The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Arizona State Sun Devils meet Tuesday in college basketball action from ASU Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. Here’s an Arizona State vs Texas Tech prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Arizona State vs Texas Tech pick.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Preview
This year the Raiders managed to go 11-3 over their first 14 outings. Following a pretty close road loss to Houston, TexasTech beat Colorado, Utah, BYU, Baylor and Houston in the next five. Losses to Central Florida and Kansas came after that, then consecutive wins over West Virginia and Colorado. Over the first 24 games of the year that would give the Red Raiders an 18-6 record.
On Saturday in the Arizona game, Texas Tech had a tough matchup. The Red Raiders were tied up at the break 32-32, then hit a 34-34 run in the second to force overtime. Texas Tech managed another 12 points from there, leading to a stellar upset win on the road 78-75. JT Toppin finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds while Christian Anderson had 19 points with eight assists and six boards.
Arizona State Sun Devils Betting Preview
Over on the Arizona State side, they limped to a 10-6 run over their first 16 games, which included a four-game losing streak. The Sun Devils would lose five of the next six versus Arizona, Houston, West Virginia, Central Florida and Arizona again. Since then it’s been a 2-1 run with wins over Utah and Oklahoma State around a loss to Colorado, giving the Sun Devils a 13-12 record so far.
In the matchup last Tuesday versus Oklahoma State, the Sun Devils were sitting in the locker room with a 39-34 advantage. Arizona State kept it going in the second half with a 46-42 run and took the victory in the end 85-76. Massamba Diop topped the team on 17 points with seven rebounds, while Santiago Trouet added a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
Why the Arizona State Sun Devils will win
- Arizona State has won four of its last five night games at Desert Financial Arena.
- Texas Tech has lost three of its last four February night games as an AP-ranked team.
- Arizona State has won the first half in each of its last four night games at Desert Financial Arena.
Why the Texas Tech Red Raiders will win
- Arizona State has lost each of its last 11 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Texas Tech has won each of its last 11 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Texas Tech has won the first half in each of its last eight night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Arizona State vs Texas Tech Prediction
I’ll stick with Arizona State. The Sun Devils have had a week off and should come into this one fresh and ready to go. Last week versus Oklahoma State, Arizona State shot a tepid 40 percent from the field and 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from outside but did a nice job at the line on 80 percent (28-of-35). The 43-31 rebounding edge and 38-26 advantage in the paint helped as well. Arizona State is 2-1 in their last three games with 70 or more points scored in each of those.
As for Texas Tech, they’re riding high after serving Arizona a rare loss during a road matchup last weekend. The Raiders shot a tepid 40.9 percent from the field in that one but also held the Wildcats to just 39.3 percent shooting on the other side. Texas Tech has won three straight games (two on the road), posting 70 or more points in each. The Raiders could easily power out a cover in this one if they can keep it going.