2019 Big 12 Conference Tournament Odds: Texas Tech Heavily Favored

Updated: April 20, 2020 at 7:52 pm EDT

Published: March 12, 2019

Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver. — The Texas Tech offense may not be elite, but Jarrett Culver (23) gives the Red Raiders the ability to score in the blink of an eye. Photo by Twitter user @jarrettc08.

Texas Tech rides a dominating nine-game win streak into the Big 12 Tournament
Stingy defense is powering Kansas State’s bid for a first-ever tournament title
Perennial favorite Kansas enjoys attractive odds ahead of a quarterfinal clash with slumping Texas

After marching to their best regular-season record since joining the Big 12 conference in 1996, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have emerged as clear favorites to claim this year’s Big 12 Tournament title.

The tournament takes place March 13-16 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Odds to Win 2019 Big 12 Conference Tournament

Team	Odds 1	Odds 2
Texas Tech	+140	+140
Kansas State	+340	+350
Kansas	+325	+400
Iowa State	+460	+600
Texas	+1300	+900
Baylor	+1400	+1200
Oklahoma	+1500	+2200
TCU	+2700	+2200
Oklahoma State	+7000	+10000
West Virginia	+8900	+10000

Big 12 Tournament Bracket

While the Red Raiders (26-5, 14-4 Big 12) shared the Big 12 regular-season title with K-State (24-7, 14-4 Big 12), they will actually be the no. 2 seed in the tournament due to tiebreakers, putting them on the same side of the bracket as Kansas and Texas. The top-seeded Wildcats will have to deal with no. 4 Baylor or no. 5 Iowa State if/when they reach the semifinals.

Red Raiders Red-Hot Entering Big 12 Tournament

Apart from a worrisome three-game losing streak in mid-January, the Red Raiders have been dominant this season. The squad has posted wins in 11 of 12 contests since ending their January swoon, closing out their schedule with a 14-4 Big 12 record and a share of first place.

A very positive pattern has emerged during Tech’s current 8-game winning streak. https://t.co/l9yxVH4qQN

— Wreck 'Em Red (@WreckEm_Red) March 8, 2019

The Red Raiders have also regularly paid out against the spread, claiming victory by an average margin on 18.9 points during their current nine-game win streak. But while the squad has been rewarded in the AP Poll, climbing to No. 7 this week, they continue to lag as a distant but attractive +3300 bet to win the National Championship.

Sooners, Mountaineers Likely No Match for Texas Tech

That is likely just fine with the Red Raiders, who await the winner of Wednesday’s first-round clash between No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 10 West Virginia. The squad enjoyed steady success in dates with the Sooners and Mountaineers this season, winning all four meetings with the conference rivals, including crushing victories over each during the first week of February.

Mountaineers finish the regular season in last place in the Big 12, and will have to take on one of the league’s hottest teams to opener the tournament. https://t.co/q6Rp0YQZsM

— Nick Farrell (@ByNickFarrell) March 9, 2019

The Mountaineers, in particular, have struggled this season, stumbling to a dismal 4-14 record and a last-place finish in the Big 12 standings, earning them longshot status as a +10000 in the Big 12 Tournament.

The Sooners endured a rollercoaster campaign, including a brutal five-game losing streak in early February that preceded a respectable 4-2 stretch run. However, with just one win in five meetings with the hapless Mountaineers, and a three-game SU losing streak against Texas Tech, it is tough to find any value in the +1500 odds of Oklahoma claiming their first Big 12 Tournament title since 2003.

Big 12 Tournament Past Champions

Year	Big 12 Tournament Champion
2018	Kansas Jayhawks
2017	Iowa State Cyclones
2016	Kansas Jayhawks
2015	Iowa State Cyclones
2014	Iowa State Cyclones

Wildcats, Jayhawks Biggest Threats to Texas Tech’s Dominance

Indeed, the greatest threat to the Red Raiders’ bid to claim their first-ever Big 12 Tournament title will likely come from the two squads most closely trailing them in the futures.

After closing out the schedule on a 5-1 SU run to keep pace with the Red Raiders, the Wildcats now find themselves in a dogfight with the Kansas Jayhawks in the bottom half of the bracket. They’re both listed at +350 to win the conference tournament.

While the Red Raiders have the top-ranked defense in the entire country (according to KenPom.com), the Wildcats (6th in defensive efficiency) are equally stingy.

https://twitter.com/ChrisFickett/status/1102997542730645504

The Wildcats have held opponents to 53 or fewer points in five of their last six contests, and have also regularly outclassed each of its two potential quarterfinal opponents at this year’s tournament.

K-State has claimed victory in five of six dates with the Horned Frogs, including a pair of double-digit wins this season; they have also won and covered in four straight meetings with No. 9 Oklahoma State, capped by an 85-46 rout of the Cowboys as 9.5-point home favorites on February 23.

Kansas State … held the Red Raiders’ offense to a season-low point total in a lopsided 58-45 victory in January.

Kansas State also held the Red Raiders’ offense to a season-low point total in a lopsided 58-45 victory in January.

That said, the school has enjoyed little success in the Big 12 Tournament, falling to the cross-state rival Jayhawks in their only two previous appearances in the tournament final.

Jayhawks Bring Winning Tradition, Attractive Odds into this Year’s Tournament

Indeed, it is tough to ignore the defending tournament champion Jayhawks as a +400 wager.

Kansas stumbled down the stretch, closing out its schedule on a 3-2 SU run to finish third in the standings with a 12-6 record. To say the Jayhawks lost in spectacular fashion in their two late-season defeats would be an understatement.

No. 14 Red Raiders use balanced attack to handle No. 12 Jayhawks, via @cmsilvajr https://t.co/ZEH7UxGpKl

— A-J Sports (@RaiderSports) February 24, 2019

The squad was embarrassed in a crushing 91-62 loss to the Red Raiders as 4.5-point road underdogs on February 23, and suffered their worst defeat at the hands of the Sooners since 1990 in an 81-68 loss as 2-point road chalk on March 5.

[T]he Jayhawks own a strong reputation for rising to the occasion in the Big 12 Tournament, winning a conference-record 11 tournament titles since 1997

However, the Jayhawks own a strong reputation for rising to the occasion in the Big 12 Tournament, winning a conference-record 11 tournament titles since 1997. Kansas now looks forward to a quarterfinal clash on Thursday with a slumping Texas Longhorns squad that enters the tournament on a shaky 2-5 SU run that features outright losses to Kansas State and TCU as betting chalk. The Longhorns were a much different team without starting two-guard Kerwin Roach. But note that the future pro has been reinstated for the Big 12 tournament.

Longhorns Provide Little Value on Big 12 Tournament Odds

Even with their leading scorer back, the Longhorns appear to offer little value, pegged at a surprisingly strong +900. Texas has mustered consecutive wins just once during a 6-11 run that has featured lopsided losses to both Texas Tech and Kansas State.

#HookEm #Texas https://t.co/JJNOsZxfJ0 Texas slipping back towards NCAA Tournament bubble with recent losses pic.twitter.com/73omD57LdO

— Texas Longhorns! (@UTLONGHORNSNO1) March 1, 2019

And while the Longhorns breeze by the Jayhawks in a 73-63 win as 1-point home chalk on January 29, it has been 15 years since they tallied consecutive victories over Kansas, going 5-22 SU in 27 meetings since.

SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:

Daniel Coyle

Sports Writer

Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.

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