Texas Tech and Purdue both clawed out victories on Thursday in the Bahamas, with the Red Raiders defeating Wake Forest by a point, and the Boilermakers pulling away late over Memphis. Now these two national contenders meet on Friday night in Baha Mar — let’s breakdown a pick on the game.
Purdue vs. Texas Tech (Friday 9:30pm ET)
This one will have a Final Four feel to it, outside of playing in a ballroom in the Bahamas. Purdue checks in with the nation’s top offensive efficiency on KenPom, while Tech is right behind at 12th. The Boilermakers have been slacking a bit on defense, with the 49th ranked defensive efficiency, and the Red Raiders have been a bit more locked in on that side of the ball, ranking 29th.
Purdue has a signature win in Tuscaloosa over Alabama, but the Boilermakers used their size to out-rebound the Crimson Tide by a whopping 52 to 28. That’s not going to happen against this big, physical Texas Tech roster. The Red Raiders lost their big game of the season, which was a road game at Illinois, who conveniently enough, ‘Bama just went on the road and beat.
That said, I think the matchup for Purdue is much tougher here against Texas Tech than it was against ‘Bama. The market seems to agree, with 42% of the bets for 50% of the money coming in on the Red Raiders (as of about six hours to tip). The number has also come down on the spread from the opening number of 4.5.
JT Toppin has been a matchup nightmare this season, and could also put the Purdue bigs into some foul trouble. I haven’t bet this one yet, but lean strong to Tech.
College Basketball Lean: Texas Tech +3.5 (-110)
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