Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Men's Basketball Opens Regular Season Wednesday Night
November 21, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2000
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Tech Opens 2000-01 Campaign
Texas Tech opens the 2000-01 regular season with Prairie View A&M Wed., Nov. 22. The Panthers opened the season with a 79-63 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday night.
Following Wednesday night's game, the Red Raiders travel to Louisiana-Lafayette for a 2 p.m. matchup Sat., Nov. 25.
The Prairie View A&M Game
Texas Tech holds a 4-0 advantage in the series with the Panthers, dating back to the 1994 season. All four game have been played in Lubbock.
Red Raider head coach James Dickey has been the head coach for Tech in each of the four games.
Panther head coach Elwood Plummer is in his 16th season and is 0-4 against Tech.
Red Raiders vs. PVAM
Seven current Red Raiders have played against Prairie View A&M. Senior Johnny Phillips is the only Tech player to have played in more than one game. Here are their stats:
Last Year vs. Prairie View A&M
Andy Ellis grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and scored 25 points as Texas Tech handed the Panthers a 82-62 loss in Lubbock.
Mario Layne led Tech with 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting, while James Ware contributed 15 points. Point guard Rayford Young, Tech's leading scorer, managed only six points while struggling with the flu.
Tech shot 50 percent from the field, and held PVAM to 36 percent. Gregory Burks and Sadit Montgomery led the Panthers with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Tech vs. the SWAC
The Red Raiders are 5-0 all-time against the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The only two teams from the league Texas Tech has faced are Alcorn State and Prairie View A&M. Tech holds a 1-0 margin over ASU and a 4-0 mark against the Panthers.
Tech in Season Openers
The Red Raiders are 49-26 in season openers in the 75-year history of the program. Indiana handed Tech a 68-60 loss in the lidlifter last season.
Texas Tech in Home Openers
Texas Tech has opened 75 seasons in Lubbock, since the program's beginning in 1925. Over that span, the Red Raiders hold a 53-22 (.707) advantage over the opposition in home openers. Indiana handed Texas Tech a 68-60 loss at the United Spirit Arena in the opener last season.
Tech Record in November
Texas Tech is 39-16 (.709) all-time in the month of November.
Raiders Complete Preseason
Texas Tech won both tuneups in preparation for the 2000-01 season. The Red Raiders knocked off the California All-Stars (77-60) Mon., Nov. 13, and Athletes First (109-76) Thu., Nov. 16. The wins marked the 18th and 19th exhibition wins for Dickey.
Owens, Ellis Impressive
Senior forward Cliff Owens and junior center Andy Ellis played well in their first action since surgery and injury sidelined the two for much of last season.
Owens, who missed the 1999-00 season after undergoing ankle surgery in the preseason, averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In the opener against the California All-Stars, Owens led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double. He scored 14, but managed only two boards against Athletes First. In the two games, Owens knocked down 15-of-23 shots from the field.
Ellis, who missed the final 14 games of last season with a dislocated shoulder, hit for 18 in the opener and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Ellis had 17 points and eight rebounds against Athletes First. Ellis went 15-of-30 from the floor in the two games.
Bench Production on the Rise
The Texas Tech bench averaged 34.5 points per game in the two exhibitions. Andre Emmett led the Red Raiders in the opener with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including three threes. Marcus Shropshire came off the bench against Athletes First and scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point territory.
Freshmen Posting Big Games
Andre Emmett hit for 13 points in his first collegiate action against the California All-Stars. Against Athletes First, Marcus Shropshire came off the bench to contribute 12 points, while Emmett and Brannon Hayes added eight and six points, respectively.
On the rebounding end, Mikey Marshall grabbed seven against the All-Stars, while Emmett had eight against Athletes First.
Slow Down
The Red Raider offense is getting quite a workout on the fast break. Junior college transfer Jamal Brown is running the point for Tech and is usually waiting at the other end of the floor for his teammates. In addition to his speed, Brown also has an explosive scoring ability. After scoring six points against the California All-Stars, he knocked down 6-of-12 shots from the field, including two threes, and hit 8-of-8 from the foul line to lead all scorers with 22 points against Athletes First.
Jamal is Generous, Too
Jamal Brown dished out nine assists against the All-Stars, but showed he could score and share the wealth against Athletes First. To go along with his 22 points, Brown handed out 10 assists to his teammates.
Preseason Double-Double Count
Three Red Raiders posted double-doubles in the two preseason exhibition games:
- Jamal Brown (22 points, 10 assists -- Athletes First)
- Andy Ellis (18 points, 13 rebounds -- CA All-Stars)
- Cliff Owens (19 points, 11 rebounds -- CA All-Stars)
Running Away
The Red Raiders used two significant runs to put away their opponents in the first two games. Tech opened the game against the California All-Stars with a 27-5 run to close the first half. The Red Raiders led 49-26 at the break, and managed to hold on in the second half to secure the 77-60 win.
Against Athletes First, Texas Tech went on a 28-10 run with 6:41 remaining in the game to seal the win. Tech led by 17 at the half, but never put the opponent away until late.
Six New Players Ready for Taste
Six players return from the 1999-00 season with six more set to make debuts as Red Raiders this season. Senior forward Cliff Owens also makes his return after sitting out last season while recovering from ankle surgery.
Five freshmen will get their first taste of Division I basketball. Brannon Hayes (Port Arthur, Texas), Andre Emmett (Dallas, Texas), Rodney Bass (Baltimore, Md.), Mikey Marshall (Tulia, Texas) and Marcus Shropshire (Grand Prairie, Texas) begin their careers. Junior college transfer Jamal Brown (Dallas, Texas) also makes his debut as the Red Raiders' starting point guard.
