Texas Tech University Athletics
Tuesday, February 13
United Supermarkets Arena
6:00 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
No. 23 Oklahoma
Red Raider Preview: No. 23 Oklahoma
February 13, 2018 | Men's Basketball
The Red Raiders 9-3 start in the program’s best in Big 12 play
LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 7 Texas Tech men's basketball team make a brief stop at home and faces off with No. 23 Oklahoma on Tuesday at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Tip time is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPN along with the ESPN app. Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla will serve as the announcing team.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship station Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton and Chris Level will have the radio call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the Texas Tech Sports Network radio affiliates, online at www.TexasTech.com and the Tune-In Radio app. Fans can interact live with Tuesday's broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
Texas Tech (21-4, 9-3 Big 12) heads into Tuesday's action in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings and are one game ahead of 13-time regular season champion Kansas. The Sooners (16-8, 6-6 Big 12) are in a fourth-place tie with Kansas State on the Big 12 leaderboard.
The Red Raiders are ranked No. 7 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and check in at No. 6 in this week's USA Today/Coaches Top 25. The program has spent five weeks among the nation's Top 10 this season which is a program record.
Tuesday marks Texas Tech's fifth ranked vs. ranked matchup on the season. The Red Raiders have posted a 3-1 mark which include wins over then No. 22 Baylor (Dec. 29), No. 10 Kansas (Jan. 2) and No. 2 West Virginia (Jan. 13). The lone setback was a 75-65 decision at then No. 9 Oklahoma (Jan. 9).
Texas Tech has tucked away victories in 21 of its first 25 games for the third time in program history. This year's team joins the 1953-54 team which also started 21-4 under Polk Robison. The program's best start was a 24-1 record in 1995-96 under James Dickey when the Red Raiders made the NCAA Sweet 16.
Oklahoma has dropped three straight and five of its last seven games. The Sooners have dialed up wins over then No. 5 Kansas (85-80) and Baylor (98-96) during that stretch. OU has already collected six wins over Top 25 opponents this season which includes a 90-89 road decision at then No. 10 TCU on Dec. 30.
The two programs have split the regular season in each of the last two seasons with all four wins coming by the home team. Texas Tech has garnered wins in eight of its last nine home games against Top 25 opponents with five of the eight victories coming by three points or less. Overall, Oklahoma possesses a 39-23 series advantage.
"We have a lot of respect for Oklahoma's program," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "It starts with Coach Kruger, somebody who has won wherever he has ever been. He's basically built a national level program at Oklahoma. They went to the Final Four a couple of years ago and are right back in the mix. They have a talented roster. Obviously, Trae Young gets a lot of credit which he deserves, but they also have other really good players on their roster. They beat us convincingly in our first game in Norman. There are a lot of things that we need to do better to have a chance to compete in this game tomorrow night. That's our intention, to play well."
Tickets to Tuesday's game are sold out. Doors open to the USA at 4:30 p.m. CT.
Fans are reminded that the S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex which is located at 3901 10th Street off of Texas Tech Parkway is the lone free parking lot for all fans which includes ADA parking for all men's basketball games.
A free shuttle service begins 90 minutes prior to tipoff and runs up to 60 minutes following the game to transport fans to and from the United Supermarkets Arena. Buses also are ADA accessible. There is no longer free parking available in the West Lot across from the United Supermarkets Arena.
Traffic patterns around the United Supermarkets Arena have changed for the 2017-18 season. All patrons with North Lot passes must enter their lot from the Main and Flint intersection. All fans with South Lot passes must enter their lot from the 18th and Flint intersection. All West Lot pass holders must enter their lot at the Texas Tech Parkway and Knoxville Avenue intersection. All vehicles will be blocked from Indiana Avenue off of the Texas Tech Parkway.
Fans are reminded to go clear at all Texas Tech basketball games. The clear bag policy provides a safer atmosphere and speeds up the entry process into the United Supermarkets Arena.
ABOUT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders have pieced together a six-game winning streak most notably the last three outings which have come by a total of 49 points over TCU, Iowa State and Kansas State.
Texas Tech's defense continues to be a staple of the program's success and held the opposition to 58.7 points per game in its last three games. The Red Raiders have amassed a trio of Top 10 marks which include scoring defense (62.0 – 5th), defensive field goal percentage (39.0 – 7th) and scoring margin (+14.2 – T-8th).
Keenan Evans has tallied 18.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. All three marks are ranked inside the Big 12's Top 10 highlighted by the points which are second in the Big 12 rankings. He is a Bob Cousy Award finalist and Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List member. Evans has reached double figures in 23 of 25 games and scored 27 of his 34 points during the second half last week.
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have been strong contributors to starting lineup in the last seven games. The freshman pair have managed 11.0 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Culver and Smith have claimed 31 games in double figures between them.
Smith stuffed the stats sheet with 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over his two games last week. He was an efficient 11-of-15 from the floor and poured in a career-high 21 points coupled with a career-best tying eight rebounds during the Iowa State game.
Culver has pumped in 15.3 points per game in his last three games and has notched two of his three games of 20-plus points over his last six appearances. He has secured double figures in three straight games for the second time this season.
The Texas Tech bench has racked up a Big 12 best with 800 points for a 32.0 points per game average. The Red Raiders have corralled a 315-181 edge over its 12 games in league action.
The bench crew is sparked by Niem Stevenson (6.6 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (5.8), Brandone Francis (5.7 PPG) and Davide Moretti (3.8 PPG).
Hamilton IV rattled off a season-best 14 points aided by a quartet of three-pointers at Kansas State last time out. He also garnered nine points and nine rebounds during the first meeting at Oklahoma. Hamilton IV has closed within 49 points away from 1,000 for his career.
Norense Odiase is the team's top rebounder with 5.0 rebounds per game, while Justin Gray has totaled 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Gray is the only player to start all 25 games and recorded 5.7 points per game in his last three outings.
"I think Justin is having a great season," Beard said. "Basically, what he is doing is exactly what we have asked of him. He's a senior, and he's concerned with one thing: winning. That's very evident in the way he's been playing. Basically, he's playing out of position for portions of the game. With Zach Smith being out, we've asked Justin to play a lot of forward and power-forward. Justin is more of a swing man or big guard. He's one of our better passers. He leads our team in assist screens. He is willing to guard different people. He has come up with some high-level offensive rebounds. He has had some offensive moments. When the team needs scoring, he's stepped up. I think he's having one of the most unselfish seasons of anybody I've ever coached. He's always ready when his number's called."
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
The explosive Sooners have posted a Big 12-leading 88.8 points per game overall and worked their way to Big 12-best 84.3 points per game in their first 12 conference games.
Like Evans, Trae Young is a Top 10 finalist for the Bob Cousy Award in addition to being named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list. Young has notched a nation's best 29.5 points and 9.4 assists per game. No player has finished the season leading the nation in both categories. He has put together 12 double-doubles, 21 20-plus point games, nine 30-plus point efforts and four 40-plus point performances. The son of former Texas Tech guard Rayford Young piled up 44 points versus Baylor on Jan. 30 and produced a career-high 48 points at Oklahoma State on Jan. 20.
Christian James has tacked on 11.9 points per game and reached double figures 16 times. He registered a season's best 22 points and nine rebounds at Iowa State last time out. James also came away with 15 points on 5-of-10 from the floor during the first meeting against Texas Tech.
Brady Manek has added 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He has produced 10-plus points in seven of his last nine outings. Manek has compiled four games over 20 points. The James-Manek-Young trio has combined to knock down 192 of the team's 243 three-pointers on the season. Manek has hit on a team-leading 41.5 percent of his treys.
Khadeem Lattin has been a force for Oklahoma on the interior. He has chipped in 7.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Lattin filled the box score with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks versus Texas Tech earlier this season. He has claimed a trio of double-doubles, most recently 15 points and 12 rebounds against Baylor on Jan. 30.
Oklahoma's top options off the bench are Kameron McGusty and Jamuni McNeace who has garnered 7.0 and 5.8 points per game, respectively. McNeace has upped his marks to 9.3 points per game over his last three games and poured in a season-high 16 points at Texas on Feb. 3.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech goes back on the road for consecutive outings starting with Baylor on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT from the Ferrell Center. The game will be televised by ESPNU and the ESPN 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 by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
Tip time is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPN along with the ESPN app. Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla will serve as the announcing team.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship station Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton and Chris Level will have the radio call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the Texas Tech Sports Network radio affiliates, online at www.TexasTech.com and the Tune-In Radio app. Fans can interact live with Tuesday's broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
Texas Tech (21-4, 9-3 Big 12) heads into Tuesday's action in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings and are one game ahead of 13-time regular season champion Kansas. The Sooners (16-8, 6-6 Big 12) are in a fourth-place tie with Kansas State on the Big 12 leaderboard.
The Red Raiders are ranked No. 7 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and check in at No. 6 in this week's USA Today/Coaches Top 25. The program has spent five weeks among the nation's Top 10 this season which is a program record.
Tuesday marks Texas Tech's fifth ranked vs. ranked matchup on the season. The Red Raiders have posted a 3-1 mark which include wins over then No. 22 Baylor (Dec. 29), No. 10 Kansas (Jan. 2) and No. 2 West Virginia (Jan. 13). The lone setback was a 75-65 decision at then No. 9 Oklahoma (Jan. 9).
Texas Tech has tucked away victories in 21 of its first 25 games for the third time in program history. This year's team joins the 1953-54 team which also started 21-4 under Polk Robison. The program's best start was a 24-1 record in 1995-96 under James Dickey when the Red Raiders made the NCAA Sweet 16.
Oklahoma has dropped three straight and five of its last seven games. The Sooners have dialed up wins over then No. 5 Kansas (85-80) and Baylor (98-96) during that stretch. OU has already collected six wins over Top 25 opponents this season which includes a 90-89 road decision at then No. 10 TCU on Dec. 30.
The two programs have split the regular season in each of the last two seasons with all four wins coming by the home team. Texas Tech has garnered wins in eight of its last nine home games against Top 25 opponents with five of the eight victories coming by three points or less. Overall, Oklahoma possesses a 39-23 series advantage.
"We have a lot of respect for Oklahoma's program," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "It starts with Coach Kruger, somebody who has won wherever he has ever been. He's basically built a national level program at Oklahoma. They went to the Final Four a couple of years ago and are right back in the mix. They have a talented roster. Obviously, Trae Young gets a lot of credit which he deserves, but they also have other really good players on their roster. They beat us convincingly in our first game in Norman. There are a lot of things that we need to do better to have a chance to compete in this game tomorrow night. That's our intention, to play well."
Tickets to Tuesday's game are sold out. Doors open to the USA at 4:30 p.m. CT.
Fans are reminded that the S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex which is located at 3901 10th Street off of Texas Tech Parkway is the lone free parking lot for all fans which includes ADA parking for all men's basketball games.
A free shuttle service begins 90 minutes prior to tipoff and runs up to 60 minutes following the game to transport fans to and from the United Supermarkets Arena. Buses also are ADA accessible. There is no longer free parking available in the West Lot across from the United Supermarkets Arena.
Traffic patterns around the United Supermarkets Arena have changed for the 2017-18 season. All patrons with North Lot passes must enter their lot from the Main and Flint intersection. All fans with South Lot passes must enter their lot from the 18th and Flint intersection. All West Lot pass holders must enter their lot at the Texas Tech Parkway and Knoxville Avenue intersection. All vehicles will be blocked from Indiana Avenue off of the Texas Tech Parkway.
Fans are reminded to go clear at all Texas Tech basketball games. The clear bag policy provides a safer atmosphere and speeds up the entry process into the United Supermarkets Arena.
ABOUT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders have pieced together a six-game winning streak most notably the last three outings which have come by a total of 49 points over TCU, Iowa State and Kansas State.
Texas Tech's defense continues to be a staple of the program's success and held the opposition to 58.7 points per game in its last three games. The Red Raiders have amassed a trio of Top 10 marks which include scoring defense (62.0 – 5th), defensive field goal percentage (39.0 – 7th) and scoring margin (+14.2 – T-8th).
Keenan Evans has tallied 18.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. All three marks are ranked inside the Big 12's Top 10 highlighted by the points which are second in the Big 12 rankings. He is a Bob Cousy Award finalist and Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List member. Evans has reached double figures in 23 of 25 games and scored 27 of his 34 points during the second half last week.
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have been strong contributors to starting lineup in the last seven games. The freshman pair have managed 11.0 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. Culver and Smith have claimed 31 games in double figures between them.
Smith stuffed the stats sheet with 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over his two games last week. He was an efficient 11-of-15 from the floor and poured in a career-high 21 points coupled with a career-best tying eight rebounds during the Iowa State game.
Culver has pumped in 15.3 points per game in his last three games and has notched two of his three games of 20-plus points over his last six appearances. He has secured double figures in three straight games for the second time this season.
The Texas Tech bench has racked up a Big 12 best with 800 points for a 32.0 points per game average. The Red Raiders have corralled a 315-181 edge over its 12 games in league action.
The bench crew is sparked by Niem Stevenson (6.6 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (5.8), Brandone Francis (5.7 PPG) and Davide Moretti (3.8 PPG).
Hamilton IV rattled off a season-best 14 points aided by a quartet of three-pointers at Kansas State last time out. He also garnered nine points and nine rebounds during the first meeting at Oklahoma. Hamilton IV has closed within 49 points away from 1,000 for his career.
Norense Odiase is the team's top rebounder with 5.0 rebounds per game, while Justin Gray has totaled 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Gray is the only player to start all 25 games and recorded 5.7 points per game in his last three outings.
"I think Justin is having a great season," Beard said. "Basically, what he is doing is exactly what we have asked of him. He's a senior, and he's concerned with one thing: winning. That's very evident in the way he's been playing. Basically, he's playing out of position for portions of the game. With Zach Smith being out, we've asked Justin to play a lot of forward and power-forward. Justin is more of a swing man or big guard. He's one of our better passers. He leads our team in assist screens. He is willing to guard different people. He has come up with some high-level offensive rebounds. He has had some offensive moments. When the team needs scoring, he's stepped up. I think he's having one of the most unselfish seasons of anybody I've ever coached. He's always ready when his number's called."
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
The explosive Sooners have posted a Big 12-leading 88.8 points per game overall and worked their way to Big 12-best 84.3 points per game in their first 12 conference games.
Like Evans, Trae Young is a Top 10 finalist for the Bob Cousy Award in addition to being named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list. Young has notched a nation's best 29.5 points and 9.4 assists per game. No player has finished the season leading the nation in both categories. He has put together 12 double-doubles, 21 20-plus point games, nine 30-plus point efforts and four 40-plus point performances. The son of former Texas Tech guard Rayford Young piled up 44 points versus Baylor on Jan. 30 and produced a career-high 48 points at Oklahoma State on Jan. 20.
Christian James has tacked on 11.9 points per game and reached double figures 16 times. He registered a season's best 22 points and nine rebounds at Iowa State last time out. James also came away with 15 points on 5-of-10 from the floor during the first meeting against Texas Tech.
Brady Manek has added 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He has produced 10-plus points in seven of his last nine outings. Manek has compiled four games over 20 points. The James-Manek-Young trio has combined to knock down 192 of the team's 243 three-pointers on the season. Manek has hit on a team-leading 41.5 percent of his treys.
Khadeem Lattin has been a force for Oklahoma on the interior. He has chipped in 7.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Lattin filled the box score with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks versus Texas Tech earlier this season. He has claimed a trio of double-doubles, most recently 15 points and 12 rebounds against Baylor on Jan. 30.
Oklahoma's top options off the bench are Kameron McGusty and Jamuni McNeace who has garnered 7.0 and 5.8 points per game, respectively. McNeace has upped his marks to 9.3 points per game over his last three games and poured in a season-high 16 points at Texas on Feb. 3.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech goes back on the road for consecutive outings starting with Baylor on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT from the Ferrell Center. The game will be televised by ESPNU and the ESPN 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 by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
Players Mentioned
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Center
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Forward
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Guard
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