Notre Dame vs. Texas Tech Prediction and Odds for Second Round of NCAA Tournament
By Matt De Saro
The No. 11 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be thoroughly tested in their second-round matchup against the No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders this Sunday at 6:10 p.m. ET from San Diego.
The Irish come off an impressive and rather dominant win over the No. 6 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s worth noting that Alabama star guard Jahvon Quinerly suffered a major knee injury in the opening minutes of the game. At that point, it was all downhill and the Irish won 78-64.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, crushed Montana State 97-62 in their opening-round game. As dominant as a win as it was, Montana State had no chance from jump street and was outmatched top to bottom. This was more of a warm-up game than anything else as Sunday will be the real test vs. a confident Irish roster.
Here are the odds for this second-round NCAA Tournament matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
Notre Dame vs. Texas Tech Odds, Spread, and Total
Spread:
- Notre Dame +8 (-110)
- Texas Tech -8 (-110)
Moneyline:
- Notre Dame +280
- Texas Tech -360
Total: 133.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
Notre Dame vs. Texas Tech Prediction and Pick
This is a tough game to predict for me because I really don’t know how to feel about the Irish’s win over Alabama. On the one hand, they dominated on both ends of the court and looked comfortable doing it.
On the other hand, Alabama was shaken after witnessing a gruesome injury to their point guard. They never found their footing. Would have things been different if Quinerly didn’t go down? Hard to say but I would lean towards no. Not only did Alabama lose a key player, but it clearly took a mental toll on the rest of the team.
The Red Raiders present a whole new set of big challenges for Notre Dame. Texas Tech has a phenomenal defense that is playing its best in the most important spots. Montana State has a very good offense, all things considered. Almost on the level of Texas Tech. But they were never able to get settled with the Red Raiders defense swarming. I see a similar outcome tonight.
The win over Bama was nice, but I am not convinced it would have happened without such a freak occurrence. I think Notre Dame's run comes to a close.
Pick: Texas Tech -8 (-110)
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