Texas Tech University Athletics
Saturday, January 5
Lubbock, Texas
1 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Kansas State
PREVIEW: Kansas State
January 04, 2019 | Men's Basketball
No. 11 Red Raiders vs. Kansas State | 1 p.m., Saturday | TV: ESPNU / RADIO: TTSN | United Supermarkets Arena
LUBBOCK, Texas – Two teams that advanced to last year's NCAA Elite Eight will meet on Saturday when No. 11 Texas Tech hosts Kansas State at 1 p.m. in a Big 12 Conference clash at a sold-out United Supermarkets Arena.
The Red Raiders (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) are coming off a 62-59 road win over West Virginia on Wednesday, while the Wildcats (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) dropped a 67-47 decision to Texas in their opener at home in Manhattan. TTU is 8-0 at home this season after going 8-1 on its home court last year in conference play, while KSU is currently 0-2 on the road coming into Lubbock. The Red Raiders made their Elite 8 run last year with tournament wins over SFA, No. 23 Florida and No. 11 Purdue, while KSU took down Creighton, Maryland-Baltimore County and Kentucky to advance to the program's 12th Elite 8.Â
"I don't look forward to coaching against Coach Weber," Beard said. "You always know it's going to be a grind-out game. They don't make mistakes or beat themselves. If you're going to score a basket against K-State you better go earn it and if you're going to make a stop you have to make a play defensively. They may be the best defensive team in college basketball and they are a team on offense that takes good shots and shares the ball. They have a lot of experience with guys that have played in meaningful games. I think this is one of the best teams in our conference that translates to being one of the best teams in college basketball."Â
SERIES HISTORY: Kansas State leads the all-time series 23-17 over Texas Tech but the Red Raiders are coming off two wins over the Wildcats last season. TTU earned a 74-58 over KSU on Jan. 6, 2018 in the first game last year in Lubbock before taking a 66-47 win in Manhattan. It was the first time since the 2006 season that the Red Raiders took two wins over KSU in the same year. The two teams met for the first on Dec. 6, 1955 with the Wildcats taking an 89-70 win and started the series with five straight victories over the Red Raiders. TTU has won five of the last seven meetings in the series entering Saturday's game.
The Red Raiders and Wildcats are scheduled to meet again at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Manhattan, Kansas.
UP NEXT: The Red Raiders will return to action at 8 p.m. on Tuesday against Oklahoma at the United Supermarkets Arena. TTU and OU split last year with the home team winning both times, including an 88-78 win by the Red Raiders on Feb. 13, 2018 in Lubbock. OU leads the all-time series 39-24. Â
PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 19.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game after going for 18 points and six rebounds in the win over West Virginia. Culver scored all of his 18 points in the second half where he finished the game shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to lead to the Red Raiders to the win over Mountaineers. A sophomore from Lubbock, Culver is on the Jerry West Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy watch lists and was a Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention Selection. He has scored in double figures in all 13 games, led the Red Raiders in scoring in 12, tops the team with 19 3-pointers and has scored over 20 points in six games. Culver recorded a career-high with 30 points against Abilene Christian on Dec. 20 where he went 12-for-13 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after the performance and followed it by going to New York and scoring 25 points against Duke. Culver, who is shooting 57.2 percent from the field and 45.2 percent on 3-pointers, comes into the matchup against KSU having scored 668 career points in 50 games as a Red Raider.
After losing five seniors off last season's NCAA Elite Eight team, Texas Tech found a way to remain a veteran team through recruiting by adding graduate transfers Matt Mooney(University of South Dakota) and Tariq Owens (St. John's) to go along with returners Norense Odiase and Brandone Francis to make up a senior class of four for the Red Raiders. Mooney scored 14 points and had three rebounds in the win over West Virginia and is averaging 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He currently leads the Big 12 with 2.08 steals per game. In Tech's last home game he recorded his fourth six-assist performance of the season after dishing out six assists to go along with eight points, four rebounds and two steals against the Vaqueros. An Illinois native, Mooney started his career at Air Force before playing two seasons at South Dakota where he led his team in scoring both years. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in seven games and leads the team with 27 steals. An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots and currently second in the Big 12 with 2.4 blocks per game (31 total). He established a new Texas Tech single-game record with eight blocks in the win over Memphis on Dec. 1 in Miami after starting his Red Raider career with six blocks against Incarnate Word in the season opener. Owens is averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game after contributing four points and four rebounds against WVU where he would be limited to 12 minutes and foul out. He was coming off scoring 10 points in the win over UTRGV for his fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and has recorded the team's first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis.
Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 103 games. He currently has 459 career rebounds after contributing three rebounds and two blocks at WVU. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 62.5 percent from the field. He had a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 13 after a 10-rebounds performance against Mississippi Valley State. Odiase scored seven points to go along with his seven rebounds against Duke after going 3-for-4 from the field. Francis has played a valuable reserve role in his senior season and is coming off scoring eight points against West Virginia and UTRGV. A Dominican Republic native, he started his career at Florida before transferring to Lubbock where he averaged 5.1 points per game with 33 3-pointers as a junior during the Elite 8 run, including a career-high 17 points in the win over West Virginia. He's currently averaging 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Red Raiders after going for eight points and four rebounds in Morgantown. Francis had a season-high 13 points in the opener against UIW and would contribute 10 points and a career-high six assists in the neutral-court win over Memphis.
Texas Tech sophomore Davide Moretti drilled a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining to give the Red Raiders a 55-54 lead at WVU. Moretti finished the game with 12 points after hitting two 3-pointers to give him 15 for the season. Moretti has started all 13 games for the Red Raiders this season after making one start in 37 games played as a freshman. A coach's son from Italy, Moretti is averaging 8.7 points and 2.4 assists per game in his second season with the program. He scored a career-high 17 points in wins over Southern Cal and Mississippi Valley State and has two games with six assists. Moretti made a career-high five 3-pointers in his 17-point performance against MVSU. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew had a career-night where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UTRGV last week. Corprew, who made his first career start in the game, was 6-for-8 from the field to match a previous career-high of 13 points that he also had against Northern Colorado. He also pulled down four offensive and six defensive rebounds for a new career-high in rebounding. Corprew was limited to two points on 1-for-6 shooting in the Big 12 opener at WVU. A transfer from South Plains College, Corprew is averaging 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 55.7 percent from the field. Kyler Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 7.1 points per game to start his freshman season. A freshman from Arlington, Edwards had a career-high three steals against UTRGV where he also had seven points in the win. He has recorded four double-digit scoring performances, including going off for a career-high 19 points against Northern Colorado where he went 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers. He is shooting 46.6 percent from the field with 11 3-pointers.
KANSAS STATE NOTES: The Wildcats come into Lubbock having won four of their last five games but after a 67-47 loss against Texas to open conference play. KSU started the season with a 7-0 record and were ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation before falling at Marquette and Tulsa to drop out of the polls. Dean Wade leads KSU with 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, but he has not played in the past four games due to an injury. Barry Brown and Makol Mawien have started all 13 games, while Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes have started 12. A senior from Florida, Brown is averaging 13.5 points per game and comes into Lubbock having scored 1,458 points and with 286 career assists. Sneed is at 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds and Stokes is producing 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 39 assists.
KSU is averaging 65.8 points per game and is shooting 42.7 percent from the field, while opponents have been limited to 58.5 points and 39.4 percent shooting. The Wildcats are currently 0-2 on the road this season and will host West Virginia next Wednesday in their next conference matchup.
COVERING THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech and WVU will be televised on ESPNU with Jay Alter and Reid Gettys calling the game. On the radio, Geoff Haxton and Chris Level will broadcast on Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock. Fans can interact with the broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
POLL NOTES: The Red Raiders, who were unranked in the preseason polls, have now been ranked in six straight polls. TTU's No. 11 ranking is the highest it has been this season and is at No. 11 for the third time this season after entering the poll for the first time at No. 20 in the fourth week of the season. The team appeared in 14 AP polls last season and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, but would enter this season unranked through three weeks. The Red Raiders finished the 2017-18 season at No. 6 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and were in its Top-10 rankings seven times during the season. The No. 6 ranking to finish the season matched a program-best set on Feb. 12, 2018 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll and on Feb. 19, 2018 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
FAN EXPERIENCE: Beginning on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena, guests attending Texas Tech Athletics home events will be able to take advantage of fan friendly pricing at the concession stands. A total of six items will be available for $3 or less. Fans will be able to purchase a hot dog (previously $5), Nacho Grande (previously $8.50) and 46oz popcorn (previously $5) for $2 each. In addition, 20oz bottled water (previously $4), 16oz soft drinks, and candy (previously $4) can be purchased for $3 per item. In addition, all guests of the legal drinking age attending Red Raider and Lady Raider games in United Supermarkets Arena will be offered the opportunity to purchase a variety of beer and wine. Points of sales will be offered at all main concession stands as well as portable stations throughout the concourse. Fans will still be able to enjoy Club Red located on the east concourse of United Supermarkets Arena. Furthermore, beer and wine will now be available for purchase at Rip Griffin Park and Jones AT&T Stadium.
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The Red Raiders (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) are coming off a 62-59 road win over West Virginia on Wednesday, while the Wildcats (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) dropped a 67-47 decision to Texas in their opener at home in Manhattan. TTU is 8-0 at home this season after going 8-1 on its home court last year in conference play, while KSU is currently 0-2 on the road coming into Lubbock. The Red Raiders made their Elite 8 run last year with tournament wins over SFA, No. 23 Florida and No. 11 Purdue, while KSU took down Creighton, Maryland-Baltimore County and Kentucky to advance to the program's 12th Elite 8.Â
"I don't look forward to coaching against Coach Weber," Beard said. "You always know it's going to be a grind-out game. They don't make mistakes or beat themselves. If you're going to score a basket against K-State you better go earn it and if you're going to make a stop you have to make a play defensively. They may be the best defensive team in college basketball and they are a team on offense that takes good shots and shares the ball. They have a lot of experience with guys that have played in meaningful games. I think this is one of the best teams in our conference that translates to being one of the best teams in college basketball."Â
SERIES HISTORY: Kansas State leads the all-time series 23-17 over Texas Tech but the Red Raiders are coming off two wins over the Wildcats last season. TTU earned a 74-58 over KSU on Jan. 6, 2018 in the first game last year in Lubbock before taking a 66-47 win in Manhattan. It was the first time since the 2006 season that the Red Raiders took two wins over KSU in the same year. The two teams met for the first on Dec. 6, 1955 with the Wildcats taking an 89-70 win and started the series with five straight victories over the Red Raiders. TTU has won five of the last seven meetings in the series entering Saturday's game.
The Red Raiders and Wildcats are scheduled to meet again at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Manhattan, Kansas.
UP NEXT: The Red Raiders will return to action at 8 p.m. on Tuesday against Oklahoma at the United Supermarkets Arena. TTU and OU split last year with the home team winning both times, including an 88-78 win by the Red Raiders on Feb. 13, 2018 in Lubbock. OU leads the all-time series 39-24. Â
PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 19.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game after going for 18 points and six rebounds in the win over West Virginia. Culver scored all of his 18 points in the second half where he finished the game shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to lead to the Red Raiders to the win over Mountaineers. A sophomore from Lubbock, Culver is on the Jerry West Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy watch lists and was a Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention Selection. He has scored in double figures in all 13 games, led the Red Raiders in scoring in 12, tops the team with 19 3-pointers and has scored over 20 points in six games. Culver recorded a career-high with 30 points against Abilene Christian on Dec. 20 where he went 12-for-13 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after the performance and followed it by going to New York and scoring 25 points against Duke. Culver, who is shooting 57.2 percent from the field and 45.2 percent on 3-pointers, comes into the matchup against KSU having scored 668 career points in 50 games as a Red Raider.
After losing five seniors off last season's NCAA Elite Eight team, Texas Tech found a way to remain a veteran team through recruiting by adding graduate transfers Matt Mooney(University of South Dakota) and Tariq Owens (St. John's) to go along with returners Norense Odiase and Brandone Francis to make up a senior class of four for the Red Raiders. Mooney scored 14 points and had three rebounds in the win over West Virginia and is averaging 10.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He currently leads the Big 12 with 2.08 steals per game. In Tech's last home game he recorded his fourth six-assist performance of the season after dishing out six assists to go along with eight points, four rebounds and two steals against the Vaqueros. An Illinois native, Mooney started his career at Air Force before playing two seasons at South Dakota where he led his team in scoring both years. He is shooting 44.4 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in seven games and leads the team with 27 steals. An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots and currently second in the Big 12 with 2.4 blocks per game (31 total). He established a new Texas Tech single-game record with eight blocks in the win over Memphis on Dec. 1 in Miami after starting his Red Raider career with six blocks against Incarnate Word in the season opener. Owens is averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game after contributing four points and four rebounds against WVU where he would be limited to 12 minutes and foul out. He was coming off scoring 10 points in the win over UTRGV for his fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and has recorded the team's first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis.
Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 103 games. He currently has 459 career rebounds after contributing three rebounds and two blocks at WVU. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 62.5 percent from the field. He had a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 13 after a 10-rebounds performance against Mississippi Valley State. Odiase scored seven points to go along with his seven rebounds against Duke after going 3-for-4 from the field. Francis has played a valuable reserve role in his senior season and is coming off scoring eight points against West Virginia and UTRGV. A Dominican Republic native, he started his career at Florida before transferring to Lubbock where he averaged 5.1 points per game with 33 3-pointers as a junior during the Elite 8 run, including a career-high 17 points in the win over West Virginia. He's currently averaging 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Red Raiders after going for eight points and four rebounds in Morgantown. Francis had a season-high 13 points in the opener against UIW and would contribute 10 points and a career-high six assists in the neutral-court win over Memphis.
Texas Tech sophomore Davide Moretti drilled a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining to give the Red Raiders a 55-54 lead at WVU. Moretti finished the game with 12 points after hitting two 3-pointers to give him 15 for the season. Moretti has started all 13 games for the Red Raiders this season after making one start in 37 games played as a freshman. A coach's son from Italy, Moretti is averaging 8.7 points and 2.4 assists per game in his second season with the program. He scored a career-high 17 points in wins over Southern Cal and Mississippi Valley State and has two games with six assists. Moretti made a career-high five 3-pointers in his 17-point performance against MVSU. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew had a career-night where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UTRGV last week. Corprew, who made his first career start in the game, was 6-for-8 from the field to match a previous career-high of 13 points that he also had against Northern Colorado. He also pulled down four offensive and six defensive rebounds for a new career-high in rebounding. Corprew was limited to two points on 1-for-6 shooting in the Big 12 opener at WVU. A transfer from South Plains College, Corprew is averaging 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 55.7 percent from the field. Kyler Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 7.1 points per game to start his freshman season. A freshman from Arlington, Edwards had a career-high three steals against UTRGV where he also had seven points in the win. He has recorded four double-digit scoring performances, including going off for a career-high 19 points against Northern Colorado where he went 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers. He is shooting 46.6 percent from the field with 11 3-pointers.
Home. #4To1
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 5, 2019
??#WreckEm | #OurTownOurTeam ?? pic.twitter.com/B1tdBjQbAa
KANSAS STATE NOTES: The Wildcats come into Lubbock having won four of their last five games but after a 67-47 loss against Texas to open conference play. KSU started the season with a 7-0 record and were ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation before falling at Marquette and Tulsa to drop out of the polls. Dean Wade leads KSU with 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, but he has not played in the past four games due to an injury. Barry Brown and Makol Mawien have started all 13 games, while Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes have started 12. A senior from Florida, Brown is averaging 13.5 points per game and comes into Lubbock having scored 1,458 points and with 286 career assists. Sneed is at 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds and Stokes is producing 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 39 assists.
KSU is averaging 65.8 points per game and is shooting 42.7 percent from the field, while opponents have been limited to 58.5 points and 39.4 percent shooting. The Wildcats are currently 0-2 on the road this season and will host West Virginia next Wednesday in their next conference matchup.
COVERING THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech and WVU will be televised on ESPNU with Jay Alter and Reid Gettys calling the game. On the radio, Geoff Haxton and Chris Level will broadcast on Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock. Fans can interact with the broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
POLL NOTES: The Red Raiders, who were unranked in the preseason polls, have now been ranked in six straight polls. TTU's No. 11 ranking is the highest it has been this season and is at No. 11 for the third time this season after entering the poll for the first time at No. 20 in the fourth week of the season. The team appeared in 14 AP polls last season and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, but would enter this season unranked through three weeks. The Red Raiders finished the 2017-18 season at No. 6 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and were in its Top-10 rankings seven times during the season. The No. 6 ranking to finish the season matched a program-best set on Feb. 12, 2018 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll and on Feb. 19, 2018 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
FAN EXPERIENCE: Beginning on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena, guests attending Texas Tech Athletics home events will be able to take advantage of fan friendly pricing at the concession stands. A total of six items will be available for $3 or less. Fans will be able to purchase a hot dog (previously $5), Nacho Grande (previously $8.50) and 46oz popcorn (previously $5) for $2 each. In addition, 20oz bottled water (previously $4), 16oz soft drinks, and candy (previously $4) can be purchased for $3 per item. In addition, all guests of the legal drinking age attending Red Raider and Lady Raider games in United Supermarkets Arena will be offered the opportunity to purchase a variety of beer and wine. Points of sales will be offered at all main concession stands as well as portable stations throughout the concourse. Fans will still be able to enjoy Club Red located on the east concourse of United Supermarkets Arena. Furthermore, beer and wine will now be available for purchase at Rip Griffin Park and Jones AT&T Stadium.
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— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) January 4, 2019
1. Duke
2. Virginia
3. Michigan
4. Houston
5. Gonzaga
6. Texas Tech
7. Tennessee
8. Nevada
9. Michigan State
10. Kentucky
Updated daily:
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Players Mentioned
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Center
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Forward
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