Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Baylor Bears Prediction, 3/7/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Baylor Bears

Date: Sunday, March 7, 2021

Location: Ferrell Center in Waco, TX

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Texas Tech (+8)

The Baylor Bears (20-1) host the Texas Tech Red Raiders (17-8) at Ferrell Center on Sunday. Texas Tech opens this game as 8-point dogs. The total has been set at 139.

Texas Tech will enter this matchup with a mark of 17-8 for the campaign. They are turning it over 11.0 times per contest and as a group they are committing 17.4 fouls every game. As a team, Texas Tech is snagging 35.5 rebounds per game and has racked up 324 dimes on the season, which is 105th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. The Red Raiders are connecting on 34.0% from downtown (153 of 450) and 71.8% from the charity stripe. They average 73.3 points per outing (132nd in the nation) while connecting on 44.4% from the floor. When they are on defense, the Red Raiders are forcing 16.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.4 fouls. They give up 33.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 17th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (62.3). The Red Raiders are allowing a FG percentage of 40.4% (529 of 1,311) and they concede 32.5 rebounds per contest as a group. They currently rank 72nd in the country in allowing assists to their opponents with 229 relinquished this year.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders stepped onto the hardwood against the Iowa State Cyclones and took home the win by a score of 81-54 in their last contest. Texas Tech ended the game having earned a 61.7% FG percentage (29 out of 47) and made 5 out of their 15 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Red Raiders converted 18 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 72.0%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they collected 31 with 3 of them being offensive. They also dished out 13 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 9 steals. In the matter of the defense, Texas Tech allowed the other team to go 31.0% from the field on 18 out of 58 shooting. Iowa State distributed 9 assists and had 7 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Iowa State pulled down 20 boards (5 offensive, 15 defensive) and earned 2 rejections. Iowa State shot 100.0% at the charity stripe by making 10 of 10 shots. They buried 8 of 27 tries from distance.

Mac McClung is one player who was a major factor for the matchup. He accumulated 20 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He played for 27 minutes but didn't pull down any boards. McClung ended up going 58.3% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. An additional guy that was a factor in this matchup for the Red Raiders was Marcus Santos-Silva. He pulled down 7 rebounds in his 25 min played on the night. He shot 75.0% from the floor in this game by going 6-of-8 (14 points). When all was said and done, Santos-Silva totaled 2 assists.

Baylor has a win-loss record of 20-1 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Bears are hitting on 49.6% from the floor, which is ranked 23rd in college hoops. Baylor has 1,789 points for the campaign (85.2 per contest) and they average 36.4 rebounds per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.4 times per game (12th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 12.0 times per contest. The Bears commit 17.0 personal fouls every game while shooting 68.6% from the charity stripe. The Bears on the defensive side of the court are 55th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 65.2. They have given up 12.3 assists and 32.2 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 118th and 60th in college hoops. The Baylor defense gives up 32.8% on three-point shots (132 of 403) and their opponents are connecting on 67.6% of their free throw shots. They are able to force 18.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the floor (165th in college basketball).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Baylor Bears took home the win by a final score of 81-70 when they played the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Bears were able to corral 19 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 29 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while earning 11 steals for the game. The Cowboys were called for 17 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Bears to the charity stripe for 18 attempts. They were able to bury 12 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. In relation to shooting from 3-point land, Baylor converted 9 out of 22 tries (40.9%). Overall, the Bears shot 30 out of 59 from the floor which had them sitting at 50.8%. The Bears allowed the Cowboys to knock down 28 out of their 52 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 53.8% for the contest. They shot 36.8% from downtown by connecting on 7 of 19 and ended up shooting 7 of 11 from the free throw line (63.6%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, Baylor permitted Oklahoma State to snag 23 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Jared Butler pitched in for the Bears in the game. He made 8 of 14 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and had 3 rebounds. Butler recorded 22 points in his 32 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 5 assists for the game. Someone else who was a determining factor for Baylor was MaCio Teague. He walked away with 5 assists in 35 minutes on the court, and he converted 7 out of 12 from the floor. Teague wrapped this one up going 58.3% from the field and also totaling 19 points and 4 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Baylor (-8)

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