Texas Tech vs UNC Wilmington Prediction 3/20/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The UNC Wilmington Seahawks and the Texas Tech Red Raiders meet Thursday in NCAA Tournament First Round college basketball action from Intrust Bank Arena. Here’s a Texas Tech vs UNC Wilmington prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Texas Tech vs UNC Wilmington pick.

UNC Wilmington Seahawks Betting Preview

UNC Wilmington has had quite the successful year so far, with only two instances of consecutive losses in the books. The Seahawks fell to Kansas and Colgate back in late November, then took out Sam Houston, App State, East Carolina, Marshall, Florida Gulf Coast, UNC Asheville and Spartanburg Methodist in their next eight outings. Losses to Towson and Hofstra came in the next four games, then wins over Northeastern, William & Mary, Charleston, Hampton, North Carolina, A&T, Stony Brook, Delaware, Drexel and Charleston. After two more losses to Elon and Hampton, the Seahawks have since beaten William & Mary, Campbell, Delaware, Hampton, Charleston and Delaware to earn their spot in the Big Dance alongside a 27-7 record overall.

Back on March 11 in their latest outing versus Delaware, UNC Wilmington came out of the first half with a 36-28 advantage. The Seahawks were outscored 44-40 the rest of the way but held on for the win in the end 76-72. Leading the team in points was Donovan Newby with 17 points, four assists and two rebounds. Bo Montgomery added 13 points with two boards and two assists as the only other starter in double-figures. Noah Ross led the bench scoring with 14 points, while Khamari McGriff had 10 points with four rebounds off the bench.

Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Preview

Over on the Texas Tech side, they had a couple of moderately choppy runs over the course of the regular season but overall they’re playing well. The Raiders managed an 11-4 record through the first 15 games, falling to only Saint Joseph’s, Texas A&M, Central Florida and Iowa State during that time. Texas Tech beat Kansas State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, TCU, Houston and Baylor in succession, then hit a 3-3 stretch with losses to Arizona, TCU and Houston in that time. Texas Tech beat Kansas, Colorado, Arizona State and Baylor in the next four games, then fell in a tournament matchup versus Arizona. In total that gives the Red Raiders a 25-8 record so far this season.

Matched up against Arizona last Friday, the Raiders were looking at a 47-39 deficit in the first half. Texas Tech hit a 41-39 advantage the rest of the way and ended up with an 86-80 loss in the end. Kevin Overton came off the bench to lead the team in the losing effort with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Tops among starters was Christian Anderson with 19 points, two rebounds and two assists. Kerwin Walton added 13 points with four rebounds as well.

Why the Texas Tech Red Raiders will win

• Texas Tech has won eight of its last nine night games against non-Conference opponents.
• North Carolina-Wilmington has lost the first half in eight of its last nine games against AP-ranked opponents.

Why the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks will win

• North Carolina-Wilmington has won 15 of its last 16 night games.
• Texas Tech has lost each of its last four NCAA Tournament night games.
• North Carolina-Wilmington has won the first half in 14 of its last 16 night games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Texas Tech’s last five night games at a neutral venue have produced a total of 147+ points.
• Each of North Carolina-Wilmington’s last four games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 145+ points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Texas Tech ranks 8th among Division 1 teams for offensive rating this season (121.3).
• Texas Tech ranks 8th among Division 1 teams for defensive rating this season (99.9).
• North Carolina-Wilmington ranks 13th among Division 1 teams for rebound percentage this season (55.4%).
• North Carolina-Wilmington ranks 15th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage this season (67.9%).

Texas Tech vs UNC Wilmington Prediction

I’m staying with Texas Tech. The Raiders have a couple areas to clean up after their loss to Arizona, though. Texas Tech gave up 50.8 percent shooting from the field with a 38-35 rebounding deficit in that one, and missed 11 of their 30 free throws along the way (63.3 percent). The Raiders shot 42.6 percent from the field themselves and had just seven turnovers in a pretty well-disciplined game but couldn’t keep pace with the Arizona onslaught—especially in the first half. The good news for Texas is that they’ve hit 76 or more points in five straight games (a 4-1 run) and should be able to put up a nice total in this one.

As for UNC Wilmington, I was briefly tempted to take them here but given their narrow escapes lately I changed my mind. The Seahawks’ last two wins have come by a combined five points, but they’re scoring well also with 76 or more points in six straight. I don’t think they’ll quite stack up with Texas Tech on a cover pace, though.