Texas Tech University Athletics
Men's Basketball Plays Host to UT Martin
December 08, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech men's basketball team continues a run of three consecutive Wednesday home games versus UT Martin at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Tip time is on-tap for 8 p.m. CT following the women's contest against Idaho. The game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus in addition to the FOX Sports Go app. Robert Giovannetti, John Harris and Courtney Davis 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.
Texas Tech (5-1) has notched four straight wins with two of its last three decisions coming by 10-plus points most recently a 71-56 victory over Sam Houston State on Dec. 2. The Red Raiders also hold the top spot among Big 12 teams and a No. 5 ranking in the latest NCAA RPI which was released Tuesday.
Wednesday's meeting marks the first between the two schools on the hardwood. Tech is in the process of wrapping up its week-long final exams.
"Usually, it's a stressful time during this time of year because players are involved in exams," Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith said. "You're also going through a part of the season where you're preparing for league play. Watching the other teams in our conference and seeing how they're playing can put a little stress on you during the holidays. We've had some good practices leading into this upcoming game against a very hard-nosed and well-coached UT Martin team. Through it all, our guys have been extremely focused. I'm proud of how they've conducted themselves, and we're hoping to great news in the next couple of days about them reaching our team academic goals."
Fans can purchase tickets to Wednesday's game for as low as $10 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.
Texas Tech Athletics invite fans to arrive early and take advantage of free holiday photos with Raider Red located on the USA concourse. Fans also can sit in Sections 116-122 and enjoy the women's game with the purchase of a men's ticket.
About Texas Tech
Texas Tech had garnered a balanced scoring attack with all five starters averaging over nine points per game and seven players overall posting more than 5.5 points per game. The Red Raiders have had four players turn in double digits during each game of their current four-game winning streak.
Devaugntah Williams has racked up double figures in six consecutive games to open the season and his 18.2 points per game are fourth among the Big 12 leaders. He also has provided 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Williams is the Big 12's top free throw shooter at 92.0 percent.
Zach Smith has come away with 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Both his rebound and block marks rank eighth in the Big 12. He has reached double figures in three of his last four games and connected on 56.4 percent from the floor. Smith hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with four assists and three blocks during the Sam Houston State game.
"Zach is the perfect example and the epitome of being an unselfish player," Smith said. "He does a lot of the intangible things, the things that don't show up in the box score. Zach is willing to help on screens and is always in the right place on defense. He is making good decisions with and without the ball. Zach knows when to screen on the ball, when to pick-and-pop, when to pick-and-roll and when to make the extra pass. He typifies what we're looking for from all of players in regards to how hard he plays."
Smith is joined on the interior by Norense Odiase's 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Odiase has tossed in a career-high tying 16 points in back-to-back games versus Hawaii and Sam Houston State. He has knocked down 13 of his 20 field goal attempts over his last two outings.
Like Smith, Keenan Evans has reached double figures in three of his last four games as Tech's starting point guard. He has compiled 9.2 points and 2.2 assists per game.
Toddrick Gotcher has worked his way to a balanced 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He has poured in 10-plus points in four of six games and equaled his career-best with eight rebounds against Sam Houston State.
Justin Gray, Aaron Ross and Devon Thomas have anchored the Tech bench with over double digit minutes per game. Ross has upped his averages to 7.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over his last three outings. He has pulled down at least five rebounds in five of six appearances. Gray and Thomas have dialed up 5.8 and 3.8 points per game, respectively.
About UT Martin
The Skyhawks are making their maiden voyage to the Lone Star State and have split their last four games following a 0-4 start. Last time out, UTM was handed a 74-70 defeat at Missouri-Kansas City.
Twymond Howard has amassed a team-leading 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The senior forward has reached double figures in four of six outings and is coming off a season-high 22 points versus UMKC.
Alex Anderson has chipped in 12.1 points and 1.9 assists per game with 25 of his 33 field goals coming from three-point territory. He has a pair of 20-point efforts on the season highlighted by a 26-point performance against Florida International.
Myles Turner and Richard Lee have secured 9.5 and 7.6 points per game, respectively. Both players are shooting over 50 percent for the season. Lee piled up a career-high 21 points during the UMKC game.
"UT Martin is a team who likes to spread the floor," Smith said. "We have a size advantage so it creates defensive mismatches for us, but it also creates some matchup problems for them. Our job is to make sure our players understand that you have to execute and recognize the situations both offensively and defensively. We have to get back in transition defense because their guys are extremely fast. If you get caught in a mismatch situation, you have to make sure you contain. For example, there may be times where Norense Odiase is guarding one of their shooting guards like Alex Anderson who is one of their best players. We may have one of our guards stuck on Twymond Howard who is a very talented scorer. We try to teach the fundamentals that our defense will take care of any problems that may arise. Offensively, we need to get the ball inside. Our inside people need to realize if they're doubled to kick the ball back outside. We've worked hard in practice to try and simulate UT Martin's style of defense."
Up Next
The Red Raiders conclude a stretch of three straight Wednesday contests versus South Dakota State at the United Supermarkets Arena. Tip time is set for 7 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.
