College Basketball Odds: Virginia Slim Favorite Over Texas Tech In Title Game
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will be looking to become the first team from Texas to claim a national title since 1966 when they take on the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in this year’s national championship game as 1.5-point underdogs on the March Madness odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Texas Tech continued an impressive run to its first-ever berth in a national championship game with a 61-51 win over Michigan State in Elite Eight action and now has claimed outright victories as a betting underdog in three straight outings ahead of Monday night’s Red Raiders vs. Cavaliers betting matchup at US Bank Stadium.
The Red Raiders have been among the stingiest teams in college basketball this season, ranking third in the nation while surrendering just 58.8 points per game and allowing 58 or fewer points in four of five tournament matchups.
The Big 12 conference regular-season champions have risen to the occasion against battle-tested opponents at this year’s tournament, knocking off four teams that were in the AP Top 25 final rankings including Buffalo, Michigan and top-seeded Gonzaga.
The Cavaliers make their first-ever trip to the national championship game after escaping with a controversial 63-62 win over No. 5 Auburn as 6-point favorites on the March Madness lines in their Final Four outing. Virginia squandered a 10-point second-half lead and needed a clutch performance from Kyle Guy in the dying seconds to seal the win
Virginia has come away with narrow victories in each of its past three tournament outings, including an 80-75 overtime win over Purdue as 4.5-point chalk in Elite Eight action. That has resulted in shaky results on the recent college basketball odds, with the Cavaliers failing to cover in consecutive games while going 3-5 against the spread in eight games since March 4.
However, the Cavaliers have continued to play the tight game that made them the best defensive team in the nation this season. While Virginia has failed to score more than 63 points in three of five tournament games, it also has limited opponents to just over 58 points per game.
With the UNDER going a combined 8-2 in totals betting when these two teams have played at this year’s NCAA Tournament, the total in Monday night’s contest is set at 118.
