Texas Tech vs Oklahoma State Pick & Prediction for Tuesday

The Texas Tech Red Raiders needed a road comeback against West Virginia to avoid losing three consecutive games.

I don’t think anyone expected Grant McCasland to coach an offensive juggernaut, but here we are.

The Red Raiders rank 20th nationally in offensive efficiency, buoyed by two dominant guards — Joe Toussaint and Pop Isaacs.

Isaacs has struggled lately, which coincides with the Red Raiders' streaky results. In the past nine games, Isaacs is 30-of-117 (25%) from the field and only 12-of-61 (19%) from 3.

Isaacs is a massively important piece to Texas Tech’s upside and needs to get on track soon.

The Red Raiders' offense focuses on shooting perimeter jumpers, attempting 3s on 41% of their field goal attempts. The team connects on 36% of its shots from deep — led by Kerwin Walton (51% from 3) and super sixth man Chance McMillian (38% from 3.)

When your top two scorers — Toussaint and Isaacs — shoot below 32% from deep, others like Walton and McMillan have to be efficient.

Additionally, the health of Warren Washington is worth watching. With Texas Tech being an NCAA tournament lock, McCasland could opt to rest the rim-protecting big man until the Big Dance.

Washington has dealt with a foot injury in the past three weeks and missed the last few games.

The Red Raiders lose a ton of size without Washington, as freshman Eemeli Yalaho and Darrion Williams patrol the “center” spot.

That’s a terrifying proposition against Oklahoma State’s interior size.

The Cowboys have faced ups and downs this year, but freshman Brandon Garrison has given fans reason for excitement.

Garrison is 6-foot-11, 245 pounds and notably had huge games against Cincinnati (14 points) and BYU (21 points). Coincidentally, the Cowboys won both games in upset fashion, so Garrison becoming an offensive weapon is a key to Oklahoma State’s winning formula.

Oklahoma State just lacks shot-making options. That’s never a good thing, but the Cowboys' only true shot-maker is Javon Small, who handles facilitating duties and takes on the biggest shots.

Small is putting together an All-Big 12 caliber year, posting 12 points, four rebounds and five assists per game, while shooting 36% from 3.

Small is the Cowboys' best shooter, but others like John-Michael Wright and Jamyron Keller will need strong scoring performances against an experienced Texas Tech team. Wright scored 18+ points in the last two games and drilled four and five triples, respectively.

On defense, Mike Boynton Jr.'s squad allowed 1.00 or more points per possession in the past five conference games. It's just not the elite defense that we're used to with small guards at the point of attack.

The good thing? Texas Tech's guards are also small, although Toussaint is a defensive-maven of sorts.

The Cowboys will need an improved defense effort against the elite Texas Tech offense.

The Red Raiders and Cowboys are the two worst ATS teams in the best conference in America. Oklahoma State hasn't struggled to cover the spread at home, covering three of the past four games.

With Texas Tech possibly missing Washington, I can't back the road team in this spot.

Oklahoma State isn't as good defensively as it typically is, but it won't lie down and get crushed like West Virginia's defense.

The Cowboys winning outright in their final home game of the season is the way to go.

Pick: Oklahoma State ML