Texas Tech Basketball isn’t only looking to advance to the Elite Eight when they face off against the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night. They’re also looking to be the last opponent legendary Coach K ever faces on a college basketball court. That’s a big ask.
Mark Adams’ squad isn’t going to be intimidated, though. The team blew out its first opponent of the NCAA Tournament (Montana State) before facing slightly more resilience when playing Notre Dame in the Second Round. The Red Raiders are battle-tested for this game.
Still, this will be a much bigger challenge. The spotlight will be on Texas Tech in a new way (neither of their first two games was on CBS) and Duke is obviously better than an automatic bid from a small conference and a team that was part of the First Four. The Blue Devils are a comparative behemoth.
Somewhat surprisingly, the oddsmakers consider the Red Raiders a favorite in this game. On Monday morning, the line had Texas Tech as a one-point favorite, odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook. Texas Tech is the No. 3 seed, while Duke is the No. 2 seed.
#MarchMadness Sweet 16 lines (@WynnBET):
— BetSided (@BetSided) March 21, 2022
Arkansas vs. Gonzaga -8.5
Michigan vs. Villanova -4.5
Texas Tech vs. Duke +1
Houston vs. Arizona -2
St. Peter's vs. Purdue -13
Providence vs. Kansas -7.5
UNC vs. UCLA -2.5
Iowa St vs. Miami -2.5
Odds don’t decide games, of course. These two teams will still be taking the court at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader. If the odds are any indication, this could be the best game of the round.
Here are three keys to a Texas Tech defeat of Duke on Thursday night.