NCAA Basketball: Top 10 “Win Total” bets to avoid for 2021-22 season
By Ian Mumm
5. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Line = 23.0 Wins
The 2021 team featured some promising talent, but the gauntlet of the Big 12 conference tempered that reality by the season’s end. Departing head coach Chris Beard initiated a mass exodus of players and recruits leaving the program in a major state of flux. Newly-appointed head coach Mark Adams has his work cut out for him but has already made headway in reassembling the roster for next season.
Proven guards Mylik Wilson (Louisiana-Lafayette), Adonis Arms (Winthrop), and Davion Warren (Hampton) arrive at the program with plenty of firepower to make up for the offseason losses. 2021 March Madness standout Kevin Obanor also joins the fray providing Texas Tech with positional versatility and production at nearly every position on the court. Finding the “right” rotation shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Red Raiders to nail down early in the year and added depth across the board will help to ensure momentum remains constant.
Relative to last season, the talent on paper is not much different. Guys like Mac McClung and Kyler Edwards, proven guards in their own right, performed well throughout the season and still failed to elevate the Red Raiders to overarching successes. Texas Tech was a top-75 team on both the offensive (74th) and defensive end (24th) and still were a .500 team in the Big 12. With the resurgence of programs like Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State and Baylor 2022 will again be a bloodbath for the conference.
The outlook for the Red Raiders to suddenly find an easier path navigating their schedule is unlikely to happen. The Red Raiders are still likely to make the NCAA Tournament, but being able to count on extended performances there or in the conference tournament should not be expected with the aforementioned competition they are expected to deal with.
Avoid Over 23.0