Drake vs Texas Tech Prediction 3/22/25 College Basketball Picks

The Drake Bulldogs and the Texas Tech Red Raiders meet Saturday in NCAA Tournament Second Round college basketball action from Intrust Bank Arena. Here’s a Drake vs Texas Tech prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Drake vs Texas Tech pick. We will examine: 

The Drake Bulldogs recent form and player performance

The Texas Tech Red Raiders recent form and player performance 

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Drake Bulldogs

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Texas Tech Red Raiders

Recent betting trends in games played between Drake and Texas Tech

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Drake vs Texas Tech game

Drake Bulldogs Betting Preview

Drake posted a great regular season, with just three losses and only one instance of consecutive defeats. The Bulldogs opened up on a 12-0 run, then fell to UIC and Murray State in early January. A win streak began from there, lasting from January 8 versus Bradley to February 12 against Illinois State. Next came a loss to Bradley and wins over UIC, Northern Iowa, Evansville and Missouri State, then conference tournament wins against Southern Illinois, Belmont and Bradley. Drake would keep it going on Thursday with a First Round win over Missouri in the national tournament, giving the Bulldogs a 31-3 overall record so far. 

In the Missouri matchup on Thursday, the Bulldogs kicked things off with a 30-23 advantage. Drake closed on a 37-34 second half in an impressive win 67-57. Leading the team in scoring was Bennett Stirtz with 21 points, four assists, one rebound and one steal. Tavion Banks added 15 points with nine rebounds and three steals off the bench. Cam Manyawu chipped in seven options with four rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes of work during the win as well. 

Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Preview

Over on the Texas Tech side, they kicked off their regular-season campaign with an 11-4 run that featured losses to Saint Joseph’s, Texas A&M, UCF and Iowa State. The Raiders would beat Kansas State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, TCU, Houston and Baylor from there, then hit a 3-3 run with losses to Arizona, TCU and Houston in that time. After closing out the regular season with wins over Kansas, Colorado and Arizona State, the Raiders fell to Arizona last Friday. Following their First Round win over UNC Wilmington in the NCAA Tournament, Texas Tech has a 26-8 record so far this season. 

Matched up against UNC Wilmington in Thursday’s game, the Raiders carried a four-point edge into the second half. Texas Tech hit a 44-38 run the rest of the way in an 82-72 victory. Kerwin Walton led the team on 27 points with three rebounds and two assists. Both Elijah Hawkins (14 points; 10 rebounds) and JT Toppin (12 points; 11 rebounds) notched double-doubles in the victory as well. 

Why the Texas Tech Red Raiders will win

• Texas Tech has won 16 of its last 18 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Drake has lost 15 of its last 18 games against AP-ranked opponents.
• Drake has lost the first half in eight of its last 10 night games against AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Drake Bulldogs will win

• Drake has won 21 of its last 22 night games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Texas Tech’s last 18 night games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 130+ points.
• Each of Drake’s last four games at a neutral venue have produced a total of 124 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Texas Tech ranks 8th among Division 1 teams for net rating this season (+21.4).
• Texas Tech ranks 8th among Division 1 teams for points per possession this season (1.21).
• Drake ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal attempts per game this season (46.6).
• Drake ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for pace this season (59.2).

Drake vs Texas Tech Prediction 

I’m going to go with Drake. This should be a pretty interesting matchup regardless, though. The Bulldogs are coming off a nice win over a great Missouri team, shooting 54.3 percent from the field with a 31-26 rebounding edge. It wasn’t perfect though, as Drake struggled from the line (12-of-24 for 50 percent) and had 15 turnovers for 13 Tigers points. The Bulldogs are currently riding an eight-game win streak, and they’ve been doing it with defense. Drake has been below 69 points in six of those victories. 

As for Texas Tech, they shot a rough 39.1 percent from the field in the win over UNC Wilmington but saved themselves with 16 points off 13 Seahawks turnovers. The Raiders weren’t great from 3-point range (28.3 percent) or the line (65.2 percent) either, which was fairly uncharacteristic of them. I do like Texas Tech to rebound in this one during a competitive game, though. 

Andrew Jett's Pick: Drake Bulldogs +7.5