Props.com breaks down the college basketball betting odds of Monday’s lone Top 25 matchup: Texas Tech-Kansas. The winner of this highly-anticipated contest will own first place in the Big 12 by night’s end.
No. 5 Kansas currently leads all comers in the highly competitive Big 12 and is on the short list of midseason candidates with a legitimate shot at a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But on Monday, that long-range goal will take a back seat to the Jayhawks’ short-term quest of avenging their Jan. 8 road loss to Texas Tech — a surreal outing in which Kansas shot 44.6 percent from the field, buried 10 three-pointers … and still left Lubbock with its lone conference setback to date (75-67).
Will Kansas get its revenge? Or can No. 13 Texas Tech — which didn’t crack the Associated Press Top 25 poll until mid-December — pull off another upset and solidify its position as a Big 12 regular-season title contender?
College basketball betting odds via DraftKings and updated as of 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 24.
No. 13 Texas Tech Vs No. 5 Kansas
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/ESPN
Texas Tech: 15-4 SU (5-2 Big 12)/12-7 ATS
Kansas: 16-2 SU (5-1 Big 12)/8-10 ATS
Spread/Total: Kansas -7.5 (-105)/139
Last Meeting: Texas Tech won 75-67 as a 7-point home underdog (Jan. 8)
About Texas Tech: The Red Raiders, who rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense (59.1 ppg), haven’t surrendered more than 67 points through their first seven Big 12 outings. Conversely, Texas Tech’s offense ranks third in conference scoring (73.9 ppg) and fourth in field-goal shooting (47.0%). The Red Raiders currently have the country’s 12th-best scoring differential (14.8 points per game).
About Kansas: In Big 12 circles, the Jayhawks rank first in scoring offense (80.8 points per game; 16th nationally), first in field-goal shooting (49.7%), first in 3-point proficiency (36.7%), and second in assists (12.5 per game). Yet Bill Self’s squad is just 2-4 ATS in league play. To date, KU’s six league contests have produced an average combined tally of 138.3 points, which is just short of Monday’s 139-point consensus total.
What’s At Stake: With a victory in Lawrence, Texas Tech would momentarily leap frog Kansas and sit atop the Big 12 standings — at least until No. 4 Baylor (5-2 in conference) hosts Kansas State on Tuesday.
Players To Watch
Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji is averaging a team-high 20.4 points per game. He has scored in double figures in all 18 games, tallying 20 points or more 11 times (including in four of his last five outings).
Texas Tech forward Bryson Williams has tallied double-digit points in seven straight games (15 ppg during this span). He ranks second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), and third in rebounding (4.7 per game).
Notable Trends
- Texas Tech is on ATS runs of 6-1 overall and 4-1 as an underdog
- Texas Tech is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 road games
- Kansas is 1-4 ATS in its last five overall (all as a favorite)
- Under is 4-0 in Texas Tech’s last four road games
- Over is 13-6-1 in Kansas’ last 20 overall
- Kansas is 3-1 SU/ATS in the last four meetings
- Under is 3-1 in the last four series clashes (Over 7-0 in previous seven)
Texas Tech Vs Kansas Odds and Action
UPDATE 6 P.M. ET: Three hours before tipoff, Kansas is up to a 7.5-point favorite at DraftKings. The Jayhawks opened -7 Sunday night and within a few minutes dropped to -6.5. Early this afternoon, the line returned to Kansas -7 and shortly thereafter reached -7.5. However, contrary to the rise, underdog Texas Tech is landing 70% of spread tickets and 61% of spread money. The total is down to 138 from a 140 opener, with 75% of tickets on the Over, and 55% of money on the Under.
