Are you ready for the March Madness betting action? I’m sure you are, as the college basketball tournament is one of the premiere wagering events in all sports. The action comes thick and fast, especially in the opening couple of days, which is when we start to sort out the Round of 64. As most of you are probably already well aware, a #1 seed has never gone down in the opening round, which means we all need to look a little deeper down the bracket to find potential upset games. There are some games that definitely stand out as potential upset alert candidates, but I am not so sure that this is one of them.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks finished 3rd in the regular season standings in the Southland Conference, but then put it all together in the conference tournament, winning 59-55 over Southeastern Louisiana. It was a big win that got them into the big dance, albeit against a very tough opponent in the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the #3 ranked team in the West Region and NCAA Basketball betting favorite for this contest by 11.5 points.
It’s never a good thing to head into the postseason when you are not playing your best ball, but as the #3 seed in the West region, they have the opportunity to get rolling and get the confidence back a little with a win over a lesser opponent in the opening round. 4 of the 9 losses that the Red Raiders took this season were against ranked teams, so you need to like their chances here. Texas Tech went 11-11-1 ATS as the favorite this season.
Stephen F. Austin vs. Texas Tech 2018 March Madness Betting Lines & Pick
New ❄ for the 👣 in #MarchMadness, courtesy of @UAbasketball. #WreckEm #UnleashChaos pic.twitter.com/JGByErytBx
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) 12 de marzo de 2018
- When: Thursday, March 15 at 7:27 PM EST
- Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
- TV: truTV
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: MM Live
- March Madness Betting Odds: Texas Tech Red Raiders -11.5 (Over/Under at 137.5 points)
Team Records
- All: Stephen F. Austin 28-6 / Texas Tech 24-9
- Home: Stephen F. Austin 17-1 / Texas Tech 18-2
- Away: Stephen F. Austin 11-5 / Texas Tech 6-7
- ATS: Stephen F. Austin 4-1 / Texas Tech 13-15-1
- Over/Under: Stephen F. Austin 2-3 / Texas Tech 14-15
Radford vs. Villanova NCAA Basketball Betting Preview & Game Info
Recent Head to Head (Last 5 Games)
- Record: Texas Tech leads 5-0
- Score: Stephen F. Austin 54.40 / Texas Tech 65.60
- Field Goal Percentage: Stephen F. Austin 35.87 / Texas Tech 47.18
- Rebounds: Stephen F. Austin 34.80 / Texas Tech 31.60
- 3 Point Shots: Stephen F. Austin 19-81 / Texas Tech 22-64
- Steals: Stephen F. Austin 4.00 / Texas Tech 6.00
Why bet on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks?
It’s always worth taking a look at teams that finished the season on a positive run. As well as winning the Southland Conference title game, the Lumberjacks also won 10 of their last 11 games, giving them a season record of 28-6. As impressive as those numbers are, it’s worth noting that they did not have a single game against a ranked opponent this year, so the opening round tilt against Texas Tech is undoubtedly the stiffest challenge they will have faced. It may help explain why they are coming into this game as an 11 ½ point underdog. This is a team that knows how to score, though, as they averaged an impressive 81.1 PPG this season, whilst also staying tight on the defensive end of the court, giving up just 68.1 PPG. If they can get out to a fast start here, they could pose some problems for the Red Raiders.Team Statistics
- Points Per Game: 81.1
- Rebounds Per Game: 35.8
- Assists Per Game: 14.4
- Points Allowed: 68.1
Why bet on the Texas Tech Red Raiders?
The Texas Tech Red Raiders finished the season with a 24-9 record, which includes games in the Big 12 tournament but the alarming thing for this team is that many of those losses came in the home stretch of the season. In the final few weeks of the regular season, the Red Raiders went on a 4-game losing skid and eventually lost 5 of their last 7.
It’s never a good thing to head into the postseason when you are not playing your best ball, but as the #3 seed in the West region, they have the opportunity to get rolling and get the confidence back a little with a win over a lesser opponent in the opening round. 4 of the 9 losses that the Red Raiders took this season were against ranked teams, so you need to like their chances here. Texas Tech went 11-11-1 ATS as the favorite this season.
Team Statistics
- Points Per Game: 75.2
- Rebounds Per Game: 35.9
- Assists Per Game: 14.4
- Points Allowed: 64.7
Latest March Madness Betting Trends
- Lumberjacks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games
- Lumberjacks own a 2-2 record on total bettings
- Texas Tech is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Texas Tech is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas Tech’s last 5 games
