Busting Brackets
Fansided

Texas Tech vs. Iowa State: 2018-19 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Neil Adler

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 02: Zoran Talley Jr. #23 of the Iowa State Cyclones passes the ball around Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on March 02, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 02: Zoran Talley Jr. #23 of the Iowa State Cyclones passes the ball around Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on March 02, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Texas Tech seeks to claim at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title when it travels to struggling Iowa State on Saturday.

TV schedule: Saturday, March 9, 2:00 pm ET. ESPNews.
Arena: James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

Two Big 12 teams trending in totally opposite directions will collide on Saturday afternoon to wrap up league competition. No. 8 Texas Tech (25-5, 13-4) is visiting Iowa State (20-10, 9-8) in a huge conference clash at the Hilton Coliseum.

The Red Raiders are on fire, as they currently possess an eight-game victory streak, while the Cyclones are reeling, having dropped five of seven, including a 90-75 drubbing at a relatively pedestrian West Virginia crew on Wednesday.

Should Texas Tech beat Iowa State, the Red Raiders would capture, at a minimum, a share of the Big 12 regular-season crown. Texas Tech could also win the league’s regular-season championship outright if it beats the Cyclones, and the other co-leader, No. 18 Kansas State, is upset at home by Oklahoma on Saturday.

At this juncture, bracketologists view the Red Raiders, No. 10 in the NCAA NET ratings and 5-3 in true road tilts, as a No. 3 seed in March Madness. Iowa State, on the other hand, is No. 22 in the NCAA NET system and sports a 12-3 mark on its turf. For the moment, the Cyclones are deemed a No. 6 or a No. 7 seed in the field of 68.

Not only does Texas Tech want to bask in Big 12 glory by conquering Iowa State, but the Red Raiders also want to exert revenge after the Cyclones went into Lubbock, Texas, and secured a 68-64 triumph over Texas Tech in mid-January.

In Saturday’s duel, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that Iowa State is the slight favorite, with a 51.1 percent chance to prevail. This is an intriguing encounter, as it pits the Cyclones’ high-powered offense, at 77.9 points per contest, against the Red Raiders’ stingy defense, which allows just 58.2 points every 40 minutes.

Next. Big 12 Bracketology. dark

Each group shoots a solid percentage from the field, the charity stripe, and beyond the arc. Rebounding, assists, blocks and steals are virtually identical. The turnover department is absolutely critical. I’m having a rough go trying to determine which unit will succeed. Despite Iowa State’s recent poor play, the Cyclones are suiting up on their court for Senior Day, which will provide them with an emotional boost. Ultimately, Iowa State inches by Texas Tech.

Prediction: Iowa State 74 – Texas Tech 71

Home/Texas Tech Red Raiders