Wildcats vs. Red Raiders Prediction
A battle of ranked opponents is on tap today in the Big 12/SEC Challenge as the 15th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats play at the 18th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. Will favored Texas Tech protect its home court and cover the short number?
Game Snapshot
731 Kentucky Wildcats at 732 Texas Tech Red Raiders
Saturday, January 25, 2020
United Supermarkets Arena at 6PM ET
TV: ESPN
Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our NCAA Basketball Odds & Betting Page
According to oddsmakers, the Red Raiders are a 4-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 132.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 59 percent of public bets are siding with visiting Kentucky. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.
Wildcats topple Bulldogs
Kentucky earned an 89-79 home win Tuesday night over Georgia to improve to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference. The Wildcats led 41-35 at halftime on their way to the victory. Ashton Hagans paced Kentucky with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting plus 7-of-8 at the free throw line. He also registered nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. Nick Richards tallied 20 points, eight boards and three blocked shots. Immanuel Quickley accounted for 12 points, four caroms and two assists. E.J. Montgomery added 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Red Raiders stopped by Horned Frogs
Texas Tech lost by a score of 65-54 Tuesday night at Texas Christian to drop to 12-6 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference. The Red Raiders were outscored 38-23 in the second half after leading by four at the break. Jahmius Ramsey paced Texas Tech with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting including 1-of-6 from 3-point range plus 2-of-2 at the charity stripe. He also notched five rebounds and two assists. T.J. Holyfield tallied 10 points, two boards and two assists. Terrence Shannon Jr. added 10 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Kentucky
The Wildcats are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog. Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games following a straight up win.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 Saturday games. Texas Tech is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games overall.
Prediction:
Neither Kentucky or Texas Tech have been the most consistent team this season, but the Wildcats have been a little better as of late with only a setback at South Carolina in its last seven games. I think this spread is a little too wide as the Red Raiders are prone to struggle on offense and Kentucky has enough offensive pieces to challenge the stout Texas Tech defense. Home-court advantage is important here, but Kentucky is used to going into hostile environments and performing well. I’m taking the points here.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: KENTUCKY WILDCATS +4