How to watch Texas basketball vs. Texas Tech: Odds, matchups, injuries and more

No. 20 Texas basketball (11-2, 0-0 Big 12) and head coach Rodney Terry tip off Big 12 play on Saturday night inside the Moody Center in Austin against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. This will be the 145th meeting between the Longhorns and the Red Raiders (11-2, 0-0 Big 12), and is the last scheduled meeting between the two in Austin.

The Red Raiders are rated as the No. 36 team in KenPom, boasting an offensive efficiency of No. 45 and a defensive efficiency of No. 42. This game is an opportunity for the Longhorns to notch their first Quad 2 win of the season.

The Longhorns enter this contest on a five-game winning streak, while the Red Raiders have won their last six ball games. Something must give on Saturday night.

Here’s a look at the TV/streaming information and game time as No. 20 Texas hosts Texas Tech at the Moody Center in Austin, TX.

How to watch Texas basketball vs. Texas Tech

TV: ESPN2

Live stream: ESPN app

Radio/Audio Stream: Longhorn Radio Network/Sirius XM 132 or 199

Game time: 7 p.m. CT

Live stats: Sidearm Stats

Rich Hollenberg and Fran Fraschilla will call the game between Texas and Texas Tech live on ESPN2.

Craig Way and Eddie Oran have the call on the radio broadcast on IMG Longhorn Radio Network.

This is the 145th matchup on the hardwood between Texas and Texas Tech. The Longhorns hold the 81-63 head-to-head advantage but the Red Raiders have won ten of the last 13 meetings, including four of the last five in Austin.

Texas basketball projected starting lineup vs. Texas Tech

• G: Tyrese Hunter, Junior (12.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.5 APG)
• G: Max Abmas, Senior (17.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.4 APG)
• F: Brock Cunningham, Senior (5.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG)
• F: Dillon Mitchell, Sophomore (11.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.8 APG)
• C: Kadin Shedrick, Junior (11.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.8 APG)

Texas Tech projected starting lineup vs. Texas

• G: Pop Isaacs, Sophomore (15.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.4 APG)
• G: Joe Toussaint, Senior (14.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.1 APG)
• G: Kerwin Walton, Senior (7.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.8 APG)
• F: Darrion Williams, Sophomore (9.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.4 APG)
• C: Warren Washington, Senior (9.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.8 APG)

Injury Report

Texas: The Horns come into this game with the full allotment of their roster. Tyrese Hunter is back after missing the Jan. 1 win over UT Arlington with an illness. Dylan Disu is set to play his fifth game of the season after missing the first nine games recovering from foot surgery. He has yet to play more than 22 minutes in a game this season.

Texas Tech: Devan Cambridge remains the lone Red Raider on the mend after suffering a season-ending knee injury in early December. Star guard Pop Isaacs was embroiled in some legal trouble earlier this week, but all reports are the sophomore will be a go on Saturday night.

Texas basketball vs. Texas Tech: Prediction and odds for Jan. 6

Texas is a 6.5-point favorite over Texas Tech, and the Longhorns currently sit as a -275 favorite on the moneyline, per FanDuel. The over/under is 140.5 points.

Texas Tech is the No. 36 ranked team in adjusted efficiency in Division I, per Kenpom. Texas, meanwhile, ranks 31st in the nation in adjusted efficiency.

Kenpom gives Texas a 65 percent chance of beating Tech and projects the final score of this game to be 74-69 in favor of the Longhorns.

Although this rivalry may not have as much juice as it did during Chris Beard's short tenure in Austin, no love is lost between the Longhorns and the Red Raiders. Both teams want to push you around physically and hang their hats on the defensive end of the floor.

For the Longhorns, the difference in this game will be containing All-Big 12 Caliber guard Pop Isaacs. The sophomore guard is not the most efficient scorer (48.5% True Shooting Percentage), but he attempts over 14 shots a game and has the confidence to launch from anywhere on the court. Isaacs is averaging 21.5 points and 3.8 assists over his last four games.

Since the injury to Devan Cambridge, Red Raiders head coach Grant McCasland has typically stuck to a seven-man rotation. An aggressive Texas team that deploys nine/ten men could take advantage of this by attacking the rim early and often. It could be a long night for the Red Raiders if a few players get into foul trouble.

I expect a slugfest between two teams looking to open conference play with a resume-building win. This is a big test for Coach Terry and his staff. If he has a handle on this program, Texas will come out and control this one from the jump. Unfortunately, I think the Horns are still working through some growing pains and will experience some rough patches against Tech. However, the Moody Center crowd should propel them to a late victory.

Final Score Prediction: Texas 73 Texas Tech 71