Texas Tech University Athletics
Men's Basketball Looks to Regroup at Kansas State
January 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2016
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- After dropping back-to-back games to Top 15 opponents, the Texas Tech men's basketball team will look to return to the win column Tuesday at Kansas State.
Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Kansas City along with www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app for those viewers outside the FOX Sports Kansas City viewing area. Ben Boyle and Stan Weber will serve as the announcing team.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship stations 97.3 FM, 100.7 FM and 950 AM in Lubbock. Brian Hanni and Chris Level will have the call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the radio affiliates of the Texas Tech Sports Network, online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
The Red Raiders (11-3, 1-2 Big 12) continue to receive votes in both Top 25 polls for the third consecutive week. Last time out, Texas Tech was tied with top-ranked Kansas with 10 minutes remaining in the contest before the Jayhawks pulled away late for a 69-59 win.
"We did a good job defensively in the first half of the Kansas game," Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith said. "We held them to their lowest scoring output this year, but good teams find ways to win. We had some major defensive breakdowns the last four to five minutes late in the game that cost us. But for the most part, I liked the way we were defending."
Kansas State (10-5, 0-3 Big 12) has dropped its opening three Big 12 decisions by a combined 17 points. The Wildcats took Big 12 co-leader West Virginia to double overtime before losing road games at Texas and No. 2 Oklahoma.
Saturday's game marks the 35th meeting in the all-time series which Kansas State holds a 23-11 edge. The Wildcats have won 10 of the last 11 meetings and six straight matchups at Bramlage Coliseum dating back to the 2008-09 season.
Texas Tech picked up a 64-47 win over Kansas State last season behind Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams who combined for 25 of the team's 30 points during the second half. The Red Raiders closed out the 17-point win on the strength of a 19-3 over the final 5:11 of the contest.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have pieced together a balanced scoring unit with all five starters averaging over 7.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Norense Odiase has rattled off four straight games in double figures for the first time in his career and connected on 57.5 percent from the field during the streak. He collected all 14 points and buried all seven of his shots against Kansas in the second half.
Zach Smith has dialed up 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He ranks inside the Big 12's Top 10 in rebounds and blocks per game. Smith has recorded 12 of his team-leading 20 blocks over his last seven appearances. He also has tallied double digits in five of his last seven outings.
"Zach and Norense are shooting the best percentage," Smith said. "Those are the people we need to get the ball to. That's a big concern because we didn't do it enough against Kansas, as far as getting the ball inside. It cost us, but Zach is a real presence on both ends of the court especially on the defensive end."
In the backcourt, Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams have knocked down 38 of the team's 69 three-pointers. Gotcher has upped his scoring mark from 11.8 to 13.7 points per game on the strength of 10-plus points in eight of his last nine games. His 2.1 triples per game are fifth whereas his 40.8 clip from beyond the arc is 10th in the Big 12 rankings.
Williams has produced a team-leading 14.0 points per game which are 11th on the Big 12 leaderboard. He has totaled nine 20-plus point performances which is 9th among Big 12 active players and worked his way to 22 points in Tech's win over Kansas State last season.
Keenan Evans has anchored the point guard spot with 7.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He has distributed 27 assists against 11 turnovers during his last eight games.
Justin Gray and Aaron Ross have been consistent factors off the Tech bench. The duo has combined for 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Gray has ripped off double figures in consecutive Big 12 games for the first time in his career, while Ross has hit 16-of-26 of his shots in his last eight games.
Devon Thomas and Matthew Temple have also logged significant court time for the Red Raiders. Thomas equaled a career-best with three assists, and Temple sank his first career three-pointer during the Kansas game.
About Kansas State
The Wildcats have relied heavily on their bench play over the last five games and are posting 28 points per game on 51.0 percent shooting over the five-game span.
Kansas State has amassed 45.4 percent of its points in the pain for the season. The Wildcats have piled up at least 30 paint points in 11 of their 15 games.
K-State has been sparked by Barry Brown, the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. The freshman has erupted 18.0 points per game in conference play and has paced the Wildcats in scoring during four of the last five games. Brown is coming off a 19-point and 8-rebound effort at No. 2 Oklahoma.
Wesley Iwundu has racked up a team-leading 12.7 points per game followed by Justin Edwards' 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Iwundu has registered 10-plus points a team-leading 11 times highlighted by nine of his last 12 outings, while Edwards ranks either first or second in 11 statistical categories for the Wildcats.
Dean Wade has secured 10.9 points coupled with a team-leading 6.0 rebounds per game. He's the only freshman to be ranked among the Big 12's Top 15 in rebounds.
"They have a young team but are pretty deep as well as being athletic and long," Smith said. "Bruce Weber's teams are always aggressive defensively and in transition offense. They are averaging seven or eight steals a game. They are really dominating the boards, and that is something we have struggled with the last couple of games. They are not shooting that well from the outside, although they make some three's against Oklahoma in their last outing. This is a team that can beat you in many ways especially at home. If you're not patient offensively, they are going to force you into turnovers. We've got to a good job taking care of the ball and getting up great shots, as well as limiting them to one shot."
Up Next
The Red Raiders return home Saturday to face their third ranked opponent over their last four games as No. 22 Baylor visits United Supermarkets Arena. Tipoff is on-tap for 2 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest in addition to being available on the FOX Sports Go app.
Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday's game online at www.TexasTech.com for as low as $15. Tickets also are available for purchase on gameday starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB and @TexasTechMBB on Twitter.
