Texas Tech vs. Purdue Pick
Which team will manage to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament when No. 2 Purdue faces No. 3 Texas Tech tonight at 9:57PM ET?
GAME SNAPSHOT
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region: (873) Texas Tech vs. (874) Purdue
Friday, March 23, 2018
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV: TBS, 9:57PM ET
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Purdue is favored in this game, as the Boilermakers are getting odds of -2 points against Texas Tech. The over/under total is currently listed at 137.5 points.
LINE MOVEMENT
The spread opened with Purdue as just a 1.5-point favorite. The spread just moved to 2 points on Thursday night. The over/under total opened at 138 points and briefly was up to 138.5 before falling back to 137.5.
Bet on College Basketball for Friday, March 23, 2018
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
The public is behind Texas Tech tonight. As of Friday morning, the Red Raiders are getting 51 percent of the wagers on this game as the slim underdog against Purdue.
KEY INJURIES
Texas Tech doesn’t have anyone new listed on the injury report for tonight’s game. Purdue will continue to be without center Isaac Haas, who suffered a broken elbow in its NCAA Tournament opener. Haas tried to play with a brace in the second round, but couldn’t get clearance to play with the brace. He averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season for Purdue.
BETTING STRATEGIES
After dominating Cal-State Fullerton 74-48 to start the tournament, Purdue then edged Butler in the second round, 76-73. They failed to cover the 4-point spread against the Bulldogs. Purdue is 16-18-1 against the spread on the year and 7-11-1 ATS on the road. They are just 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10. Purdue is putting up 80.8 on offense this season while allowing 65.4 per game on defense.
Texas Tech started the tournament with a 70-60 win over Stephen F. Austin despite being an 11-point favorite. The Red Raiders then edged Florida, 69-66, covering the 1.5-point spread. Tech is now 14-16-1 against the spread on the season and 7-10 ATS on the road. Tech is also 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10. The Raiders average 74.9 per game on offense while allowing just 64.6 on defense.
Despite wins last weekend, both teams aren’t doing a great job of covering and each has red flags. Purdue is a gritty team, but eventually the loss of Haas seems as if it should keep them from advancing. Tech is a team that had almost no consistency over the second half of the season. Given this game is a toss up, I just feel better about Purdue. The Boilermakers have grinded out some tough wins this season. I also think Purdue has the better shooters if this game manages to turn into a shootout.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS: PURDUE -1.5