by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Dec 18, 2021
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Gonzaga -8.5
BetMGM: Gonzaga -8.5
Caesars: Gonzaga -9
Season record
No. 5 Gonzaga: 8-2
No. 25 Texas Tech: 8-1
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Gonzaga - Texas Tech preview and analysis
Recent form
Gonzaga: won 80-55 vs. Merrimack on Dec. 9
Texas Tech: won 75-62 vs. Arkansas State on Tuesday
It wasn’t meant to be easy for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and they’re learning that during their non-conference slate. Now, another tough test lies ahead on another neutral court.
The No. 5 Bulldogs will face the No. 25 Texas Tech Red Raiders in Phoenix for the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Saturday. This will be Gonzaga’s fifth neutral-site game already this season, having lost two of them to Duke and Alabama.
But the Zags are still a talented team that will still be a force throughout this season. Gonzaga is coming off an 80-55 win over some school named Merrimack, in which Drew Timme had 22 points on 8 of 8 shooting, while Chet Holmgren had a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds.
“I thought our defense was much better in the second half,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. The Bulldogs held Merrimack to just 25 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
But Gonzaga did have a problem holding onto the ball, committing 17 turnovers on the game.
“We’re still turning the ball over a lot,” Few said. “They are difficult to prepare for.”
There’s no doubting the talent of Gonzaga. We didn’t even discuss pure scorer Julian Strawther, who had 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
But while there’s a lot to like with the Gonzaga offense, Texas Tech’s offense is off to a scorching start and the Red Raiders are looking like a group to contend in the Big 12 yet again.
Texas Tech is off to an 8-1 start. Despite a loss to Providence on Dec. 1, Texas Tech rebounded six days later to upset No. 13 Tennessee, 57-52, in New York. The Red Raiders returned home for a 13-point victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves one week later.
The Red Raiders average 81.1 points per game, led by leading scorers Terrence Shannon and Kevin McCullar; the latter scored 21 points in the win over Arkansas State.
TTU will face Gonzaga for the first time since the Red Raiders knocked off Gonzaga in the 2019 Elite Eight, the year the Red Raiders went to the national championship. Texas Tech leads the all-time matchup 3-0.
“Nothing against Virginia, but we feel like Gonzaga might have been the toughest team we played,” said first-year coach Mark Adams, who was an assistant on the Texas Tech team that lost to Virginia in that national championship game. “That game we played extremely well and basically just outscored Gonzaga. We’ll have to have that kind of performance this Saturday.”
Prediction
I worry about Gonzaga away from home. The case can be made that it’s a group that’s not there yet and will need to be come conference season. That said, if there’s a time for them to look better than they have been, this would be a team to do it. Gonzaga by 6
Betting trends
Texas Tech is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 December games, but 12-3 straight up.
Texas Tech is 2-15 ATS after allowing 30 points or less in the first half in consecutive games.
Gonzaga is 12-8 ATS as a neutral court favorite.
Projected starting lineup
Gonzaga:
PG: Andrew Nembhard
SG: Rasir Bolton
SF: Julian Strawther
PF: Drew Timme
C: Chet Holmgren
Texas Tech:
PG: Kevin McCullar
SG: Kevin Obanor
SF: Terrence Shannon
PF: Bryson Williams
C: Davion Warren
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
