BYU Cougars vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders Picks and Prediction for Saturday, January 17, 2026
It’s a conference tilt between ranked foes from the Big 12 on the hardwood in the Lone Star State as the #11 BYU Cougars take on the #15 Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday night and we have you covered with our BYU vs. Texas Tech prediction. BYU comes in off a 76-70 home win over TCU Wednesday night in their previous contest, failing to cover the line as a 12.5-point favorite. Texas Tech dropped Utah 88-74 at home in their previous contest Wednesday, covering the line as a 16.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the schools, each team has three victories but the Red Raiders have won three straight meetings, including a 72-67 road win in the most recent matchup, which came January 5, 2025. Read more about this BYU vs. Texas Tech prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
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Cougars Seek to Keep Rolling
BYU earned their 13th straight win as they took down TCU at home in their previous contest Saturday. The Cougars improved to 16-1 overall on the year and own a perfect 4-0 mark in Big 12 action on the year. Against TCU, BYU trailed 8-2 early and by a 36-30 mark at the half. The Cougars trailed by nine in the opening minute of the second half, rallied to lead by seven and took the lead for good at 65-63 with 3:36 remaining on a Robert Wright III layup. That kicked off a 13-4 run that gave the Cougars a nine-point lead with 10 seconds left, sending them to the victory. BYU shot 35.3% from the field, including five of 24 from beyond the arc, and owned a 51-35 advantage on the glass in the win. AJ Dybantsa led the Cougars with 25 points and six rebounds in the win.
The Cougars are putting up 87.5 points a game so far this season, putting them 25th in the nation in scoring offense. BYU is grabbing 40.6 boards per game (30th) and dishes out an average of 15.6 assists a night, which is 104th in the country. The Cougars are very good on the defensive end of the floor as they are 70th in the nation with 68.8 points per game allowed this year. Richie Saunders is second on the Cougars as he puts up 19.3 points plus 5.5 rebounds per game. AJ Dybantsa (23.1 points, 7.1 rebounds) and Robert Wright III (17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists) are solid secondary scorers. Kennard Davis Jr. (7.4 points), Dawson Baker, Keba Keita, Dominique Diomande, Aleksej Kostic, Mihailo Boskovic, Khadim Mboup, Abdullah Ahmed, Tyler Mrus and Xavier Staton are all key contributors for coach Kevin Young. BYU shoots 49.3% from the floor as a team, which is 32nd in Division I. The Cougars sink 9.1 three-pointers per game (#93 in the nation) while shooting 35.7% from downtown. BYU is above average at the free throw line, sinking 74.8% of their chances this season, leaving them 82nd in Division I.
Key Injury Report for BYU:
- Guard Dawson Baker (knee) is out.
- Center Abdullah Ahmed (undisclosed) is questionable.
- Center Xavier Staton (undisclosed) is questionable.
Texas Tech Looking for Home Cooking
Texas Tech won their second straight and their sixth in the last seven games as they took down Utah at home in their previous contest. The Red Raiders improved to 13-4 overall on the year, 3-1 in Big 12 play, and look to defend their home floor here. Against Utah, Texas Tech jumped in front 12-3 early, trailed 20-19 with 10:45 to play in the first half and reeled off a 23-4 run that gave them a 42-24 advantage. The Red Raiders were up 50-38 at the half and didn’t let the Utes closer than nine the rest of the way to earn the win. Texas Tech knocked down 51.4% of their shots from the floor, including 13 of 31 from beyond the arc, and controlled the boards by a 41-28 margin. JT Toppin paced the Red Raiders with 31 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in the win.
The Red Raiders are averaging 83.4 points per game on the offensive end of the floor this season, putting them 71st in the nation in scoring offense. Texas Tech is pulling down 38.7 boards a night while dishing out 16.5 assists per contest. The Red Raiders are average on the defensive end of the floor, ranking 176th in the nation by allowing 73.2 points a night. JT Toppin leads the team in scoring as he puts up 21.2 points plus 11.1 rebounds per contest on the season. LeJuan Watts (13 points, 6.4 rebounds) and Donovan Atwell (11.8 points) provide secondary scoring pop. Christian Anderson (19.7 points, 7.5 assists), Leon Horner, Tyeree Bryan, Jaylen Petty, Nolan Groves, Luke Bamgboye, Marial Akuentok, Jazz Henderson and Jack Francis are averaging solid minutes for coach Grant McCasland. Texas Tech is shooting 46.8% from the floor this season, which is 110th in the nation. The Red Raiders splash 11.1 threes a night while shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc, putting them 25th in Division I. Texas Tech is below average at the free throw line as they knock down 68.9% of their chances this season, putting them 284th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Texas Tech:
- Forward Luke Bamgboye (leg) is questionable.
BYU vs. Texas Tech Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ben Burns | +1,203.00 |
| 2 |  Joseph D'Amico | +791.00 |
| 3 |  Bryan Power | +507.00 |
| 4 |  MIT Simulator | +449.00 |
| 5 |  Joe Duffy | +374.00 |
BYU vs. Texas Tech Spread Pick
- BYU +3.5 (4 units)
This one is going to be well worth the price of admission with a pair of top 15 teams locking up in Lubbock. BYU has the fourth-longest active win streak in the nation at 13 games and their lone loss was a two-point defeat to UConn in Boston. Texas Tech has won six of seven, including a win over Duke, and three of their four losses came to teams ranked in the top 10 of the KenPom rankings. Toppin is the lone power conference player averaging 20/10 this season but the Red Raiders aren’t as stout defensively as we’ve seen in previous years. Dybantsa and Saunders lead the way and carry the Cougars to a tough win.
BYU vs. Texas Tech Over/Under Pick
- Over 158.5 (4 units)
BYU has seen the under post a 9-8 mark in their 17 games on the season. On the year, the Cougars are 8th in offensive efficiency, 28th in effective field goal percentage (56.6%), 68th in turnover percentage (15.3%), 38th in two-point shooting (58.7%) and 61st in free throw shooting on the year. BYU is 47th in tempo with 70.9 possessions on the year. They are 17th in defensive efficiency, 30th in effective field goal percentage defense (46.5%) and 108th by allowing offensive rebounds on only 29% of their opponent’s misses. Texas Tech has seen the under hit in nine of their 17 games on the year. The Red Raiders are 18th in offensive efficiency, 37th in defensive efficiency, 45th in effective field goal percentage (55.4%) and 77th in offensive rebounding percentage (34.4%) this season. Texas Tech will grind possessions as they are 187th in adjusted tempo with 68.7 possessions a night. With two solid offenses and BYU liking to push the pace, lean toward the over here.
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