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Sometimes you want to make a quick pit stop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and the lean on Houston vs. Texas Tech.
No. 5 Houston (23-4, 15-1) at No. 9 Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4)
Date: Monday, February 24
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
The teams swish and scorers splash.
Deep in the heart of Texas.
With five Lone Star State teams currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament, college basketball in the country’s 28th union member is hotter than a bowl of five-alarm bean-less chili.
On Monday, two of its finest powerhouses square off in Lubbock.
The pick — SGP: Houston +2.5, Game UNDER 140.5 (+103, Caesars)
Houston vs. Texas Tech will be a back-alley brawl of epic proportions. Both teams prefer excruciating half-court paces. Both refuse to give an inch. And both are poised to make deep NCAA tourney runs.
Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars are restless and relentless. Their No. 100-plus standings in effective field-goal percentage offense and effective field-goal percentage defense may not elicit excitement, but their No. 2 ranking in BartTorvik over the past 30 days does. On a per-possession basis, they're the definition of “systematic,” slotting No. 7 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Digging deeper, H-Town knocks the boots primarily in three categories.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans' latest NCAA Tournament projections ]
First, the Cougars are No. 11 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, generating a second chance on 37.8% of their possessions behind glass crashers J’Wan Roberts and Joseph Tugler. Second, their on-ball pressure is an annoying presence, coaxing a turnover on 22.2% of opponent possessions (No. 13 overall). Finally, they stroke it smoothly from outside, netting a blistering 39.1% on 3-pointers over their last 10 games. L.J. Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan each shoot over 41% for the season.
As for Guns Up, the Red Raiders are exceptionally balanced, slotting No. 18 in adjusted offensive and No. 21 in adjusted defensive efficiency in games played since January 23. They also boast a tremendous team makeup comprising excellent ball handlers, active rebounders and effective arc assassins in Christian Anderson (41.7 3PT%), Kerwin Walton (38.6 3PT%) and Darrion Williams (35.1 3PT%).
It’s unknown whether Tech’s second-leading scorer, Chance McMillian (15.1 points per game), will trot out of the tunnel Monday night. He missed Saturday’s 73-51 smashing of West Virginia with a lower body injury.
JT Toppin (17.3 points per game) is the Red Raiders’ wagon, a player who can hang 30 on anyone. However, with McMillian out or limited, the odds are not on their side. In an 82-81 overtime upset of Houston on February 1, the star swingman dropped 23 points on the Cougars at the Fertitta Center.
A revenge-minded Houston, with an impeccable 8-0 record in true road games, will remain unblemished. In what’s sure to be a low-possession affair, this big and bright bettor is all about making his pockets deep on the SGP above.
Season record: 20-22, -2.65 units