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The No. 16 ranked Utah Utes have a major opportunity to take a step forward in the extremely early hunt for a top two seed in the 2016 NCAA tournament thanks to early-season losses by some of the top teams in the country. In order to do that, however, Utah must avoid bad losses to teams from other Power 5 conferences, including their Thursday night matchup in Puerto Rico with the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Red Raiders have become a consistent bottom-feeder in the Big 12, and many people will point to that when mentioning their narrow 77-73 win over the High Point Panthers to start the season. However, High Point was picked to win the Big South in the preseason media poll and is a great resume-boosting win. An upset against Utah on a neutral court could do wonders for Texas Tech’s already slim chances of making the 2016 NCAA tournament, which makes this a game to watch on a night with few marquee college basketball matchups.
Many expected Utah to take a step backwards offensively with the loss of Delon Wright, but the Utes have actually improved on offense. Their 81-76 win over the San Diego State Aztecs looks great, because SDSU was ranked No. 2 overall in points allowed per game last season and Utah’s offense was what many were worried about coming into the season.
Texas Tech, on the other hand, tends to be really bad on the defensive end. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 103 in points allowed per game last season, which makes their 77-73 win over High Point all the more impressive.
Watch for Utah to win easily if they can score somewhere into the 70-point range, whereas the Utes to be on upset alert if Texas Tech’s potential defensive improvement can hold them under 70.
That being said, I don’t see a scenario in which Texas Tech defeats Utah, especially on a neutral court. The Arizona Wildcats and California Golden Bears might be the two favorites in the Pac-12, but I look for the Utes to overcome at least one of those teams for a top two finish in final conference standings. Look for Texas Tech to keep it close early, but fail to score for long periods of time against this Utah defense in a matchup that is just too much for the struggling Red Raiders.
Prediction: Utah 78, Texas Tech 66
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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