A spot in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament will be on the line when the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Montana State Bobcats square off in a West Region first round game on Friday at Viejas Arena in San Diego. The No. 3 seed in the West, Texas Tech (25-9) has won at least one game in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments. In 2019 the Red Raiders advanced all the way to the championship game, losing to Virginia. Meanwhile Montana State (27-7) is looking for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory. 

Tipoff is set for 1:45 p.m. ET. The Red Raiders are favored by 15 points in the latest Texas Tech vs. Montana State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 132.5. Before making any Montana State vs. Texas Tech picks, be sure to check out the NCAA Tournament predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
 
Now, the model has set its sights on Texas Tech vs. Montana State, and just locked in its picks and March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Montana State vs. Texas Tech:

  • Texas Tech vs. Montana State spread: Red Raiders -15 
  • Texas Tech vs. Montana State over-under: 132.5 points 
  • Texas Tech vs. Montana State moneyline: Red Raiders -1700, Bobcats +900
  • TTU: The Red Raiders lead the country in defensive efficiency (85.1 points allowed per 100 possessions) 
  • MTST: Jubrile Belo leads the Big Sky blocks per game (1.82) 

Why Texas Tech can cover

Texas Tech has a balanced scoring attack. Six players are averaging at least 8.0 points per game: Bryson Williams (13.7), Terrence Shannon Jr. (10.4), Davion Warren (9.9), Kevin Obanor (9.9), Kevin McCullar (9.7) and Adonis Arms (8.4). Four players have scored more than 1,000 points in their careers; Williams (2,094), Warren (1,933), Arms (1,663) and Marcus Santos-Silva (1,234).

In addition, the Red Raiders face a Montana State team that has had difficulty guarding without fouling. The Bobcats have committed 617 fouls this season, which ranks 334th in the country. That bodes well for a Texas Tech team that has made 473 free throws this season, which ranks 40th in the nation.

Why the Montana State can cover

Xavier Bishop is on a roll. In three games during the Big Sky Tournament, the 5-foot-8 senior from Springfield, Ill., averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 assists and and 4.0 rebounds a game en route to being named the tournament MVP. On the season, Bishop leads the team in points per game (13.9), assists per game (4.3) and minutes per game (34.0).

In addition, Montana State faces a Texas Tech team that often struggles to score. The Red Raiders average 71.7 points per game, which ranks 156th in the country. In five of their nine losses this season, they were held to 55 or fewer points per game.

How to make Texas Tech vs. Montana State picks

We can tell you that the model is leaning over the total, predicting a combined 140 points, and it also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's Montana State vs. Texas Tech pick at SportsLine. 
 
So who wins Montana State vs. Texas Tech? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Texas Tech vs. Montana State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned almost $1,500 on its college basketball picks the last five-plus years, and find out.