NCAA Basketball Betting -  Slumping teams clash at College Station

Bookmakers (bookmaker odds) will have their hands full trying to figure out the line for Saturday’s Big 12 matchup between Texas and Texas Tech, as both are struggling badly right now. The Longhorns have been in a freefall since gaining the No.1 ranking about a month ago, and they need a win to earn the trust of some online betting players.

Texas vs Texas Tech odds – Saturday, February 20, 2:00 PM ET

The No.15 Longhorns (20-6, 6-5) may be in danger of dropping out of the top 25 altogether after losing 82-77 at Missouri on Wednesday, and Texas has now lost six of their last nine. Damion James had another double-double with 18 points and 11 boards, while Jordan Hamilton came off the bench to pour in 24 points, but the Longhorns were only 10-of-19 from the foul line, and they turned the ball over 17 times. Guard play has been a problem for Texas over this rough patch, and Bradley was thought to be the answer, even though he still is just a freshman. Dexter Pittman, the big man in the middle, had just two points in 12 minutes of action as he battled foul trouble.

The Red Raiders (16-9, 4-7) have dropped four of their last six, losing 88-70 at Baylor, and they managed to keep it close for the first half of the game before fading in the final 20 minutes. David Tairu came off the pine to score 16 points, while John Roberson had 11 points for the Red Raiders, who allowed Baylor to shoot 54.1% from the field with Texas Tech shot 43.6%, and they were outrebounded 30-25.

The Longhorns should be the online betting favorites on the road in College Station, where they’ve won eight of their last 10 trips. Texas is 4-4 away from home and have lost four of their last five on the road, including a very winnable game at Oklahoma. All five Texas starters reached double figures in a 95-83 home win over the Red Raiders on January 27^th, and James led the way with 28 points and 13 rebounds. The Longhorns also managed to get great guard play, especially from Justin Mason and Dogus Balbay, and if they could step up, that would take some of the pressure off of young Bradley. With James and Pittman leading the way, the Longhorns outrebounded Texas Tech 45-23, and the Longhorns need Pittman to stay on the court long enough through improved conditioning and foul avoidance if they want to make some noise in March. There’s no good reason that the Longhorns should lose this game, and if they do, it’s panic time in Austin.

NCAA basketball betting pick: Texas

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