Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Travel to College Station For Last Time
January 13, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Freshman DeShon Minnis has averaged 2.8 assists over the last five games.
Jan. 13, 2012
Texas Tech Notes | Texas A&M Notes | Live Stats
THE OPENING TIP
• Texas Tech is coming off of a 81-46 loss to No. 10 Kansas at United Spirit Arena.
• Texas A&M returns home after falling to Texas, 61-51, in Austin on Wednesday.
• Today's game is on the Big 12 Network. Dave Anderson (Play-by-Play) and Reid Gettys (Analyst) are on the call.
• Texas Tech head coach Billy Gillispie will be making his first appearance in College Station as the visiting team head coach, since serving as the Texas A&M head coach from 2004-07.
TEXAS TECH-TEXAS A&M SERIES
• This is the 124th meeting between the Aggies and the Red Raiders. The two first met on Dec. 17, 1941, 10 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor with Tech prevailing in College Station, 48-36, in the first meeting. Texas Tech leads the all-time series, 62-61.
• Texas A&M holds the series advantage in College Station, 34-21.
• Since the Big 12 was formed, Texas A&M holds the edge, 17-15.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M
• Texas A&M is coached by first-year head coach Billy Kennedy, who spent the last five years at Murray State.
• The Aggies are led by Khris Middleton (13.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg) and Elston Turner (13.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg). Ray Turner adds 10.6 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds.
• Texas A&M's five starters account for 77 percent of the Aggie offense and 67 percent of the team's minutes played.
• Texas A&M has won 41 of its last 46 home games, including 16 of its last 20 in Big 12 play ... the Aggies are 54-7 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season with an 19-6 mark in conference games.
FROM THE START
Last time out against Kansas, the starting lineup was Terran Petteway, Ty Nurse, Javarez Willis, Robert Lewandowski and Jordan Tolbert. This is the second time this season this lineup has been used and one of eight different starting lineups used this season.
A STRUGGLE AT HOME
Texas Tech's loss to No. 10/10 Kansas on Wednesday ranks as the largest home loss, in terms of deficit, in program history. The Red Raiders lost by 35 points to Kansas (81-46), eclipsing the previously largest home loss set on Feb. 28, 1998, when Texas Tech fell to Oklahoma (89-56) by 33 points at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. It also eclipses the largest loss at the United Spirit Arena, which happened last year against Texas when the Red Raiders fell to the Longhorns (83-52) by 31 points. The largest loss in any game came at Kansas on March 3, 2008, when the Jayhawks toppled the Red Raiders, 109-51.
GILLISPIE RETURNS TO A&M
Texas Tech head coach Billy Gillispie is in his first year on the High Plains, but he is no stranger to the Big 12 Conference. Gillispie served as the head coach at Texas A&M from 2004-07, leading the Aggies to a 70-26 record and three postseason appearances during that span. This will mark the first time that Gillispie has coached against a former team at the collegiate level. He has also served as head coach at UTEP (2002-04) and Kentucky (2007-09).
TOLBERT 4TH AMONG BIG SIX FRESHMEN
Jordan Tolbert is just a freshman, but his play has definitely not been that of a first-year player. The 6-7 Tolbert is fourth in the nation in scoring among freshmen competing in the nation's six power conferences. Washington's Tony Wroten leads players from these leagues with 16.5 points per game, followed by St. John's D'Angelo Harrison (16.0) and Moe Harkless (15.3), while Tolbert is tied for fourth with Arkansas' B.J. Young at 14.8 an outing. Tolbert has seen his scoring average steadily climb as the season has progressed from 8.0 points per game to its current 14.1 points a game. He ranks 11th among freshmen in the six power conferences in rebounding at 6.1 boards per game. According to the Hollinger Efficiency Ratings, Tolbert ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 46th nationally in player efficiency.
WILLIS STEPS UP PLAY
Javarez "Bean" Willis is one of three returning players from last year's squad who has started all 15 games this season. Willis is third on the squad in scoring (9.3), leads in assists (33) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.339) and free throw percentage (.865). He has recorded nine or more points 10 times this season and had a season high 16 against Cal State-Bakersfield thanks in large part to a season-high four 3-pointers. Willis followed up that outing with a team-best 15 points against Southeastern Louisiana and another 11 against Oklahoma State. He has also dished out at least two assists in 10 of 14 games this season, while distributing four assists or more four times. Willis has connected on 25 straight free throws, including 8-of-8 against Southeastern Louisiana.
TOLBERT'S RACKING 20s
Jordan Tolbert leads the team in points (14.1), rebounds (6.1), field goal percentage (.611), field goal attempts (131) and makes (80) and he ranks fourth on the team in free throw percentage (.729). The 6-7 freshman is ninth in the Big 12 Conference scoring and 10th in rebounds and ranks second in field goal percentage. He is the leading freshman scorer in the league and is second in rebounding. Tolbert has scored in double figures nine times this season, including a season-high 27 twice — once at TCU on Dec. 6 and once against CSU-Bakersfield on Dec. 27. It was the most by a Tech freshman since John Roberson went for 28 against Northwestern State on Dec. 29, 2007. It is the second highest scoring mark by a Red Raider freshman in the Big 12 Era. He also netted 20 points against Indiana State at the Old Spice Classic, 22 against Grambling State and 21 against Oral Roberts. Tolbert has pulled down five rebounds in 11 of 13 games this season and had a his first double-double at Oklahoma State with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He has recorded five 20-point games as a freshman, which has only been recorded one other time in the last 20 years at Texas Tech by a freshman. He also did it four times in a row, which was last done by Jarrius Jackson in November, 2006. He ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage, and second among freshmen in the NCAA.
TOLBERT WINS WEEKLY HONOR
Texas Tech's Jordan Tolbert was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week for the week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1, in voting by a panel of media covering the Conference. Tolbert continued his strong play as the Red Raiders notched wins over Cal State Bakersfield (74-58) and Southeastern Louisiana (62-54). The freshman averaged 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the field. He was also 8-of-13 (.615) from the line, adding two assists, two blocks and three steals. He tied a career-best versus CSU-Bakersfield with 27 points, which was his fourth consecutive 20-point outing and fifth this year. Tolbert leads all Big 12 freshman in scoring (15.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.652) while ranking second in rebounding (6.1 rpg). The scoring mark is fifth in the league overall, while his shooting percentage places him second. Tolbert is the first Red Raider to win a Big 12 honor since Mike Singletary earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Jan. 31 of last year. He is the first Texas Tech player to win Rookie of the Week since David Tairu won the honor on Nov. 16, 2009.
PLAYING 11 AGAINST KANSAS
For the second time this season, the Red Raiders saw 11 players enter the lineup. On 10 occasions, 10 players saw action in a game and three times nine players played. Eight of the 11 players scored against Kansas.
NURSE ONE OF NATION'S BEST FROM LINE
Ty Nurse has the ability to be an offensive threat each time he steps on the floor. He has led the team is scoring three times this season and scored in double figures on seven occasions. Nurse had a remarkable debut, chipping in 29 points. He has scored in 12 of 14 games this season. Nurse is second on the team in scoring at 9.9 points per game, while chipping in 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He is an 91.5 percent foul shooter, connecting on 43 of 47 from the charity strip this season. He has converted 21 straight free throws for the Red Raiders. He currently ranks eighth nationally in free thrown shooting at 91.5 percent. Texas Tech is 7-5 when Nurse plays at least 22 minutes.
CROCKETT'S UTILITY ROLE
Jaye Crockett has become the key cog off the bench for the Red Raiders this season, but has also earned a pair of starts. After sitting out the opener, Crockett has averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds over the next 14 games. In three Big 12 games, the sophomore has averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. He has had five double-digit scoring games - Stephen F. Austin (13), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (12), Southeastern Louisiana (10), Oklahoma State (11) and Baylor (11) - and recorded five rebounds in seven games this season, including nine against North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeastern Louisiana. In the Corpus Christi game, Crockett led the team in points, rebounds and assists off the bench. He leads the team in blocks (11) and is second on the team in rebounding and fourth on the team in assists (1.3).
BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM
The Red Raiders rank 49th in the nation in field goal percentage (47.2 percent), but did you know that Texas Tech ranks 339th in shot attempts (48.1 attempts per game)? The Red Raiders are making on average 22.7 field goals per game, which ranks 255th out of the 345 schools in the NCAA Division I. The Red Raiders rank fourth in the Big 12 Conference in field goal percentage, 10th in shot attempts and ninth in shots made.
SHOOTING FOR AVERAGE
Texas Tech is fourth in the Big 12 Conference in field goal percentage through 15 games, as the Red Raiders have hit on 47.2 percent of its shots from the field. The Red Raiders are 49th nationally in field goal percentage this season. Tech has hit 60 percent or better in a game three times this season — Troy (61.1 percent), Stephen F. Austin (62.9 percent) and CSU-Bakersfield (60.0 percent). When Texas Tech shot 61.1 percent from the field (33 of 54) against Troy in the opener, it eclipsed the highest percentage of any game last season. The highest percentage last season was 58.8 percent (30-of-51) against Delaware State on Jan. 4. Two games later against Stephen F. Austin, the Red Raiders connected on their first six shots of the game to take a 15-5 lead. Texas Tech connected on 14 of 17 shots from the field in the first half (82.4 percent) and hit four of five 3-pointers (80 percent). The Red Raiders finished the game hitting 62.9 percent from the field. It is the best shooting performance by Tech in the last three years, eclipsing the 62.1 percent the Red Raiders shot against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 22, 2008. The Red Raiders added their third 60 percent shooting performance against Cal State-Bakersfield, as Texas Tech connected on 24 of 40 shots, including 7-of-14 from 3-point range. In all, the Red Raiders have shot better than 50 percent in five of 14 games this season. Only six teams in the nation shoot 50 percent or better from the field.
LEWANDOWSKI CLOSES IN ON 400
Senior Robert Lewandowski has been a steady stalwart for the Red Raiders for the last four years. As he enters the game against Texas A&M, it will be his 110th career game and possibly his 63rd career start. The 6-10 native of Kansas needs just four rebounds to reach 400 for his career. He also has 84 career blocks, which rank eighth all-time at Texas Tech. This season, Lewandowski is averaging 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. He has scored eight or more points in six of his last eight games and has had seven outings of five rebounds or more this season. Lewandowski also recorded his first career 3-pointer in just his third career attempt against Southeastern Louisiana. The 6-10 Lewandowski has played in 109 career games. It was 61 games between his first 3-point attempt against UTEP on Jan. 3, 2010 and his first career make against Southeastern Louisiana.
ADAMS EXTENDS 3-POINT STREAK
Texas Tech extended its streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 30, when Luke Adams hit a trey with 3:21 to play in the game. Prior to that shot, Texas Tech had been 0-of-9 from 3-point range. The last time The Red Raiders did not connect from the 3-point line was against Texas (0-11) one year ago today, Jan. 11, 2011.
LUKE STEPS UP IN A BIG WAY
Walk-on Luke Adams stepped onto the court against Grambling State not only playing in his second career game, but making his first career start. The freshman from Big Spring, Texas, who is legally deaf, connected on his first four shots of the game (all 3s) to spark a 27-2 Texas Tech run against the Tigers. He earned his second career start at Oral Roberts, chipping in with four points and four assists. In six games, the 5-9 walk-on has averaged 3.6 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 82 total minutes of play.
UP AND DOWN FROM THREE
The three seemed almost nonexistent against Kansas. Prior to the game, Texas Tech has hit 15 of 42 treys over the last three games (35.7 percent). Here is a look at how the Red Raiders have fared this season — 43% (Troy), 18.2% (North Texas), 54.5% (Stephen F. Austin), 22.2% (Indiana State), 50% (DePaul), 30% (Wake Forest), 44.4% (Texas A&M-CC), 25% (TCU), 42.1% (Grambling State), 14.3% (Oral Roberts), 50% (Bakersfield), 40% (SE Louisiana), 31.3% (OSU), 37.5% (Baylor) and 9.1% (Kansas). For the season, the Red Raiders are 66 of 180 from beyond the arc (36.7 percent). Ty Nurse leads the way, hitting on 22 of 58 attempts (37.9 percent) from 3-point range.
MEMORABLE DEBUT
Ty Nurse's 29 points against Troy is the most by a Red Raider since Mike Singletary had 33 against Iowa State on Jan. 26 last season. It is also the most points in a season opener by a Texas Tech player since Curtis Marshall had 30 against UNC-Ashville in 2004 and Andy Ellis had 30 against Indiana in 1999. It is also the most points in a newcomer debut in the Red Raider Big 12 Era.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Texas Tech ranks 49th nationally in field goal percentage (47.2), 82nd in 3-point percentage (36.7), 46th in field goal percentage defense (40.1), 111th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (33.2) and 75th in free throw percentage (71.7). Jordan Tolbert ranks 33rd in field goal percentage (61.1) 206th in scoring (14.1) and 248th in rebounding (6.1). Ty Nurse ranks eighth in free throw percentage (91.5).
FROM THE LINE
Texas Tech shot 92 percent from the free throw line (23 of 25) against North Texas. It is the highest output since connecting on 23 of 24 last season against TCU (95.8 percent). The Red Raiders connected on nine consecutive free throws over the final 3:04 to secure the victory. For the season, Texas Tech is 218 of 305 from the line (71.5 percent).
FROM THE FIELD
Texas Tech has now out-shot its opponent from the field in 12 of 14 games this season. In the last outing, Texas Tech was a mere 39.6 percent from the field (19-48), giving way to Baylor's 48.9 percent (23-47). DePaul is the other team to out-shoot the Red Raiders this season. The Blue Demons hit 46.6 percent from the field, while the Red Raiders connected on just 42.3 percent from the field. The lowest shooting performances of the season have come against Oklahoma State and Baylor with identical 19-of-48 performances (39.6 percent).
HITTING FOR 20
Since Texas Tech joined the Big 12 Conference at the beginning of the 1996-97 season, there have been 39 Red Raider players scored 20 points in a game at least once. In that group, 25 have performed the feat twice. The school's all-time leading scorer, Andre Emmett did it 55 times. In all, five of the school's top seven scorers have played in what we call the Big 12 Era. Here is a complete list of the 39 Red Raiders, who have compiled 372 20-point games at Texas Tech. Red Raider freshman Jordan Tolbert is the newest member with five 20-point games this season. He had 20 against Indiana State, added 27 against TCU, netted 22 against Grambling State, added 21 against Oral Roberts and 27 against CSU-Bakersfield. His 27 at TCU are the most by a Red Raider freshman on the road in the Big 12 Era, but John Roberson holds the freshman record with 28 against Northwestern State in 2007. Tolbert is one of 10 freshman to record a 20-point game at Texas Tech, but joins just Roberson (7) as Red Raiders who have done it at least five times. Red Raider Ty Nurse also joined the list this year, when he went for 29 points against Troy in the season opener. Tolbert and Nurse are the Red Raiders' top two scorers this season.
