The Drake Bulldogs and Texas Tech Red Raiders will lock horns in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Drake pulled off a first-round upset in their first game of this tournament, while Texas Tech held serve as a higher seed in their opener. In this Drake vs Texas Tech matchup, the Red Raiders are again favorites, but Drake’s defense will make them an intriguing potential Cinderella team.
Going into this contest, Texas Tech is favored by 7.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. DraftKings has set the total for this MVC vs Big 12 game at 126.5 points. Here, you will find a full breakdown of Drake vs Texas Tech in a game where a Sweet 16 berth is up for grabs in Wichita.
Say Drake, I Heard That You Just Won
The Drake Bulldogs came into the NCAA Tournament with the best-scoring defense in the nation. They lived up to that high standard on defense in an upset win over Missouri in the opening round. Drake held Mizzou to just 57 points and they got 21 points from Bennett Stirtz to help them advance to the second round as the 11-seed in the West Region.
In this game, it’s no secret that Drake is going to try and slow the game down and minimize the number of possessions. That reduces the Bulldogs’ margin for error on the offensive end of the floor. But that strategy has clearly worked for Drake all season long and they will look to shut down Texas Tech by taking the air out of the ball here.
Texas Tech Looks to Breach Drake Defense
Texas Tech was in a close game with 14-seed UNC Wilmington at halftime on Thursday night. But the Red Raiders did enough to win that game and advance to this matchup with the Drake Bulldogs. Texas Tech will look to find some cracks in one of college basketball’s best defenses to win this game and advance to the Sweet 16. To do that, they will need to get their star into a rhythm.
JT Toppin struggled mightily in the first half against UNCW, getting held to just four points in the first 20 minutes by the Seahawks. The expectation will be that it is going to be tougher for Toppin’s teammates to score in this game than it was against Wilmington, making Toppin’s performance in this game essential to his team’s success.
Drake vs Texas Tech Prediction
Drake +7.5 (-110) over Texas Tech
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- Drake entered the tournament with the top scoring defense in college basketball and looked great on defense in the first round.
- Drake will play slowly and keep themselves close by reducing the number of possessions in the game.
