Texas Tech Raiders vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, Pick and Preview, March 24 (3/24): NCAAB

Credit: photo by Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Odds

2021-2022 season stats

Preview

The #3 seeded Texas Tech Raiders will face the #2 seeded Duke in a West Regional Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco

TEXAS TECH RAIDERS

#3 Texas Tech get here after beating Notre Dame 59-53 in the 2nd round. McCullar and Bryson Williams each scored 14 points for Texas Tech (27-9), which made its third round of 16 in the past four tournaments and fifth in school history.

Bryson Williams is Texas Tech's leader with 13.9 points per game on 53.7% shooting from the field. Terrence Shannon Jr. adds 10.5 points and 2.1 assists per game, while Obanor gives his new team 10 points and 5.4 rebounds

The Raiders have a 27-8 record overall and 5-3 playing in neutral sites. The team is averaging 72.1 points per game on shooting splits of 55% from two and 32.2% from three. Texas Tech has one of the best defenses in the nation, allowing 60.17 points per game on 44% shooting from two (13th-best) and 31.4% shooting from deep.

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

#2 Duke get here after beating Michigan State in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Star freshman Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and muscled in the go-ahead drive through contact with 2:05 left, putting the Blue Devils ahead to stay in the record-extending 1,200th win of Krzyzewski's career. The Blue Devils shot 61% after halftime and 57% for the game, and they needed every bit of that production to survive against the seventh-seeded Spartans (23-13) in a riveting fight to the final minute.

Banchero has averaged 17 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Wendell Moore has 13.5 points, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 50.7% shooting from the field, while Williams is getting 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game on 71.4% shooting from the field.

As a team, Duke is averaging 80.3 points per game on shooting splits of 56.1% from two and 37% from three, both top 35 marks nationally while allowing 67.2 points per game with opponents shooting 46.4% from two and 31.9% from deep.

BETTING TRENDS

Texas Tech are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas Tech's last 6 games.

Duke are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games.

Duke are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games.

Prediction

One of the top defenses against one of the top offenses in the nation meet here. There's a reason why the Raiders are the favorites on this one and it's because their elite defense and if there's anyone who can stop the Blue Devils offense is Texas Tech. This will be definitely the most competitive game of the day and should be defined by 2 or 3 points. I think the Raiders will have the edge in the end.

PICK: Texas Tech ML (-115)

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