Red Raider Men's Basketball Hosts UTEP Tuesday Night
December 04, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2000
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Texas Tech hosts UTEP at the United Spirit Arena Tue., Dec. 5. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game is an ESPN Regional, but is scheduled to only be televised back to El Paso.
The Records
Texas Tech is 3-1 on the season after posting a narrow 54-51 win over Stephen F. Austin last Saturday night. The UTEP game is the third in a three-game homestand.
UTEP is 3-0 on the season with wins at Washington (73-61) and New Mexico State (92-82) and a home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (110-60).
The Series
Texas Tech leads the series 29-11, dating back to the first meeting during the 1931 season.
The Red Raiders snapped a four-game losing streak to the Miners last season with a 75-74 last second win in El Paso. Rayford Young pulled up in the lane with four seconds remaining and buried a jumper to seal the win.
Texas Tech holds a 17-2 advantage in Lubbock, while leading 12-9 in El Paso. Tech also has the longest win streak in the series at 10 games from 1931-38.
The Coaches
Texas Tech head coach James Dickey is in his 10th season at the helm of the Red Raider program. He is 160-106 during that span and has led Texas Tech to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT appearance.
Miner head coach Jason Rabedeaux is in his second season at UTEP. He is 16-15 all-time as a collegiate head coach.
A Look at UTEP
You can bet the Miners remember last season's last-second loss to the Red Raiders at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso. Rayford Young pulled up in the lane to seal the Red Raiders' 75-74 win with four seconds remaining on the clock.
Young led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting. He also buried five threes. Mario Layne and Brodney Kennard added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Red Raiders.
Brandon Wolfram led UTEP with 21 points, followed by William Smith (16) and Roy Smallwood (12), the 1999-00 WAC Freshman of the Year.
Indiana Classic Up Next
The Red Raiders travel to the Indiana Classic in Bloomington, Ind., this weekend. Texas Tech faces 2000 NCAA Tournament participant Ball State in the first round Dec. 8 and meets either Indiana or Western Michigan in the championship/consolation game Dec. 9.
Noting the Win Over SFA
- The Red Raiders shot a season-low 30.8 percent on the night, including a dismal 23.8 percent in the second half.
- Tech struggled to put two players in double-digits as Ronald Hobbs and Jamal Brown scored 10 points each to lead the Red Raiders.
- After leading 30-17 at the break, the Red Raiders struggled to maintain its 13-point lead. SFA closed the gap to one point in the final minute, before a pair of Jamal Brown free throws helped seal the win for Tech.
- Andy Ellis set a career high with three blocks against the Lumberjacks.
Tech vs. WAC
The Red Raiders are 217-131 all-time against current members of the Western Athletic Conference. Tech posted most of its wins over Rice, SMU and TCU when the schools were members of the Southwest Conference. Tulsa is the only team to hold an advantage over the Red Raiders. Tulsa is 3-2 against Tech.
Leading the Red Raiders
Junior center Andy Ellis leads the team with 17 points per game and is second on the team with 5.8 boards per contest. Senior forward Cliff Owens is second at 10 points per game and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game.
Junior college transfer Jamal Brown is averaging 8.0 assists per game to lead Tech and the Big 12 and adds 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard Jayson Mitchell also is shipping in 9.8 points per game, while sophomore guard Ronald Hobbs added 8.8 points. Freshman guard Andre Emmett leads the team off of the bench with 8.5 points per game.
Tech Scoring From the Foul Line
Texas Tech has made the most of its trips to the foul line. The Red Raiders are shooting 74.4 percent from the stripe and are averaging 17 points per game from the foul line.
Balanced Attack
Aside from Andy Ellis' team-leading 17 points per game, five Red Raiders are within 1.5 points of each other in scoring. Cliff Owens is averaging 10 points per game, while Jamal Brown and Jayson Mitchell are scoring 9.8 points each. Ronald Hobbs and Andre Emmett are chipping in 8.8 and 8.5 points, respectively.
Emmett Providing Spark Off Bench
Freshman guard Andre Emmett has quickly moved himself into the team's sixth man position. Emmett is averaging 8.5 points per game off of the bench. His average is 2.7 points per game lower than the entire bench production of 11.2 points per game a year ago.
Bench Production
Texas Tech is receiving an added boost this season from the bench. Tech's nonstarters are averaging 20 points per game - 26.6 percent of the team total. Last season, bench scoring averaged 11.2 points per game.
Ellis Named to Preseason Teams
Texas Tech junior center Andy Ellis has been tabbed by three college basketball publications as a preseason All-Big 12 selection.
Ellis is listed as a second-team All-Big 12 selection by The Sporting News and Athlon Sports. Street and Smith's has Ellis listed as an All-Big 12 selection along with Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State), Kimani Ffriend (Nebraska), Drew Gooden (Kansas) and Bernard King (Texas A&M).
Ellis, who injured his hand last month, averaged 16.9 points per game and 8.9 rebounds during the 1999-00 season before dislocating his left shoulder against Nebraska in the 14th game of the season that forced him to sit out the remainder of the year.
As a team, the Red Raiders are picked to finish 10th by Street and Smith's, 11th by Athlon Sports and eighth by The Sporting News in the Big 12.
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.
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)
Texas Tech vs. the Big 12
The Red Raiders open the Big 12 season at home Jan. 6 against Kansas. Texas Tech is 201-218 all-time against members of the Big 12 Conference.