Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Look To Rebound In Norman Against Sooners
January 17, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Jaye Crockett and Terran Petteway look to lead Texas Tech past Oklahoma in Norman on Tuesday.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Jan. 17, 2012
Tech Notes | Oklahoma Notes | Live Stats | ESPN3.com
THE OPENING TIP
• Texas Tech will look to rebound from a 67-54 set back to Texas A&M in College Station last Saturday.
• Oklahoma knocked off Kansas State, 82-73 in Norman on Saturday for its first Big 12 win of the season.
• Today's game is on the Big 12 Network. Dave Armstrong (Play-by-Play) and Bryndon Manzer (Analyst) are on the call.
• Texas Tech will try and snap a four-game conference losing streak. It is the third time in the Big 12 Era the Red Raiders have started conference play 0-4. They also began 0-4 in 1999-00 and 2010-11.
• Tech's Billy Gillispie and OU's Lon Kruger are both in their first season at their respective schools. They faced each other once previously - at the 2009 NIT - when Gillispie's Kentucky defeated Kruger's UNLV, 70-60, in Lexington, Ky.
TEXAS TECH-OKLAHOMA SERIES
• This is the 49th meeting between the Sooners and the Red Raiders. The two first met on Dec. 77, 1944, at the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City. OU leads the all-time series 30-18. The Sooners hold the series advantage in Norman, 19-5.
• Texas Tech has won three of the last four meetings with the Sooners. The two teams split last year, with the home team prevailing in each meeting.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
• Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger has led five different schools to 20-win seasons and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Sooners are led by four players averaging double figures - Steven Pledger (17.3), Andrew Fitzgerald (13.1), Calvin Newell (13.0) and Romero Osby (11.3).
FROM THE START
Last time out against Texas A&M, the starting lineup was DeShon Minnis, 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.
CROCKETT STEPS UP IN LEAGUE PLAY
Texas Tech's Jaye Crockett has elevated his play since Big 12 Conference play began on Jan. 4. In the four league games this season, Crockett has scored in double figures three times and notched nine points in the other outing. He is coming off a career-best 19-point effort at Texas A&M. His 19 points eclipses his previous best effort of 14 points against North Texas on Nov. 16, 2010. Crockett now has 10 career double-digit scoring efforts, with six coming this season. He is averaging 7.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season and 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in Big 12 games.
TOLBERT LEADS BIG 12 FRESHMEN
Jordan Tolbert leads all Big 12 freshmen this season in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounds (6.3 rpg) and field goal percentage (59.6 pct). He ranks 44th nationally in field goal percentage. Overall, Tolbert ranks 10th in the league in scoring and eighth in rebounding He 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 was named the Big 12 Conference player of the Week for the Week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1, after averaging 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 78.9 percent from the field.
WILLIS' STREAK CONTINUES
Javarez "Bean" Willis is one of three returning players from last year's squad who has started all 16 games this season. He is currently on a streak of 25 consecutive free throws, including 8-of-8 against Southeastern Louisiana, and has converted 32 of 37 from the charity strip this season. His 86.5 percent from the line is second the squad to teammate Ty Nurse. Willis is third in scoring (8.7), leads in assists (33) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.328). 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 16 games this season, while distributing four assists or more four times.
PLAYING 10 AGAINST TEXAS A&M
For the 11th time this season, the Red Raiders saw 10 players enter the lineup. On two occasions, 11 players saw action in a game and three times nine players played. Seven of 10 players scored against the Aggies, including career best for Jaye Crockett (19) and Clark Lammert (10).
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 15 games this season. Nurse is second on the team in scoring at 9.3 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 seventh nationally in free thrown shooting.
STRUGGLING FROM THE FIELD
After ranking as high as eighth in the nation in field goal percentage, the Red Raiders have been mired in a shooting slump. Texas Tech has failed to shoot 40 percent in each of the last four games - 39.6% (at OSU), 39.6% (Baylor), 31.4% (Kansas) and 33.3% (at Texas A&M). The slump has dropped the Red Raiders to 64th in the nation in field goal percentage (46.5 percent)., but did you know that Texas Tech ranks 341st in shot attempts (47.8 attempts per game)? The Red Raiders are making on average 22.2 field goals per game, which ranks 281st 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 16 games, as the Red Raiders have hit on 46.5 percent of its shots from the field. The Red Raiders are 64th 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 five 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 Oklahoma, it will be his 111th career game and possibly his 64th career start. The 6-10 native of Kansas needs just three 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 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. He has scored eight or more points in eight of the team's 16 games 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 111 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.
3-POINT STREAK EXTENDS TO 31 STRAIGHT
Texas Tech extended its streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 31 against Texas A&M after hitting on 4 of 11 from 3-point range. The streak was in jeopardy against Kansas until 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) on 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 eight games, the 5-9 walk-on has averaged 4.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 95 total minutes of play.
UP AND DOWN FROM THREE
During the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Red Raiders were streaky from 3-point range. But as conference has began, Texas Tech has settled into a groove minus the apparition against Kansas. 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), 9.1% (Kansas) and 36.4% (Texas A&M). For the season, the Red Raiders are 70 of 191 from beyond the arc (36.6 percent). Ty Nurse leads the way, hitting on 22 of 59 attempts (37.3 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 64th nationally in field goal percentage (46.5), 84th in 3-point percentage (36.6), 79th in field goal percentage defense (40.5), 139th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (33.2) and 82nd in free throw percentage (71.5). Jordan Tolbert ranks 44th in field goal percentage (59.5). Ty Nurse ranks seventh 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 253 of 354 from the line (71.5 percent).
FROM THE FIELD
Texas Tech has out-shot its opponent from the field in 12 of 16 games this season. In the last outing, Texas Tech was a mere 33.3 percent from the field (14-42), giving way to Texas A&M's 47.8 percent (22-46). The Red Raiders have been out-shot by DePaul (42.3/46.6), Baylor (39.6/48.9), Kansas (31.4/50.9) and Texas A&M (33.3/47.8).
REBOUNDING ON THE ROAD
Texas Tech has out-rebounding its two Big 12 opponents on the road this season - Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. In Stillwater, the Red Raiders out-boarded the Cowboys, 38-27 (+11). In College Station, Texas Tech pulled down 36 rebounds to Texas A&M's 28 (+8).
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.
