No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 Montana State preview for March Madness first-round matchup

The NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 15th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18. No. 3 seed Texas Tech will face No. 14 seed Montana State in the first round on Friday. Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the Red Raiders and Bobcats in this year’s March Madness Tournament.

Once the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.

Game date: Friday, March 18
Game time: 1:45 p.m. ET
TV channel: TNT
Location: San Diego, California

Odds: Texas Tech -16.5

No. 3 Texas Tech

The Red Raiders went 12-6 in a tough basketball conference and were able to finish as the No. 14 team in the country in the regular season. They made it to the Big 12 championship game and will be one of the strongest defensive team in the NCAA tournament. Forward Bryson Williams and guard Kevin McCullar are two of the main pieces that led to Texas Tech’s success.

Record: 25-9, 12-6 Big 12
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 65
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 1
Against The Spread: 21-13
Over Total: 16-18
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +2000

No. 14 Montana State

The Big Sky tournament champions come into March Madness with six straight wins. The Bobcats are playing with confidence, which typically helps for these mid-major programs when going into the first matchup. Xavier Bishop and Jubrile Belo are the team’s leading scorers, but look for the game plan to potentially be centered around three-point shooting. Montana State has four rotation players shooting 37 percent or better from deep on the season.

Record: 27-7, 16-4 Big Sky
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 147
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 129
Against The Spread: 17-14-1
Over Total: 17-15
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +100000