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The Sport Geek’s Free Pick: Texas Tech vs. West Virginia – Follow our free sports picks and predictions for today’s games!
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Introduction
TheSport Geek’s Free Pick: Texas Tech vs. West Virginia – The Two teams will meet tomorrow in a battle of two great programs. This will be a game to watch as both teams have a lot to prove.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech is one of the most underrated teams in college football. They have a great defense and an explosive offense. They are also well coached. I like Texas Tech to win this game.
Team History
Texas Tech football began in 1925 with a 6-2 inaugural season record. The first ever coach was Ewing Y. Freeland. In 1956, the Red Raiders were one of thirteen schools that formed the Southwest Conference. From1960 to 1996, the Red Raiders had five head coaches, led by E.J. Levine (1960-1964), Jim Carlen (1965-1970), Steve Sloan (1971-1975), Jerry Moore (1976-1985) and Spike Dykes (1986-1999).
Dykes’ teams finished first or second in the conference eight times during his thirteen years as head coach. In 1993, under his leadership, Texas Tech went 10-2 overall and won the SWC championship for the first and only time in school history. They also played in their first ever bowl game that year – the Cotton Bowl – where they lost to Notre Dame 28-3. Despite this loss, it was a momentous occasion for Texas Tech football and helped lay the foundation for future success.
In 2000, Mike Leach took over as head coach and led the team to ten consecutive winning seasons, including a school record 11-win season in 2009. During his time as head coach, Texas Tech made appearances in six bowl games, winning three of them – the 2002 galleryfurniture.com Bowl, the 2006 Insight Bowl and the 2009 Valero Alamo Bowl. In 2013, Kliff Kingsbury became the Red Raiders’ head coach and led them to an 8-5 season record and a victory in the Holiday Bowl that year.
Key Players
Texas Tech: Mooney, Shannon, Francis
Three players to watch on Texas Tech. Mooney is their best player and the only one averaging in double figures. Shannon does a little bit of everything averaging over nine points, four rebounds and two assists per game. Francis missed last game with an injury but is their best three-point shooter. West Virginia: Emmitt Matthews Jr., Oscar Tshiebwe, Derek Culver
The three players to watch for West Virginia are Emmitt Matthews Jr., Oscar Tshiebwe, and Derek Culver. Matthews is their leading scorer averaging over fifteen points per game. Tshiebwe leads the team in rebounding averaging close to ten per game. Culver is also a force on the boards averaging nine rebounds per contest.
Recent Form
Texas Tech enters this game having won 4 of their last 5, with their only loss coming at the hands of Kansas State. They have shown they can compete with anyone in the conference as they have also beaten Oklahoma and Baylor during this stretch. Even more impressively, they have done so without starting point guard Mac McClung, who is still not 100%.
West Virginia, on the other hand, has been very up and down as of late. They come into this game having lost 2 of their last 3, with their only win coming against a struggling TCU team. In their losses, they have been blown out by Oklahoma and Kansas State. Given how inconsistent they have been, it’s tough to know what to expect from them in this one.
West Virginia
Texas Tech is looking to extend their winning streak to 3 games as they take on West Virginia. The Mountaineers are coming off of a tough loss to Baylor and will be looking to get back on track. Although West Virginia is struggling, they have been competitive in most of their games and they will be looking to upset the Red Raiders.
Team History
West Virginia University was founded in 1867 as Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. The school’s main campus is located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The athletic teams are nicknamed the Mountaineers and they compete in the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference.
West Virginia has been a member of various conferences throughout its history. In its early years, the school was a part of the Middle Atlantic Conference and the Southern Conference. West Virginia became a charter member of the Big East Conference in 1991. The Mountaineers left the Big East Conference in 2012 to join the Big 12 Conference.
West Virginia has won numerous conference championships across all sports. The school has also won two national championships, one in football and one in men’s basketball.
Key Players
Texas Tech will be looking to extend their winning streak to four games when they take on West Virginia on Saturday. The Red Raiders are coming off an impressive win over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State, while the Mountaineers are coming off a close loss to then-No. 16 Baylor.
West Virginia is led by junior quarterback Will Grier, who has thrown for 2,266 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. Grier is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country and he will be a tough test for the Texas Tech defense.
The Mountaineers also have a talented group of wide receivers, led by senior David Sills V and junior Gary Jennings Jr. Sills V has caught 52 passes for 817 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, while Jennings Jr. has caught 47 passes for 754 yards and six touchdowns.
Defensively, West Virginia is led by senior linebacker David Long, who has recorded 102 tackles, including 16 for loss, and six sacks this season. Long is one of the best linebackers in the country and he will be a big challenge for the Texas Tech offense.
Texas Tech is led by senior quarterback Nic Shimonek, who has thrown for 3,547 yards and 33 touchdowns this season. Shimonek has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country this season and he will need to be at his best against a good West Virginia defense.
The Red Raiders also have a talented group of wide receivers, led by junior Keke Coutee and sophomore T.J. Vasher. Coutee has caught 74 passes for 1,141 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, while Vasher has caught 49 passes for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Defensively, Texas Tech is led by junior linebacker Dakota Allen, who has recorded 101 tackles, including eight for loss, and two sacks this season. Allen is one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 Conference and he will be a key player for the Red Raiders on Saturday.
Recent Form
West Virginia comes into this game with a lot of momentum, having won four of their last five games. They’re also coming off a big win over a ranked TCU team. Texas Tech, on the other hand, has lost three of their last four games. So, based on recent form, West Virginia is the clear favorite in this game.
Head-to-Head
Texas Tech has had the upper hand in the head-to-head series, winning eight of the 13 all-time meetings. The Red Raiders have won three straight and five of the last six games in the series. Last year, Texas Tech won 31-24 in Lubbock.
Betting Odds
The betting odds for this game are as follows:
West Virginia is favored by 3.5 points.
The over/under is set at 57.5 points.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this was an interesting game to watch and I believe that Texas Tech has a lot of potential to do well this season. They have a strong team and I think they will be able to compete with some of the best teams in the country. As for West Virginia, they are a good team but I think they will struggle this season.
