Texas Tech University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Homestand with Hawaii on Saturday
November 27, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Aaron Ross has provided a spark off the bench with 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Nov. 27, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech men's basketball team begins a stretch of eight consecutive home games versus Hawaii Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena.
Tipoff is on-tap for 3 p.m. CT., and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus in addition to the FOX Sports Go app. Robert Giovannetti and John Harris will serve as the announcing team.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship stations 93.7 FM, 104.3 FM and 950 AM in Lubbock with Brian Hanni and Chris Level on the call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the Texas Tech Sports Network radio affiliates, online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
The Red Raiders defeated Mississippi State and Minnesota on back-to-back days to conclude the Puerto Rico Tipoff. It marked the first time since 2009-10 that Tech has collected consecutive nonconference victories against fellow Power 5 opponents.
"I thought we played as a team and shared the basketball," Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith said. "Our guys are starting to believe in each other and are starting to trust one another. Individual players are starting to step up as well. Zach (Smith) is getting better and is improving each day. Keenan (Evans) is directing the team the right way and is making shots. They are maturing and growing up. I'm happy to see Aaron (Ross) playing as well as he's playing after coming off two knee surgeries. He's kept a great attitude. There are individual things each player has improved on, and we'll need to have everyone on-board against a talented Hawaii team."
Saturday's contest marks the first time that Texas Tech (3-1) and Hawaii (4-0) will meet all the hardwood. Smith split his first two meetings with UH while at Tulsa during the 1992-93 season.
Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday's game for as low as $5 online at www.TexasTech.com, in person at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff or via the phone at (806) 742-8324.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have turned in a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging more than 7.0 points per game. Last time out, Texas Tech had five players pile up double figures during an 81-68 win over Minnesota.
Devaugntah Williams has ripped off a team-leading 18.8 points per game coupled with 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 18.8 points are good enough for third place in the Big 12 rankings. He has provided double figures in Tech's opening four games highlighted by a pair of 20-plus efforts. Williams notched 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists during the Minnesota game.
Zach Smith has secured 10.5 points to go along with a team-high 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He is coming off consecutive games in double figures for the first time in his career and racked up a career-best 15 points against Minnesota. Smith has buried 59.3 percent of his field goal attempts which ranks seventh on the Big 12 leaderboard.
Toddrick Gotcher has strung together three straight double figure performances en route to 10.3 points per game. He collected all 11 of his points during the second half sparked by a trio of three-pointers versus Minnesota. Gotcher pumped in a season's best 12 points and dished out five assists during the Utah game.
Keenan Evans has averaged 9.3 points and 2.3 assists per game as Tech's starting point guard. He tallied 13 points against Mississippi State followed by a 12-point and five-assist effort versus Minnesota. It marked the second time that Evans has registered consecutive games in double figures.
Norense Odiase has chipped in 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. He managed nine points against Utah and hauled down a career-high tying 10 rebounds versus Mississippi State.
Aaron Ross, Devon Thomas and Justin Gray have served as Tech's top three options off the bench. Ross has totaled 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He nearly recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds during the Minnesota game. Thomas has dialed up 4.5 points and 1.3 assists per game whereas Gray pumped in 4.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
About Hawaii
Hawaii's high-octane offense has come away with 84.0 points per game with 31 of its 120 field goals have come from beyond the three-point line. The 4-0 start is the program's best start since 2010-11.
Aaron Valdes (17.0 PPG), Stefan Jankovic (13.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG) and Roddrick Bobbitt (13.5 PPG, 7.8 APG) are the team's top three scorers in addition to pacing the team in rebounds and assists. Bobbitt and Valdes have reached double figures in each of Hawaii's four games.
"Hawaii is undefeated and playing well," Smith said. "They have talented players, a lot of offensive weapons and are scoring a lot of points. I like the way they play, they can really execute. We'll have to get back in transition defense because they can push it up on the court. They can go inside and outside. We will have our work cut out for us even though we're playing with a ton of confidence."
Up Next
The Red Raiders continue their eight-game homestand with the first of three consecutive Wednesday games versus Sam Houston State. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus along with the FOX Sports Go app.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB and @TexasTechMBB on Twitter.
