The NBA doesn’t return from the All-Star break until Thursday, but there’s plenty of hoops to watch in the meantime with a loaded college basketball slate on Tuesday. No. 13 Texas Tech just emerged with a signature victory over No. 1 Arizona this weekend, and now, the Red Raiders take on Arizona State in an attempt to assert dominance over the desert. Will they add another win to the column at 11 p.m. EST tonight?
Here’s a prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Texas Tech vs. Arizona State on Tuesday, February 17.
Texas Tech vs. Arizona State prediction, preview
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders have something of a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament over the last decade or so to varying degrees of success. Now in year three under Grant McCasland, they’re looking to finally get over the hump. After crushing hearts with a win over No. 1 Arizona on Valentine’s Day, a run in the postseason is feeling more like a possibility at 19-6 overall and 9-3 in the Big 12. Texas Tech is also 7-6 against Quad 1 teams and unbeaten against Quad 2s and below.
Per the latest KenPom rankings, Texas Tech falls 16th with a NETRTG of +26.92. While a handful of losses on the schedule do hurt, the Red Raiders have played the fifth-toughest schedule in terms of opponent NETRTG and they’re still top-25 in both ORTG and DRTG. They score 82.0 PPG, and while inefficient from the field at just 46.5%, they’re 10th-best from beyond the arc with a 38.9% three-point percentage and make the sixth-most per game. They average 15.9 assists with a 1.52 AST/TO ratio (43rd), so the ball movement is respectable. While middle of the pack in adjusted tempo, TTU falls 25th in FGA/game as well. As for the defense, the Red Raiders allow 72.4 PPG and pull down 37.7 rebounds, but rank 25th in DRTG.
Arizona State Sun Devils
As for the Sun Devils, well, it’s been a conference slate to forget. They’re 13-12 overall but just 4-8 in Big 12 play, so there are clearly some flaws in this roster that’ll pose issues come conference tournament time. Arizona State is only 2-9 against Quad 1 teams, though a 5-2 record against Quad 2s does feel a little bit better.
This team falls all the way to 70th per the latest KenPom rankings with a NETRTG of +11.60. Yes, a tough schedule that ranks 15th in opponent NETRTG does mean it’s been an uphill battle more often than not, but there aren’t a ton of positives to write here. A solid offense that averages 78.7 PPG is just fine, but the Sun Devils shoot just 44.9% from the field and 34.1% from three. Beyond that, they average 14.0 assists with a 1.23 AST/TO ratio (144th). If nothing else, getting to the free-throw line is a relative strength, but that’s about it. They pull down 33.3 rebounds per contest and allow 79.2 PPG to opponents, the latter mark of which falls 299th in the nation.
Texas Tech vs. Arizona State pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Texas Tech as a 6.5-point favorite on the road tonight with -345 odds to win on the Moneyline. Arizona State’s odds of an outright win come in at +275 with the game total set at 153.5.
This spread should probably be a good deal wider, even given that Arizona State plays at home here. Texas Tech has an average scoring margin of +9.6 and one of the better offenses in the sport led by JT Toppin and Christian Anderson, who average 21.9 and 19.1 PPG, respectively. With another pair of double-digit scorers and one of the country’s best rosters from beyond the arc, the Red Raiders should take advantage of a poor defense tonight. After all, the Sun Devils fall 105th in DRTG and have truly struggled against ranked opponents — past matchups include losses of 77-65 to Gonzaga; 104-76 to BYU; 89-82 and 87-74 to Arizona; and 103-73 to Houston.
This game simply won’t be close. Take Texas Tech to cover comfortably.
