The No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders lay their perfect 10-0 record on the line as they tip off against the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. This is the first-ever time that these two schools have met on the hardwood and it’s a true battle between the No. 1 defense of Texas Tech and the No. 2 offense of Duke. It is the Blue Devils who are a 10-point favorite in tonight’s game with the total Sportsbook at 149 points.
- The total has gone UNDER in nine of Duke’s last 10 games.
- Duke is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five games (avg. winning margin: 41.8).
- Texas Tech allows the fewest points per game in the nation this season (51.2).
Duke vs Texas Tech Game Center
Red Raiders’ Defense will have their hands full
For the first time since the 1929-30 season and for just the second time in its history, Texas Tech has stormed out of the gate to a 10-0 record. The Red Raiders have found success by using their smothering defense that has yet to surrender 70 points in a game this year, with its largest opposition output coming at Memphis where the Tigers scored 67 points.
Overall, they are allowing just 51.2 points per game this season to top the nation and are limiting foes to a shooting percentage of 32.2 to rank first in the nation in that category. The Red Raiders only allow opponents to take 51.9 shots per game, the 10th-fewest in college basketball, and they create the 24th-most turnovers per game at 16.8. All of this could be attributed to Texas Tech’s slow pace of play as the team averages just 69.7 possessions per game, which is the 65th-slowest in the NCAA.
Offensively, the Red Raiders average 77.5 points per game, ranking 77th out of 353 teams. They are led by sophomore guard Jarrett Culver, who has paced the team in scoring in nine of 10 games and is averaging 19.1 ppg. The Raiders have just one other player averaging double-digit points per game and that is senior transfer Matt Mooney, who chips in 11 ppg after averaging 18.6 and 18.7 ppg respectively in his sophomore and junior seasons at South Dakota. The team as a whole ranks 12th in the country by shooting 49.9 percent from the floor.
Is The Blue Devils’ Offense up to the task?
Duke returned to action following a 10-day hiatus for its exam period with a 101-50 beatdown against Princeton. The win was its fifth in a row and it has imposed its will over that span with an average winning margin of 41.8. This is the fourth ranked opponent that the Blue Devils have tipped off against this year. They sport a 2-1 record through the first three, falling only to then-No. 3 Gonzaga while trouncing Kentucky and Auburn by an average margin of 20.
Overall, they score the second-most points per game in the nation this season at 93.6 and boast the ninth-best shooting percentage at 50.2. They have three players averaging double-digit points in R.J. Barrett (24.5 ppg), Zion Williamson (20.1) and Cam Reddish (14.0). Duke primarily does its damage around the rim with thunderous dunks from forwards Barrett and Williamson, the latter being a force at six-foot-seven and 285 pounds.
With much of the emphasis being placed on Duke’s two big men, it should come as no surprise that it averages the most rebounds per game at 46.3, including the second-most offensive boards per game at 14.6. Texas Tech allows the 92nd-most offensive rebounds per game at 7.7. It’s not all offense all the time for the Blue Devils, though, as they surrender just 64.3 ppg, which is the 38th-best mark in college basketball, and hold opponents to a shooting percentage of 36.7 to rate fourth in the NCAA.
Is an UNDER in Store for Tonight’s Game?
Both Duke and Texas Tech have some solid defensive skills and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 149 points. That’s the highest this year for the Red Raiders, who have gone UNDER in seven of their 10 games with an average combined score of 130.7. The Blue Devils have gone UNDER in nine of their last 10 games.
Duke has limited opponents to fewer than 70 points in each of its last five games, while Texas Tech hasn’t had a foe score 70 points at all this season. Lastly, both teams have held their opponents to a low shooting percentage as Duke’s foes are shooting just 36.7 percent while Texas Tech’s opponents are shooting just 32.2 percent.
My take on Duke vs Texas Tech
I like Duke to cover the 10-point spread. Let’s see what Texas Tech has! The Red Raiders are getting a lot of attention because of their shutdown defense, however, their strength of schedule has been the 23rd-easiest in the nation and they haven’t faced an opponent like the Blue Devils. Meanwhile, Duke has played higher-ranked foes than Texas Tech and went 2-1 in those games and has been on an absolute tear since its loss to Gonzaga.
The Blue Devils’ defensive stats aren’t far off from what the Red Raiders are doing, but against much tougher competition. Only once has Duke won by fewer than 10 points this season, when it topped then-No. 8 Auburn 78-72 one month ago.
