PREVIEW: No. 23 Red Raiders close homestand against LA Tech

Monday, November 14

Lubbock, Texas

7 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Louisiana Tech

PREVIEW: No. 23 Red Raiders close homestand against LA Tech

November 12, 2022 | Men's Basketball

TICKETS TTU GAME NOTES ESPN+TTSN - RADIO LA TECH NOTES

7 p.m., Monday | TV: ESPN+ | Lubbock, Texas

By: Wes Bloomquist

No. 23 Texas Tech is on a 23-game home winning streak going into the third game of the season where it hosts Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. on Monday at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (2-0) will close out a three-game homestand to open the season after wins over Northwestern State and Texas Southern during the first week, while the Bulldogs (1-0) earned a 78-61 home win over Mississippi College (NCAA Division II) last Monday in their opener. Texas Tech travels to Hawaii later in the week to play three games in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational beginning against No. 9 Creighton on Monday, November 21.

• Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program where he is now 29-10 overall and 20-0 at home… A 1979 Tech graduate, Adams led the Red Raiders to a 27-10 overall record and 12-6 conference mark in his first season as the head coach… He was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year
• Tech returned only one starter (Kevin Obanor) and three lettermen (Daniel Batcho, KJ Allen and Obanor) from last year's team while welcoming in five transfers (D'Maurian Williams, Fardaws Aimaq, Jaylon Tyson, De'Vion Harmon, Kerwin Walton) and five true freshmen (Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams, Elijah Fisher)
• GAME TWO: Obanor led Tech with 13 points and seven rebounds in the 78-54 win over Texas Southern on Thursday night… Obanor now has 90 games in double-figure scoring and hit 900 career rebounds in the game… He was joined in double figures by Tyson who had a career-high 13 points and Harmon who had 12 points and a team-high three assists… Tech won the game by 24 points and only trailed for 42 seconds
• GAME ONE: Batcho led Tech with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the win over Northwestern State… It was his first career start, first double-double, career-high in scoring and third career game in double-figure rebounds… Obanor and Walton had nine points each in the win, while Tyson had eight points and five rebounds
• The Red Raider starters for the first two games this season has been Obanor, Batcho, Isaacs, Tyson and Harmon… They are 2-0 as a starting unit
• Tech is coming off a season where it reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time – a new Tech record… The Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 Championship Final, 2021 Second Round and 2022 Sweet 16… Tech has an 11-4 record over the past four tournaments
• Tech started last season with a 6-0 record before a loss at Providence College in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle… It was the eighth time in program history to begin a year with six straight wins
• The Red Raiders began the 1929-30 season with a 12-0 record for the best start in program history and were 10-0 to begin the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden
• Corey Williams returned as an assistant coach for his second season at Tech while Steve Green and Al Pinkins joined the staff as assistant coaches during the offseason… Pinkins returned to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18… He was the interim head coach at Florida in the 2022 NIT… Green was at South Plains College for the past 23 seasons where he was a national champion… Adams has built a staff that also includes: Rick Cooper (chief of staff), Taylor Sinclair (director of operations), Sean Sutton (advisor), Darryl Dora (player personnel), Matt Scherbenske (director of recruiting), George Neilson (director of scouting), Darby Rich (strength & conditioning), John Bloom (assistant strength & conditioning), Luke Adams (player development), Cooper Anderson (coordinator of operations), Jamaal Scott (academics) and Briana Whitaker (executive associate)
• Tech went 18-0 at home last season, including 9-0 in Big 12 play… The team is scheduled to play 17 home games this season and is currently 2-0
• Tech's program record is 35 straight home victories… That streak started with four wins at the end of the 1993-94 season before a pair of 13-0 runs (1994-95 and 1995-96) and then five home wins to start the 1996-97 season
• The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last year… After two games, the Red Raiders are 8th in the category on Kenpom… Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020
• Tech has won 17 straight non-conference home games without a loss since an overtime defeat to Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020… The 17 straight wins come after the program had won 54 non-conference home games in a row before the loss to the Wildcats in a Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup
• Tech finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arena… Outscored opponents 79.7 to 58.8 per game with opponents shooting 39.1 percent… 16 of the 18 home wins were by double-digits with the only ones not by 10 or more being victories over Kansas (75-67, +8) and Kansas State (73-68, +5)… Tech's last home loss came on February 9, 2021 against No. 14 West Virginia
• This will be the second of five regular-season games on Monday for the Red Raiders with two coming in the Big 12 schedule... The final game of the NCAA basketball season is on Monday, April 3 in Houston, Texas
• The Red Raiders had a sell-out (15,098) for their 2022-23 season-opener against Northwestern State after they finished 11th nationally in average attendance last season with 13,973 fans per game and 251,515 total... Tech had five sell-outs last season and established a new program record by exceeding capacity at 15,300 fans in attendance against Texas… There were 12 games of 14,000+ in attendance and all 18 exceeded 12,000

ROSTER REPORT
• Kevin Obanor has started all 39 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is coming off leading the team with 13 points and seven rebounds in the win over Texas Southern… With his performance, he now has 900 career rebounds and has had 90 games where he has scored in double figures… He had nine points and four rebounds in the season opener against Northwestern State… He finished last season with double-doubles in each of the three NCAA Tournament games… Obanor, who is a fifth-year senior, started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last season… He has 1,698 points, 900 rebounds, 172 3-pointers and 35 double-doubles in his career… Obanor earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season and is on the All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention list along with the Julius Erving Award Watch List to start this year… Last season, he scored a season-high 23 points and also had 13 rebounds in the home win over Baylor before going for 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16… Obanor had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Duke to finish the season.
• Daniel Batcho recorded the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Northwestern State before having seven points and four rebounds against Texas Southern… He has started the first two games of the season after playing 33 as a reserve last season… Batcho's 12 points were a career-high after he had scored eight in games last season against Incarnate Word and Alabama State… In the season opener, he went 4-for-5 from the field, 4-for-5 at the free-throw line and matched the team-high with four assists… A Paris, France native, Batcho had a career-high 11 rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee last season at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic… He would go off for four blocked shots, six points and three rebounds against West Virginia for his best Big 12 game.
• Jaylon Tyson scored a career-high 13 points in the win over Texas Southern where he was 6-for-11 from the field after he had eight points and had five rebounds in his Texas Tech debut against Northwestern State… Tyson has started both games this season… He transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raiders… Against Northwestern State, Tyson made his first collegiate start and was 3-for-4 from the field, including going 2-for-3 on 3-pointers… His 3-poitner on Tech's second possession of the season-opener was the first basket this season for the Red Raiders… He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with career-high 11 points coming against Houston Christian… A Plano, Texas native, Tyson was an all-state performer and state champion at John Paul II… His younger brother is a freshman on the University of Colorado football team.
• De'Vion Harmon went off for 12 points, three assists and two steals in the win over Texas Southern after beginning his Tech career with seven points and four assists against Northwestern State… Harmon transferred from Oregon where he played last season after two years at Oklahoma… Harmon, a Denton, Texas native who was a Class 6A All-State performer at Guyer HS, has played in 93 games in his college career where he has 947 points, 193 assists and 110 steals… Harmon averaged 10.8 points per game and had 71 assists last season for the Ducks after averaging 12.9 points per game for the Sooners as a sophomore… Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanford… His career-high 23 points came in his first game as a freshman at Oklahoma against UTSA on November 5, 2019 and then again as a sophomore for the Sooners against Oklahoma State on February 27, 2021.
• Kerwin Walton has played a key reserve role for the Red Raiders in the first two games, including playing the most minutes in the Texas Southern game he logged 24 minutes… Walton led the Tech bench with nine points and four rebounds against Northwestern State and had five points against TSU… He played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summer… He has made 82 3-pointers through 62 games in his career with a career-high five 3-pointers made in a game against Louisville in his freshman season… Walton is 82-for-209 (39.2 percent) from beyond the arc, including making a UNC freshman 3-point percentage record with 58 3-pointers where he started 20 games during his first season in Chapel Hill… Walton, a Hopkins, Minnesota native, averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman for the Tar Heels with a career-high 19 points coming in that game against Louisville… He experienced the Final Four last season as a member of UNC which finished as the national runner-up.
• KJ Allen contributed four points and four rebounds in the win over Texas Southern after he had two points in 11 minutes against Northwestern State in the opener… He played in 19 games as a reserve last season for the Red Raiders with a season-high six points coming in games against Kansas State and Omaha… A Los Angeles, California native, Allen added a season-best eight rebounds in the conference game against Kansas State… He finished his first season in Lubbock by going 16-for-30 from the field… Allen was featured on the Netflix documentary Last Chance U while playing at East Los Angeles College where he averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
• D'Maurian Williams scored six points in 13 minutes of play in his Texas Tech debut against Northwestern State and followed it with five points against Texas Southern… Williams now has 742 points, 132 assists, 58 steals and 220 rebounds through 59 games in his career… He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasons… An Arizona native, Williams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut)… He averaged in double-figures both seasons at Gardner-Webb, going for 10.8 points per game as a freshman before averaging 14.5 points per game last season as a sophomore… He had a career-high 27 points against Columbia International last season and made six 3-pointers against Western Colorado.
• Fardaws Aimaq is an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and is also on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List for the top center in college basketball. A transfer from Utah Valley, Aimaq has recorded 1,056 points, 918 rebounds, 99 blocked shots and 41 double-doubles in his career… His 41 double-doubles are the fifth most for an active player in the nation… He earned the 2020-21 WAC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore after leading the nation with 15.0 rebounds to go along with 13.9 points per game and is coming off a junior season where he went for 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game… He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasons… During his career, he's averaged 11.1 rebounds per game which is the third best career mark nationally… Aimaq will be sidelined with a foot injury to begin the season with no official timetable for his return.
• Five freshmen made their debuts during the opening week with Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams and Elijah Fisher each making an impact… Isaacs has been in the starting lineup to begin the season, contributing six points and two assists in both games… He is currently 3-for-7 from beyond the arc to begin the season… Isaacs, a Las Vegas native, averaged 23 points as a senior at Coronado High School where he was named the Southern Nevada Offensive Player of the Year. Along with his prep career, he won a Gold Medal playing with the USA Basketball U16 team… Fisher is averaging 6.0 points per game after scoring a career-high seven against Texas Southern after having five points in the season opener… A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior season… Fisher was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked No. 15 by ESPN for the 2023 class. He reclassified to play this season and enrolled at Tech a year early… Jennings had six points in 10 minutes against Northwestern State before having three rebounds and two points against Texas Southern… He was 2-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line for the Red Raiders… A Desoto, Texas native, Jennings averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds last season while playing for the Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes (home school)… He also played at Desoto HS before finishing at home… Washington scored four points against Texas Southern after he had four assists (matched team-high) and three points in the opener against Northwestern State... Washington was the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year while playing at Jefferson High School as a junior before playing at Compass Prep in Arizona last season as a senior... He produced 2,135 points, 705 rebounds and 823 assists during his high school career… CJ Williams was a four-time all-state performer at Fayetteville HS… He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams.

THE BULLDOGS
• Louisiana Tech is led by head coach Talvin Hester who was a Texas Tech assistant last season during Mark Adams' first year
• LA Tech is a C-USA program from Ruston, Louisiana
• Karl Malone played at LA Tech from 1982-85 before his NBA career with the Utah Jazz that led to a 2010 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame
• Hester helped lead the Red Raiders to the 2022 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in his only season in Lubbock
• Hester's staff also includes former Texas Tech staff members Darshawn McClellan who is now an assistant coach and Brooke Reed (Director of Operations)
• The Bulldogs were 24-10 last season, including going 12-6 in C-USA action… Their season ended with an 82-73 loss in the C-USA Tournament Championship game to UAB… Head coach Eric Konkol took over the head job at Tulsa following the season
• LA Tech opened its season with a 78-61 win over Mississippi College (Division II) last Monday in Ruston
• Keaston Willis led the Bulldogs with 20 points in a game where he was 4-for-10 on 3-pointers… Willis is from Sulphur Springs and began his career at Incarnate Word… He averaged 12.1 points last season for the Bulldogs and earned All-Southland Second Team honors
• Four Bulldogs scored in double figures in their opener with Cobe Williams leading the reserves with 16 points and freshman Jordan Crawford adding 15 points on a 6-for-9 shooting performance… Isaiah Crawford had 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the starting lineup
• LA Tech will travel to play at Louisiana on Thursday in Lafayette, Louisiana after playing in Lubbock

THE SERIES
• Texas Tech leads the series 7-2, including the past two games
• The Red Raiders earned an 86-31 win on December 5, 2007 in the last matchup… Martin Zeno led Tech with 16 points in the xxx – point win
• The series began in 1939 with Texas Tech traveling to play a pair of games in Ruston, Louisiana… The Red Raiders won the first game 44-23 on December 20, 1939 and then edged out a 30-28 win the next day
• Texas Tech is 3-1 against the Bulldogs in Lubbock with a loss coming on December 7, 2005 at the USA
• This will be the second November matchup in the series with the teams also playing on November 27, 1981 – an 89-75 win by the Red Raiders

RANKINGS
• Tech entered the season at No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll
• Tech has now earned a preseason ranking three times in program history
• The Red Raiders opened the 2019-20 season at No. 13 after reaching the Final Four for their highest preseason ranking and were No. 14 to begin the 2020-21 season
• Tech was unranked to begin last season before entering the polls at No. 25 following an overtime win over Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic
• It took Tech five weeks before it earned the ranking last season but remained ranked for the rest of the season
• Tech was as high as No. 9 during February and finished the season at No. 14
• Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)… The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final

OFF AND RUNNING
• Tech has now won 23 straight season openers and is 71-27 in the first game of a season all-time
• This year was the 25th straight season Tech opened its season at home
• Tech's last loss to begin a season came against Indiana on November 19, 1999… That game was the first-ever in the USA which was then known as United Spirit Arena… The game featured Andy Ellis scoring a career-high 30 points in front of 15,050 fans for a sellout
• Tech lost its first-ever season opener with a 37-25 loss to Daniel Baker on January 25, 1926

DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech started the season with a 28-8 scoring advantage over Northwestern State and 42-30 against Texas Southern in the paint… The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage. Game-by-game points from the paint are listed below.
TTU 54 - UNF 20; TTU 30 - GRM 16; TTU 38 – PVAMU 20; TTU 40 – UIW 24; TTU 54 – UNO 10; TTU 26 – LMR 20; TTU 30 – PC 22; TTU 28 – TENN 26; TTU 40 – ARK ST. 12; TTU 26 – GONZ 16; TTU 40 – EWU 4; TTU 36 – ALB ST. 8; TTU 28 – ISU 6; TTU 44 – KU 18; TTU 36 – BU 22; TTU 30 – OSU 20; TTU 30 – ISU 26; TTU 30 – WVU 16; TTU 46 – KU 40; TTU 44 – MISS ST. 16; TTU 30 – UT 24; TTU 34 – WVU 10; TTU 30 – OU 18; TTU 38 – TCU 20; TTU 28 – BU 22; TTU 26 – UT 10; TTU 34 – OU 16; TTU 40 - TCU 30; TTU 36 – KSU 10; TTU 22 – OSU 26; TTU 42 - ISU 14; OU 26 - TTU 22; TTU 36 – KU 30; TTU 38 – MSU 16; TTU 24 – ND 10; TTU 42-Duke 36.

MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONAL
• Tech has made the trip to Hawaii three times in program history, but will be playing in the Maui for the first time
• The Red Raiders played in the Rainbow Classic (Honolulu) in 1977 and 1982 and the Pearl Harbor Shootout (Laie, Hawaii) in the 1998-99 season
• Tech is currently 2-7 in games played in the state of Hawaii
• The Red Raiders will open the tournament against No. 9 Creighton… Tech and the Bluejays played each other in the 2019 Las Vegas Classic with Creighton taking an 83-76 overtime win at the Orleans Arena… Creighton owns a 3-1 all-time advantage in the series
• The tournament will be played on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Tech returning to Texas on Thursday afternoon

BACK IN THE LONE STAR STATE
• Tech will return from Hawaii for another three-game homestand, beginning against Georgetown on Wednesday, November 30 in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle
• Tech is 0-2 all-time against the Hoyas with matchups in 1986 and 1996… Georgetown will make the trip to Lubbock for the first time

Red Raiders in NBA / G-League
Adonis Arms: Grand Rapids Gold
Jarrett Culver: Two-Way (Atlanta Hawks/College Park Skyhawks)
Mac McClung: Delaware Blue Coats
Norense Odiase: Greensboro Swarm
Jahmi'us Ramsey: Oklahoma City Blue
Davion Warren: College Park Skyhawks
Bryson Williams: Ontario Clippers