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The Texas Tech Red Raiders made school history in 2019, reaching the final of the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The season ended in disappointment, however, as they suffered an 85-77 loss to Virginia in overtime. Sixth-seeded Texas Tech resumes its quest for the program's first national championship on Friday, when it takes on the No. 11 seed Utah State Aggies in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders (17-10) enter the South Region contest having lost back-to-back games, while the Aggies (20-8) won six in a row before losing to San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference championship.

Tip-off from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. is set for 1:45 p.m. ET. The Red Raiders are four-point favorites in the latest Texas Tech vs. Utah State odds at William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 131. Before making any Utah State vs. Texas Tech picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It has also returned almost $500 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Texas Tech vs. Utah State in the NCAA Tournament 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Utah State vs. Texas Tech:

  • Texas Tech vs. Utah State spread: Red Raiders -4
  • Texas Tech vs. Utah State over-under: 131 points
  • Texas Tech vs. Utah State money line: Red Raiders -190, Aggies +160
  • TTU: The Red Raiders are 5-1 against the spread in their last six NCAA Tournament games
  • USU: The Aggies are 1-5 ATS in their last six NCAA Tournament contests

Why Texas Tech can cover 

The Red Raiders are due to receive a big performance from Mac McClung, who leads the team in scoring (15.7 points). The junior guard has been held to fewer than eight points in three of his last four contests after hitting double digits in 12 of his previous 13 games. McClung is one of four players averaging at least 10 points for Texas Tech, which is 8-2 in the Tournament under coach Chris Beard.

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a team-high 18 points in the Red Raiders' 67-66 loss to Texas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament. The sophomore guard was 4-for-7 from 3-point range and has made seven of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc over his last two outings. Senior forward Marcus Santos-Silva tops the squad with an average of 6.5 rebounds and is five away from reaching 800 for his career.

Why Utah State can cover

Justin Bean, who is second on the Aggies in scoring (11.3 points), is one of the top players in the Mountain West this season. The junior forward is fourth in the conference with nine double-doubles and ranks second with 2.96 offensive rebounds per contest. Bean scored in double figures in 19 of his 28 games, including each of the last nine.

Center Neemias Queta is Utah State's leader in scoring (15.1 points), rebounds (10) and blocked shots (3.2). The 7-foot junior from Portugal is second in the nation with 90 blocks this season, third with 3.2 per game and fourth with 15 double-doubles. Queta topped the Aggies with 18 points against San Diego State on Saturday but saw his streak of eight straight double-doubles come to an end.

How to make Utah State vs. Texas Tech picks

The model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 133 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Utah State vs. Texas Tech? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.