One of the top games for today’s college basketball slate is a matchup between No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. the Winthrop Eagles. Texas Tech has won two consecutive games since it suffered its third loss of the season against Arkansas. The Red Raiders most recently beat the Duke Blue Devils on December 20. Winthrop is 8-6 in its first 14 contests this season and beat Clinton College in their last game.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Texas Tech is a -17.5-point favorite while the game’s over/under is set at 167.5. Here is my best bet for tonight’s Texas Tech vs. Winthrop matchup.
Texas Tech vs. Winthrop (2:00 p.m. ET)
The Red Raiders have one of the best scoring duos in the country with JT Toppin and Christian Anderson. Toppin averages 21.6 points (12th in CBB) along with 10.5 rebounds (11th in CBB) per game, while Anderson is recording 19.9 points and 7.3 assists (fourth-most) per contest. Texas Tech’s third-leading scorer, LeJuan Watts, is averaging 14.5 points per game but has scored 20 and 36 points in his last two games.
Texas Tech is ranked No. 26 on KenPom but has the 15th-best offensive rating, while its defense ranks 63rd in college basketball. Meanwhile, Winthrop is No. 122 overall, with the 279th defensive rating and the 60th-highest offensive rating.
Winthrop has four players averaging double-digit points, with Center Logan Duncomb leading the way with 15.8. Their guard trio of Kareem Rozier, Daylen Berry, and Kody Clouet all average 12 to 13 points per contest this season.
The Red Raiders have won four games this season by at least 18 points, with two of them coming in their last five wins. Winthrop has gone 5-2 in their previous seven contests, but hasn’t played the toughest competition. The Eagles’ last game against a team from a major conference was on November 25, against Nebraska. Texas Tech has won five of its previous six games and has gained valuable experience so far this season. After a big win over Duke, Texas Tech has all the momentum heading into this matchup with Winthrop, which gives them an excellent opportunity to cover the spread of -17.5.
