Conference play is starting to heat up in NCAA basketball and we're starting off the week with a fantastic matchup between ranked teams as the Texas Tech Red Raiders face off against the Kansas Jayhawks.
These Big 12 foes faced off in Lubbock earlier this month with the Red Raiders coming out victorious. But oddsmakers expect the Jayhawks to even the score tonight with college basketball betting lines installing Kansas as a 7-point home favorite at Allen Fieldhouse.
Here are our best free college basketball betting picks and predictions for Texas Tech vs. Kansas on Monday, January 24, with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET.
Texas Tech vs Kansas odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The line for this game opened with the Jayhawks as -6.5 favorites with the Over/Under at 140. Early money has come in on Kansas and the Under, shifting the line to Kansas -7 and the total to 138.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Texas Tech vs Kansas predictions
Predictions made on 1/24/2022 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Texas Tech vs Kansas game info
• Location: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS
• Date: Monday, January 24, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Texas Tech at Kansas betting preview
Injuries
Texas Tech: KJ Allen F (Questionable), Sardaar Calhoun G (Out).
Kansas: Bobby Pettiford G (Out), Zach Clemence F (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Red Raiders are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games versus a team with a winning record. Find more NCAA betting trends for Texas Tech vs. Kansas.
Texas Tech vs Kansas picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Jayhawks are coming off back-to-back road victories against Kansas State and Oklahoma and have now won four in a row. Their last loss (and their only loss in almost two months) came against the Red Raiders 16 days ago when they fell 75-67 as 7-point road faves.
The Red Raiders are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six games with big-time wins against both the Jayhawks and the No. 1-ranked Baylor Bears. That victory against the Jayhawks was particularly impressive given that they were missing their leading scorer in Terrence Shannon Jr. (14.3 points per game) and Kevin McCullar, who paces the team in rebounds (5.8), assists (3.6), and steals (1.7) per game.
The Jayhawks have a talented group of guards but they struggled inside in that contest, getting outrebounded 34-24 and outscored by 24 points in the paint. As good as the Jayhawks are, and every bit deserving of its current No. 7 AP ranking, -7 is a lot of chalk when you consider how thoroughly the physical Red Raiders outplayed them.
Sure, this time the Jayhawks have the home-court advantage, but defense travels well and Texas Tech is one of the stingiest schools around, ranking fourth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
The Raiders proved that against Baylor on Jan. 11 when they went down to Waco and upset the defending national champs 65-62 by holding them to 17 points below their season average. Even during their recent four-game winning streak, the Jayhawks have just one victory by more than three points. Grab Texas Tech with the points.
Prediction: Texas Tech +7 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Kansas has a high-scoring backcourt with Ochai Agbaji (20.4 ppg) and Christian Braun (15.3 ppg) scoring so efficiently that transfers Remy Martin and Jalen Coleman-Lands are combining for just 13.4 ppg despite totaling 33.4 ppg for Power 5 programs last year. That sort of offensive depth is impressive but the Red Raiders are well built to handle it.
Texas Tech has developed one of the toughest defensive programs in the country year-in and year-out. Even with Chris Beard moving on to Austin, current head coach (and former assistant) Mark Adams is actually the brains behind the "no middle" defense that routinely stifles foes.
The Red Raiders hold opponents to just 59.1 ppg on 37.8% shooting while playing at a very slow pace, which typically results in lower-scoring contests. The Jayhawks have regressed on offense in recent weeks, shooting 45% or less from the field in six of their last seven games.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders' home/away scoring splits are some of the most extreme in the country with them averaging just 61 on the road this season, 20.4 ppg less than what they drop at home. With the Under cashing in four straight away games for the Raiders, take the Under tonight.
Prediction: Under 138 (-110)
Best bet
While the Jayhawks have won four of the last six meetings in this rivalry, none of those victories came by more than four points. This is a Kansas team that has played a lot of close games lately and is just 1-4 ATS in its last five games as chalk.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog and their sluggish tempo limits possessions, making it tough for teams to gain separation.
Getting spotted seven points, with a dominant defensive team against a conference foe they typically play tight, is too good to turn down. This is especially true when you consider that they recently beat them without their two best players.
Pick: Texas Tech +7 (-110)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
