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Baylor vs Texas Tech Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Injury Bug Feasting on Both Ranked Big 12 Conference Foes

Texas Tech Perfect at Home

No. 7 Baylor and No. 11 Texas Tech head into their much-anticipated rematch on Wednesday ranking first and second in the Big 12 in scoring margin, even though they have gone about it in different ways. Baylor has the top assist/turnover ratio in the conference as well as the most steals per game. Texas Tech tops the Big 12 in free-throw attempts and field goal percentage defense.

Texas Tech is the only Big 12 team still undefeated at home (15-0). Baylor is 5-1 in Big 12 road games and is 19-4 away from home in conference play over the last three seasons.

Baylor vs Texas Tech Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images/AFP

Baylor (+200) is second only to Kansas in the odds to win the Big 12 title.

Baylor (+275) has the eighth-best odds to reach the Final Four while Texas Tech comes in at +1200 according to the March Madness odds.

Baylor vs Texas Tech Game Information

  • Game: Baylor (21-4, 9-3) at Texas Tech (19-6, 8-4)
  • Location: United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Texas
  • Day/Time: Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET
  • Television: ESPN2

Baylor Loses Big Man

The last thing the Baylor needed was another injury but Bears lost leading rebounder Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchuoa to a season-ending knee injury suffered after the junior center played only five minutes in a win against No. 20 Texas on Saturday.

Tchamwa Tchatchuoa was coming off a season-high 21 points in a win at Kansas State.

The Bears saw all five starters score in double figures against Texas as Baylor hit the 80-point mark for just the second time in the last 11 games.

It has been a tough road for the defending national champions. Tchamwa Tchatchuoa was one of three players who played in every game this season but that is obviously going to change.

Leading scorer LJ Cryer has missed the last five games and Baylor dropped two of those to fall behind Kansas in the Big 12 standings. Second and third-leading scorers James Akinjo and Adam Flagler have missed two games each, Jeremy Sochan has been out of four games and Dale Bonner missed three contests.

Despite all the injuries and changing lineups, Baylor leads the nation with nine Quad 1 wins.

Cryer is considered to be a game-time decision but he will obviously provide a huge lift when he comes back.

Akinjo has been slowed by injury for much of the season but has been playing through the pain. His shot was still a little off but he did have six rebounds, seven assists and two steals against the Longhorns.

“James is really starting to get back to himself after that tailbone injury,” Baylor coach Scott Drew told the media after the Texas game. “You can always tell when he’s back to himself because he’s doing his extra workouts and he’s always drenched coming into practice. He’s a rep guy. So, the more reps he gets in, the better he plays, the better he feels.”

Baylor has covered against the college basketball spread in four of its last six road games.

Texas Tech’s McCullar Ailing Again

In the misery loves company department, if there is a team in the Big 12 that knows what the injured-plagued Baylor team is going through, it is Texas Tech.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has missed 11 games and Kevin McCullar four others for the Red Raiders. Shannon struggled to find the shooting touch, but he was rolling the last time out against Texas Christian with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting. After going 1 for 8 from 3-point range in his previous five games, Shannon made 2 of 3 from distance.

However, just when it looks like the Red Raiders might be getting close to full strength, McCullar, who averaged 34.3 minutes in his last game, was limited to 13 minutes against TCU due to an ankle injury. McCullar has scored in double figures in each of his previous three games. He is considered to be a game-time decision.


Texas Tech has practice without some of its key performers. Leading scorer Bryson Williams, Davion Warren and Kevin Obanor have started all 25 games but four players have started from three to 20 games.

Williams really stepped up offensively when injuries forced his teammates to the sidelines. He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 games including outings of 33 and 22 points against Big 12-leading Kansas.

While the injuries can impact how Texas Tech has played on offense, the defense has been as solid as ever. The Red Raiders are second in the Big 12 in scoring defense allowing 60.9 points per game. Texas Tech leads the Big 12 and is 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 38.4 percent. It should be noted that in the last two games, Oklahoma shot 49 percent and TCU 46 percent from the field, so Baylor will be hoping to put up similar numbers.

Texas Tech has covered against the Las Vegas oddsin six of its last seven games.

Baylor at Texas Tech Head-to-Head

Baylor has won the previous four matchups and covered in three of them before Texas Tech won at Baylor 65-62 on Jan. 11 as the 11½-point underdog.

Baylor was undefeated and ranked first in the Associated Press Top 25 poll at the time.

The Bears have won two straight games on the Red Raiders’ home court, covering as a four-point favorite in 2021 and as a 3½-point underdog in 2020.

Four of the previous five games have been decided by single digits.

Baylor at Texas Tech Prediction

Texas Tech has failed to cover in each of its last two home games against Baylor and is looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 2005.

Those who bet online will want to keep an eye on the status of McCullar. If he isn’t able to play, the line figures to move, although both teams are accustomed to playing without the full roster.

The 136½ total is one of the lower ones among Wednesday’s games in the Power-5 conferences and that can be attributed to Texas Tech’s impressive defensive numbers.

Pick: Over 136½

Pick: Baylor Bears +2

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