A NCAA Tournament regular meets a NCAA Tournament newcomer when the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Montana State Bobcats collide in a West Region first round game on Friday at Viejas Arena in San Diego. The Red Raiders (25-9) are playing in their fourth straight NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile the 14th-seeded Bobcats (27-7) are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1996. 

Tip-off is set for 1:45 p.m. ET. The Red Raiders are favored by 15 points in the latest Texas Tech vs. Montana State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over/Under for total points scored is 132.5. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

Before making any Montana State vs. Texas Tech picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, be sure to check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows that Texas Tech is the best defensive team in college basketball. The Red Raiders allow a meager 85.1 points per 100 possessions, which leads the country. They also lead the Big 12 and rank sixth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (38.4).

The model also knows that Montana State has a two-way star in Jubrile Belo. A 6-foot-9 junior from England, Belo leads the Big Sky in blocks per game (1.82) and scores 13.0 points per game on 59.0 percent field goal shooting. For his efforts this season he was named both the Big Sky Conference MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Now, the model has set its sights on the NCAA Tournament and Texas Tech vs. Montana State. We can tell you it is leaning Over the total, predicting a combined 140 points, and it also says one side of the spread covers in well over 50 percent of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Texas Tech vs. Montana State? And which side of the spread covers in well over 50 percent of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Montana State vs. Texas Tech spread you should be all over Friday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!