing as the No. 3 seed.
Texas Tech has won five of its last six NCAA Tournament games when facing a double-digit seed.

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Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab