The Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-2) will open the 2024 portion of their schedule when they host the North Alabama Lions (6-7) on Monday afternoon. Texas Tech won all five of its games in December, including a 96-60 win over Sam Houston last Thursday. North Alabama has lost three of its last four contests, falling to Indiana by 17 points on Dec. 21 in its most recent outing. The Lions are wrapping up a stretch of four straight road games before returning home for three conference games.
Tipoff is at 2 p.m. ET in Lubbock. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Red Raiders as 18-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 144 in the latest North Alabama vs. Texas Tech odds. Before making any Texas Tech vs. North Alabama picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 8 of the 2023-24 season on a 101-64 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $2,000 for $100 players. It is also off to a sizzling 11-3 start on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Texas Tech vs. North Alabama. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for North Alabama vs. Texas Tech:
- Texas Tech vs. North Alabama spread: Texas Tech -18
- Texas Tech vs. North Alabama over/under: 144 points
- Texas Tech vs. North Alabama money line: Texas Tech -2707, North Alabama +1200
- TTU: The Red Raiders have won seven consecutive home games
- UNA: The Lions are 4-1 against the spread in their last five January games
- Texas Tech vs. North Alabama picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Texas Tech can cover
Texas Tech has taken care of the weak opponents on its schedule, including a 96-60 win over Sam Houston last Thursday. Sophomore guard Pop Isaacs poured in a career-high 28 points while dishing out four assists and grabbing three rebounds in the team's fifth-straight win. The Red Raiders have won four of their five games during their current hot streak by double digits, so they are comfortable playing as heavy favorites.
Isaacs leads Texas Tech with 15.3 points per game, while senior guard Joe Toussaint is adding 15.0 points, 4.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds. Senior forward Devan Cambridge, who transferred from Arizona State, is also in double figures with 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The Red Raiders have won seven straight home games and have won eight consecutive games against Atlantic Sun opponents. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why North Alabama can cover
North Alabama has already played against three major-conference teams, so this matchup is not going to intimidate the Lions. They led Kansas State by as many as 13 points and for all but the final eight seconds of the second half before losing in overtime last month. The Lions were also in the hunt against Indiana in the second half later in the month.
They have a balanced lineup, with six players averaging between 7.2 and 13.6 points per game, paced by leading scorer KJ Johnson. He missed three games in December due to an ankle injury, but he should be closer to full strength after some time off. Jacari Lane is averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 4.4 assists, while Tim Smith Jr. has knocked down 20 3-pointers already this season. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Texas Tech vs. North Alabama picks
The model has simulated this matchup 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Texas Tech vs. North Alabama, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 101-64 roll on its top-ranked college basketball picks, and find out.
