Texas Tech v. #1 Louisville

Who will WIN this matchup?

Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3)

#1 Louisville Cardinals (9-0)

Current odds:

Texas Tech Red Raiders: (+240)

#1 Louisville Cardinals: (-300)

• The line for this game is Louisville by 7 points.

•Top-ranked Louisville looks to maintain its perfect record when it plays Texas Tech on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic in New York. The Cardinals have eight double-digit victories, including impressive wins over Michigan (58-43) and Pittsburgh (64-46) in their past two games. Louisville has kept three straight opponents under 60 points and six overall while giving up an average of 57.6 through nine games in Chris Mack’s second season as coach. “I have so much confidence in my teammates behind me,” senior guard Ryan McMahon told reporters. “I can trust that they’re going to be doing the right responsibilities and not get burned and not leave me out on an island — I know there’s going to be a guy in my gap to my left and my right.”

• Texas Tech lost in last season’s NCAA title game but is currently struggling with three straight setbacks, the last two coming in overtime. “We’ve been in three really close one-possession games where a basket or a stop there and our record and our mood feels a lot different,” Red Raiders coach Chris Beard said. “To me, you stay the course. We could be sitting here with an 8-0 record instead of three losses but we’re still the same team. The idea is to get better each game and I think we are doing that.”

• Junior power forward Malik Williams missed the first four games of the season due to a broken right foot and he had his best outing of the season in Friday’s victory over Pitt as he had season bests of 13 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth career double-double. “Just playing hard and being in the right spot,” Williams told reporters. “My teammates found me a couple times with some good looks. I was playing my hardest and it worked good for me.” Standout junior forward Jordan Nwora has scored at least 17 points in each game and he is averaging 21.6 points for a team posting 77.1 per game.

• The Red Raiders won their five first games by an average of 27.2 points before the schedule toughened and they lost to Iowa in regulation before being dealt overtime losses by Creighton and DePaul. Freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey, who averages a team-best 17.3 points, has missed the past two games due to a left hamstring injury and is questionable at best to play against Louisville. “He’s starting to do more with his rehab but is still day-to-day,” Beard told reporters. “The first couple of days it was training room based, but now he’s moving around. When he gets to full speed, he will play. Until then, we will just continue to see how he feels every day. There is a pattern that he’s felt better each day.”

• This is the first meeting between the two clubs.

• McMahon (25) and Nwora (23) have connected for 64 percent of the Cardinals’ 75 3-point baskets.

• The Red Raiders are looking to avoid their first four-game nonconference losing streak since the 1990-91 season.