Men's Basketball Hosts Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday

Dec. 3, 1999

Texas Tech vs. UL-LAFAYETTE

Saturday, December 4, 1999 ? 2 p.m. ? United Spirit Arena (15,050)

TELEVISION: None
RADIO: The All Sports Radio Network will air Wednesday night?s game, beginning at 6:35 p.m. (CT). The network carries 10 affiliates across West Texas, including flagship station KKAM 1340 in Lubbock. Broadcasting veteran Jack Dale (play-by-play), in his 47th season, calls the action from courtside.

TEXAS TECH HOSTS RAGIN? CAJUNS

Texas Tech hosts its second-straight home game for the first time this season when Louisiana-Lafayette comes to town for a 2 p.m. (CT) tip-off Sat., Dec. 4, at the United Spirit Arena.

HAPPY TRAILS

The Red Raiders play their next two games on the road following the ULL game. Tech travels to Nacogdoches on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip against Stephen F. Austin and faces New Mexico State at 8:05 p.m. in Las Cruces Fri., Dec. 17.

ONLY TWO MORE CHANCES TO SEE TECH AT HOME...

...during this millennium! After the Louisiana-Lafayette game, the Red Raiders will host Southwest Texas State (Dec. 21) and Oral Roberts (Dec. 29) for the final home games of the millennium.

TEXAS TECH RECORD

Texas Tech is currently 3-1 on the season. The Red Raiders opened the season with a 68-60 loss at home against Indiana, but rebounded with wins at Texas A&M-CC (96-83) and UTEP (75-74). Tech knocked off North Texas 100-70 Wednesday night. The two road wins already matches last season?s total road win count.

HEAD COACH JAMES DICKEY

Texas Tech Head Coach James Dickey is in his ninth season as the Red Raider mentor with a 148-90 overall record. Dickey has guided the Red Raiders to two NCAA Tournaments, including 1996?s Sweet Sixteen appearance. Tech also has made a trip to the NIT under Dickey. He is third all-time at the University with 148 wins, trailing Gerald Myers (326 wins / 1971-91) and Polk Robison (254 wins / 1942-46, 47-61). The Red Raiders won the SWC regular-season title in 1995 and tied for the honor the following season. He became only the second coach in Texas Tech history to take a team through an undefeated conference season, when the Red Raiders finished 14-0 in the SWC in 1996. He also holds the distinction of the being the only coach in school history to record a 30-win season (1995-96). He is a two-time Southwest Conference Coach of the Year.

WHAT?S IN A NAME

Don?t let the name fool you. The University of Louisiana-Lafayette is the school formerly known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Tech faced off against the Reagin? Cajuns last season in Lafayette, falling 60-56 at the Cajundome.

SCOUTING LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

Louisiana-Lafayette enters the game with a 2-1 overall mark on the season, and is on a two-game winning streak. ULL opened the season with an 82-48 loss at Texas, but has bounced back with wins over East Carolina (70-64) and Denver (81-68). Lonnie Thomas leads a balanced Ragin? Cajun attack with 10.3 points per game, while Orlando Butler adds 10 points per night. Shea Whiting and Reggie DeGray each contribute 9.7 and 9.0 points per game, respectively. Thomas also leads team on the boards with 7.0 caroms per game, while Brett Smith adds 6.7 boards. The Ragin? Cajuns are averaging 66.3 points per game, but are yielding 71.3 points to the opposition. ULL opponents also are winning the battle of the boards by 7.3 rebounds per game.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE HEAD COACH JESSIE EVANS

Jessie Evans is in his third season in Lafayette and has a 33-30 record during that span. Evans is a 1972 graduate of Eastern Michigan.

TEXAS TECH VS. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE: HEAD-TO-HEAD

Louisiana-Lafayette leads the series 2-1. The Cajuns won the initial game (65-58) back on Dec. 8, 1986 in Lafayette. The home team has won in each of the three meetings.

TECH VS. UL-LAFAYETTE

Dec. 8, 1986    Away   L   58-65Nov. 30, 1987   Home   W   87-76Nov. 28, 1998   Away   L   56-60

TEXAS TECH 14-11 VERSUS THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE

Texas Tech has faced eight of the nine current members of the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Raiders? most wins (5) have come against Louisiana Tech. The lone member Tech has never faced is Florida International.

Arkansas-Little Rock   2-0Arkansas State         1-3Denver                 0-3Louisiana Tech         5-1Louisiana-Lafayette    1-2New Orleans            1-1South Alabama          1-1Western Kentucky       3-0TOTALS                14-11 (.560)

TECH VS. 1999-00 LONE STAR OPPONENTS

Texas Tech has posted an overall 205-149 (.579) mark against teams on this season?s schedule from the state of Texas. The Red Raiders hold all-time winning marks against Baylor (61-36), North Texas (9-5), Prairie View A&M (3-0), Texas-El Paso (29-11), Texas A&M-CC (1-0) and Texas A&M (52-46). Tech trails Stephen F. Austin (5-1) and Texas (51-50). Texas A&M-CC and Southwest Texas are first-time opponents.

PACK?EM IN

Texas Tech?s sellout crowd of 15,050 last Friday night against Indiana at the inaugural game in the United Spirit Arena marked the largest home crowd in school history to witness a Red Raider basketball game.

NOTING THE NORTH TEXAS GAME

? Junior forward Jayson Mitchell poured in a career-high 25 points and hit 9-of-13 shots from the field, including a school-record tying seven three-pointers.

? Senior forward Mario Layne also had a career night, posting a personal-best 16 points.

? Senior forward Brodney Kennard led the Red Raiders in rebounds for the third time this season with 10 ... he also dished out a career-high seven assists to lead Tech.

? The Red Raiders scored a 100 points for the first time this season and shot over 50 percent for the third-consecutive game.

? Tech?s 13 three-pointers tied for third all-time at the school.

? The Red Raiders out-rebounded their first opponents of the season, 41-34 against North Texas.

MITCHELL BLOWS UP AGAINST THE EAGLES

Jayson Mitchell had the hot hand against North Texas and made the Eagles pay. Mitchell launched nine threes, connecting on seven, en route to a career-high 25 points. His seven threes tied the school record for single-game three-point baskets. Mitchell?s previous career high was 13 points at TCU last season. Mitchell is currently fifth on the team with 11.5 points per game and is hitting 53.3 percent of his shots from the field. He also has a 58.3 percent success rate from the arc.

SUPER MARIO ALSO FOUND A NICHE AGAINST NORTH TEXAS

Mario Layne pumped in a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Eagles. He also dished out five assists, tying his career high. Layne has started in each of Tech?s four games and is third on the team with 12.0 points per game. He is hitting 48.6 percent of his shots from the field and averages 4.2 rebounds per game.

YOUNG CLIMBS BACK INTO THE POLE POSITION

Senior guard Rayford Young took over as the team?s leading scorer after averaging 21.3 points per game over the last three games. Young is averaging 19.0 points per game on the season. He opened the season with a dismal 5-of-18 (.278), 12-point performance against Indiana. Since then he has connected on 23-of-48 (.479) shots from the field.

YOUNG MAKING STEADY MOVE UP CHARTS

Rayford Young could conceivably move up the scoring charts at the rate of a spot per game. Young, currently at 19th with 1,094 career points, needs 15 points for 18th, 16 points for 17th and 55 points for 16th

KING OF THE BOARDS

Senior forward Brodney Kennard has been unstoppable on the glass this season. He leads the Red Raiders with 9.0 rebounds per game and has recorded games of 11 (Indiana) and 10 (North Texas) boards. Kennard averaged 4.3 rebounds a year ago.

GET THAT OUT OF HERE

Not only is Kennard a hard-worker on the glass, he also has been a menace to opposing post players. He has seven blocks in four games and is averaging 1.8 per game. Last season, Kennard led the Red Raiders with 37 blocks. If he keeps his current pace, he will have swatted 47 shots by the end of the regular season, enough for second place on the Tech single-season blocks list.

THIRTY-SOMETHING

Sophomore center Andy Ellis became the 28th player in the Red Raiders? 399-player history to score 30 points or more in game when he hit for 30 against Indiana. It marked the 73rd time that the 30-point plateau has been broken by a Red Raider.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

More on Andy Ellis... The sophomore center?s 30-point, 10-rebound performance against the Hoosiers marked the second double-double of his young career. Ellis recorded his first double dip Feb. 13, 1999, with 12 points and 12 boards against Kansas.

RED RAIDER NOTES

? The Red Raiders have five players averaging in double figures in scoring. Young (19.0), Ellis (18.8), Layne (12.0), Ware (11.8) and Mitchell (11.5) are all averaging in double digits.

? Texas Tech is hitting 49.6 percent of its shots on the season and has posted three-consecutive games shooting over 50 percent. After opening the season with a 32.4 percent performance against Indiana, the Red Raiders have rattled off nights of 64.2 percent (TAMU-CC), 50.0 percent (UTEP) and 56.7 percent against North Texas.

? Over the last three games, Tech is shooting 56.9 percent from the field.

? Tech won the battle of boards for the first time this season against North Texas. The Red Raiders still trail opponents 41.2 to 36.8, a -4.4 rebounding margin.

THIS SEASON MARKS 75TH IN PROGRAM?S HISTORY

The 1999-2000 season is the 75th in the history of the Red Raiders men?s basketball program. The school began the program prior to the 1925-26 season. Tech?s first game was a 37-25 loss to Daniel Baker on Jan. 25, 1926. The first win was a 35-21 victory at Sul Ross State on Feb. 4 of the same season. Now in their 75th season, the Red Raiders hold an overall record of 1,082-807 (.573).

HOME SCHEDULE

The Red Raiders play host to 17 home games, including the two exhibitions. In addition to Indiana, Tech hosts North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Southwest Texas State, Oral Roberts, Prairie View A&M and Centenary in non-conference home games. In Big 12 action, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Missouri, Kansas State and Iowa State all visit the confines of the United Spirit Arena.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Red Raiders make 12 road trips this season, including eight in Big 12 Conference play. Tech faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-El Paso, Stephen F. Austin and New Mexico State in non-conference action away from home. Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Baylor, Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Colorado dot the Big 12 road slate.

TEXAS TECH VS. THE BIG 12

Texas Tech has faced the member institutions of the Big 12 on 402 occasions. Tech played its 400th game against a current Big 12 opponent with a 90-84 home win over Kansas Feb. 13, 1999. Here are Texas Tech?s series record with each of the Big 12 schools:

Baylor          61-36Colorado         4-12Iowa State       1-5Kansas           1-9Kansas State     4-8Missouri         3-3Nebraska         6-8Oklahoma        10-13Oklahoma State   6-13Texas           50-51Texas A&M       52-46TOTALS         198-204 (.493)

BACK TO 1900

Despite the rapid approach of the upcoming millennium, Texas Tech is not quite on course to play its 2,000th game in the program?s history. The Red Raiders? home game against Texas on Jan. 22 will mark the 1900th game in the 75-year history of the program.

OPPONENTS RANKED AMONG BEST

Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma State all enter the season ranked among the top 25 in the Associated Press and ESPN/UWSA Today polls. Kansas is 11th in both polls, while Texas ranks 21st and 22nd. OSU is 23rd and 25th.

PRIME TIME

Texas Tech christened the United Spirit Arena in front a live national audience on ESPN Fri., Nov. 19, when the Red Raiders host Big Ten power Indiana in the season opener for both teams. The Red Raiders also play the following games on television:

Date   Opponent          NetworkJ8     at Oklahoma St.   ESPN+J15    Texas A&M         FOXJ22    Texas             FOXJ29    Oklahoma          ESPN+F5     at Kansas         ESPN+F19    at Texas A&M      ESPN+F23    at Oklahoma       ESPN+F26    Kansas State      ESPN+M4     at Colorado       ESPN+

M*A*S*H

Texas Tech was severely bitten by the injury bug last season with on-and-off injuries to Rayford Young, Stan Bonewitz and Cliff Owens. This season, Cliff Owens is out indefinitely following ankle surgery in September. University of Houston transfer Moses Malone, Jr. suffered a stress fracture to his ankle during the preseason, but should be ready to play when he becomes eligible following the fall semester.

YOUNG TOUTED EARLY

Senior guard Rayford Young has been mentioned in several preseason publications as one of the top guard in the Big 12 Conference. He is listed beside Keyon Dooling (Missouri) and Jeff Boschee (Kansas) as one of the top three guards in the league by CNN/SI. Young led the Red Raiders in scoring last season with 16.1 points per game and was the Big 12?s top free throw shooter with a 87.7 percent success rate. He finished the 1998-99 campaign as the league?s fifth-leading scorer.

MALONE ANXIOUSLY AWAITS CHANCE

Sophomore guard/forward Moses Malone, Jr. has patiently waited for his opportunity to suit up for the Red Raiders. Malone transferred to Tech from the University of Houston at the semester break last season and has to sit the fall semester due to NCAA transfer rules. Malone could be available as early as Dec. 17, when Tech faces New Mexico State on the road.

RED RAIDERS INK THREE PLAYERS IN EARLY PERIOD

Texas Tech signed three players to national letters of intent during the early signing period -- Marcus Shropshire (Grand Prairie, Texas / South Grand Prairie H.S), Jamal Brown (Dallas, Texas / Fort Scott C.C.) and Jermichael Miller (Houston, Texas / Wheatley). Shropshire is considered the No. 1 senior guard prospect in the state and the No. 5 player overall.

WINNING IN THE 90s

Texas Tech has won 156 of 287 games (54.4 percent) played so far this decade. The winningest decade came during the 70s when the Red Raiders won 174 games. Here?s a rundown of the top five decades for wins: 1970s (174), 1990s (156), 1980s (153), 1950s (146), 1940s (143).

PROBABLE STARTERS

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

G   03   Rayford Young (5-11, Sr., Pampa, Texas)G   05   James Ware (6-5, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.)C   55   Andy Ellis (6-11, So., Lamesa, Texas)F   33   Brodney Kennard (6-8, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas)F   14   Mario Layne (6-7, Sr., St. Michael, Barbados)

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

G   31   Robert Juptier (6-3, So., Baton Rouge, La.)G   22   Blane Harmon (6-2, Jr., Rayne, La.)C   42   Brett Smith (6-9, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.)F   33   Shea Whiting (6-6, Jr., Houston, Texas)F   34   Reggie DeGray (6-5, Jr., Leesville, La.)

Texas Tech University Athletics

Men's Basketball Hosts Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday

Texas Tech vs. UL-LAFAYETTE

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