Kansas vs Texas Tech Odds, Picks, Predictions (1/3/23)

Kansas visits Texas Tech in a big matchup for the Big 12. Kansas is coming off a very close win against Oklahoma State at home, while Texas Tech is coming off a close loss on the road to TCU. This should be an interesting matchup with Big 12 conference implications. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Kansas vs. Texas Tech Odds

Kansas is a 1.5-point road favorite against Texas Tech and is at -120 on the money line. The over/under is also at 141. Kansas being a slight favorite makes sense because of how good the Jayhawks have looked overall, even though the game is at Texas Tech. The over/under also makes sense because both of these teams can score, but also play very good defense. This spread should stay very tight up until tip-off.

Kansas vs. Texas Tech Prediction & Pick

The Pick: Kansas -1.5

Kansas has looked like they haven’t missed a beat since winning the national championship. Their star, Jalen Wilson, is playing like a First-Team All-American after opting to return to Kansas for one more year. He’s also leading the Jayhawks in scoring and rebounding. A surprise impact player has been freshman Gradey Dick. He’s been Kansas’ second best player so far and is their second-leading scorer and their best three-point shooter too. Kevin McCullar Jr. has also been great for Kansas and he even transferred from Texas Tech too.

He’s been one of Kansas’ best defenders and just been a difference maker for them so far this season. As a team, there’s surprisingly no single statistic where they really excel, but they are just solid at a lot of things on the basketball court. On the other side, Texas Tech hasn’t completely met their expectations this year. They lost twice in the Maui Invitational, while only winning one game in comparison against a very bad Louisville team.

Their last game against TCU was their first one since Maui where they played a good team and lost. They do have talent, mainly with Kevin Obanor, who’s been great the last two years for the Red Raiders since he transferred from Oral Roberts. He also leads Texas Tech in scoring this year.

Daniel Batcho has also been very good for the Red Raiders this year after transferring from Arizona last year. He is their second-leading scorer and also leads them in rebounds and blocks per game. De’Vion Harmon has also been great at the point guard spot and leads the Red Raiders in assists and steals, while also being their third-leading scorer. As a team, their bread and butter is on defense and can cause issues for Kansas on that side. Still, take Kansas to cover here in a very close and hard fought game in Lubbock.

Kansas vs. Texas Tech Key Matchups

Can Kevin Obanor go toe-to-toe with Jalen Wilson? Can Dajuan Harris Jr. go toe-to-toe with De’Vion Harmon?

Jalen Wilson vs Kevin Obanor

These two are going to be going at it most of the game and they are each of their teams’ best players. Jalen Wilson is averaging 21 points, 3 assists, and 9 rebounds a game for the season. He’s been almost un-guardable this season for Kansas. In comparison, Kevin Obanor is averaging 16 points, 1 assist, and 6 rebounds on the year.

He has a big assignment against Jalen Wilson here. Obanor has been a better defender than Wilson this year, but Wilson can score more. This matchup will most likely decide the game because of how important each player is to their teams.

Dajuan Harris Jr. vs De’Vion Harmon

These two will be pivotal in the game, especially because of how important the point guard position is overall. Dajuan Harris Jr. is averaging 8 points, 7 assists, and 2 rebounds on the year. He’s been solid at the point guard position for Kansas this year. His assignment for the game, De’Vion Harmon has also been very good at point guard for the Red Raiders. Harmon is averaging 12 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds for the year too.

Harris has been the better passer, but Harmon has been the better scorer, which makes this a big matchup in the game. Point guard is the most important position in basketball and this matchup just proves that even more.