Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech takes on Missouri on Thursday
March 12, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2009
Lubbock, TX - The No.11 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-18, 3-13) take on the third seed Missouri Tigers (25-6, 12-4) on Thursday night at 8:30 PM on ESPN2 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
ESPN Full Court and ESPN360 will also provide coverage of the game. Ron Franklin will call the play-by-play. Fran Fraschilla will provide the game analysis.
Mark Finkner will call Thursday night's action against the Tigers along with analyst Corky Oglesby on the Texas Tech Sports Network local station Sports Radio 1340 and on KQBR-FM, 99.5.
The Red Raiders and the Tigers are meeting for 17th time since the series began on December 5, 1955. Missouri leads the series 9-8. The Red Raiders have a 6-1 lead in Lubbock. Missouri has a 6-2 margin in Columbia and a 2-0 lead on neutral courts. Missouri topped Texas Tech in Columbia on January 24, 97-86.
Third seed Missouri is 25-6 for the season and they were 12-4 in Big 12 play. The Tigers have two players averaging double figures for the season. DeMarre Carroll leads his team with 17.1 points per game. Leo Lyons follows with 14.4 points per game.
Sophomore John Roberson leads the No. 11 seed Red Raiders with 14.1 points and 6.4 assists per game. Alan Voskuil is averaging in 14.1 points per game. Mike Singletary is averaging 12.1 points off the bench. Nick Okorie is adding 11.3 points per game and has scored 150 points in his last nine games.
The Red Raiders advanced to the quarterfinal round by coming from 21-points down against Texas A&M in the second half on Wednesday night to earn the 88-83 win. Tech's comeback margin is the largest in Big 12 championship play surpassing Texas' 20-point rebound two years ago.
Tech sophomore Mike Singletary came off the bench to register a career high 43 points. Mike had eight points in the first half and 35 points in the second half. He scored 29 consecutive points with no other teammate scoring.
The NCAA has confirmed that Mike's consecutive point total is second only to the 54 consecutive points scored by Temple's Bill Mlkvy against Wilkes on March 3, 1951. With a win over the Tigers on Thursday evening, the Red Raiders would play No. 2 seed Oklahoma or No. 7 seed Oklahoma State at 8:30 PM on Friday.
Four Red Raiders have earned post-season conference honors. John Roberson and Alan Voskuil were each named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention squad. Esmir Rizvic was selected to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. Mike Singletary was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team.
