March Madness: Texas Tech vs. Florida odds, picks and predictions
The Gators, ranked No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, are back in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2017. Florida lost 77-70 to fellow SEC school the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Elite 8. Prior to that, it topped the No. 11 Dayton Flyers in 2014 as a 1-seed, advancing to the Final 4. Florida is 1-4 SU in the past 5 trips to the Elite 8.
The Red Raiders, ranked No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, are making their first trip to the Elite 8 since 2019, when it was a national runner-up to the Virginia Cavaliers . It topped the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 75-69 to punch its ticket to the Final 4 that season.
Texas Tech made a historic comeback Thursday night against the 10th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks, yet another SEC opponent. The Red Raiders were down as much as 16 points in the second half, posting the second-largest comeback in Sweet 16 history with the 85-83 OT win over the Razorbacks. G Christian Anderson paced the Red Raiders with 22 points, including 3 triples.
While TTU has won all 3 NCAA Tournament games to date, it is just 1-2 against the spread (ATS), while the Over is 3-0. The total has gone high in 7 of the past 8 games since March 1 in the regular season.
The No. 1 Gators routed the Maryland Terrapins 87-71 in San Francisco, easily covering a 6.5-point spread as the Over (156.5) cashed. The Over is perfect (10-0) in the past 10 games for the Gators.
Florida G Alijah Martin, instrumental in the FAU Owls' miraculous 2023 Final 4 run, notched 14 points with 3 triples, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. He was one of 6 Gators with at least 10 points, as G Will Richard also had 3 successful makes from behind the arc, enroute to 15 points. Florida's cover over UMD was its first of the NCAA Tournament.
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Texas Tech vs. Florida odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:11 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Texas Tech +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Florida -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
: Texas Tech +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Florida -300 (bet $300 to win $100) Against the spread : Texas Tech +6.5 (-105) | Florida -6.5 (-115)
: Texas Tech +6.5 (-105) | Florida -6.5 (-115) Over/Under (O/U): 156.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Texas Tech vs. Florida picks and predictions
Prediction
Florida 85, Texas Tech 73
Florida (-300) will cost you 3 times your potential return, and that's way too much risk for not nearly enough reward. Even as part of a multi-leg parlay, including the No. 1 Gators sucks a lot of the value out of your ticket. Unless you have a profit boost, it's a good idea to leave Florida off of your betslip.
AVOID, and look to the spread instead.
FLORIDA -6.5 (-115) is better play laying the points.
If Texas Tech comes out flat like it did early on against Arkansas, the Red Raiders are going to get steamrolled by the Gators.
The Red Raiders shot just 41.0% (34-of-83) from the field for the game, and a dismal 25.0% (8-of-32) from behind the arc. The good news is that TTU outrebounded Arkansas with a plus-12 margin, while turning it over just 8 times.
The Gators were peerless against the Terps, though, going 50.0% (30-of-60) from the field, and 39.3% (11-of-28) from the perimeter, overcoming 17 turnovers. That's because Florida used its sized for a 42-20 rebounding margin. If the Gators can take better care of the ball, we might get a rout here.
OVER 156.5 (-110) is the lean based on Florida's recent trends.
The total has gone high in 10 consecutive games for the Gators. The Over is also perfect in the postseason for the Red Raiders (5-0), although we needed overtime to get across the finish line in the Sweet 16 game against Arkansas.
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