Texas Tech University Athletics
Friday, November 11
United Supermarkets Arena
6:30 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Houston Baptist
Red Raider Preview: Houston Baptist
November 10, 2016 | Men's Basketball
The Red Raiders will begin the quest for back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids for the first time since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons when Chris Beard served as an assistant coach.
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech men's basketball team ramps up its 2016-17 regular season versus Houston Baptist Friday at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Tipoff is on-tap for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX College Sports along with the FOX Sports Go App. Robert Giovannetti, Chuck Heinz will serve as the announcing team with Adam Doyle as the sideline reporter.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on 100.7 FM and 950 AM in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton, the new play-by-play voice of the Red Raiders, will have the call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the Texas Tech Sports Network radio affiliates, online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
Texas Tech has won all five previous meetings with the Huskies by an average of 26 points per game. The last meeting was a 76-61 win on Nov. 8, 2013, also the season opener for both teams.
"The backbone of everything we do is competition," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "Our guys understand that it's not what you did yesterday, it's what you do in the present moment. Elite people that know how to win understand that history doesn't really matter and the future doesn't really matter, it's about the present. What you're talking about there in basketball is day-to-day competition. Things like starting lineups have to be earned. Not from game-to-game, but from producing in practice producing and doing what you're supposed to do on a day-to-day basis. We've never really had a team that had a set starting lineup. We've had teams that had the same lineup over a long time, but that's because those guys continued to earn that opportunity."
Texas Tech is playing host to "Military Night" as part of Veterans Day. Members of the Military Veterans Program, Veterans at Texas Tech, Texas Tech Army ROTC and Texas Tech Air Force ROTC will be in attendance.
The first 3,000 students will receive a "Beard Ball: A New Era Begins" t-shirts. Students are encouraged to arrive early and walk down the "Red Carpet Rollout" at the student gate. The student lounge featuring a complimentary nacho bar opens at 5 p.m. while supplies last.
Fans can buy tickets to Friday's season opener for as low as $10 online at www.TexasTech.com or in person at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
The Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office will be tagging seats in the arena that are still available for purchase as season tickets. Fans wishing to purchase season tickets can take the tag to the season ticket table setup on the West concourse.
More season tickets have already been sold for 2016-17 than all of last season. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets now to reserve the best available seats. Reserved season tickets are on-sale for as low as $199.
Fans are reminded to go clear at all Texas Tech basketball games. The new clear bag policy provides a safer atmosphere and speeds up the entry process into the United Supermarkets Arena.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders dialed up a 92-40 exhibition victory over Missouri Western State last Friday where five players secured double figures led by Anthony Livingston's 17 points. The grad transfer from Arkansas State buried 7-of-10 from the floor sparked by a trio of three-pointers.
Justin Gray and Norense Odiase chipped in 12 points apiece and amassed a combined 16 points on a combined 6-for-10 shooting clip in the second half. The duo also combined for 14 rebounds as Texas Tech possessed a 50-30 rebounding edge during the exhibition contest.
Shadell Millinghaus and Aaron Ross provided 11 and 10 points, respectively. For Ross, he made his career debut with six points and three rebounds in the last meeting with HBU.
From the point guard position, Keenan Evans tacked on nine points and four assists whereas Devon Thomas dished out three assists with four rebounds.
Zach Smith filled the box score with six points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block, while Niem Stevenson added a balanced six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
About HBU
The Huskies posted a 17-17 record, the program's most successful season since returning to the NCAA Division I level. HBU captured a postseason berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) last season.
Colter Lasher is the team's leading returning scorer with 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He reached double figures 19 times which included 12 of his last 16 outings. On the perimeter, Asa Cantwell knocked down 39.4 percent from three-point territory as a freshman.
Josh Ibarra, a 6-11 center, fueled the interior with 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He connected on 63.1 percent of his shot attempts and registered 30 blocks. The Arlington native missed HBU's last 11 games with an injury.
"Houston Baptist is a team we have a lot of respect for," Beard said. "Last year, they were having one of their best seasons until they had a pivotal injury with one of their best players. They were a postseason team. They're well-coached. Coach Cottrell has been there for a long time. He has sustained success through a transition from NAIA to the Division 1 level. They've got good players. A lot of quickness in their backcourt, they are a backcourt that can create steals. We're going to have to be very careful with our ball-handling. We're going to have to play well against a team that I have a lot of respect for."
Up Next
The Red Raiders continue their three-game homestand to start the season Tuesday versus North Texas. Tip time is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus in addition to the FOX Sports Go App.
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.
Tipoff is on-tap for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX College Sports along with the FOX Sports Go App. Robert Giovannetti, Chuck Heinz will serve as the announcing team with Adam Doyle as the sideline reporter.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on 100.7 FM and 950 AM in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton, the new play-by-play voice of the Red Raiders, will have the call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the Texas Tech Sports Network radio affiliates, online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
Texas Tech has won all five previous meetings with the Huskies by an average of 26 points per game. The last meeting was a 76-61 win on Nov. 8, 2013, also the season opener for both teams.
"The backbone of everything we do is competition," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "Our guys understand that it's not what you did yesterday, it's what you do in the present moment. Elite people that know how to win understand that history doesn't really matter and the future doesn't really matter, it's about the present. What you're talking about there in basketball is day-to-day competition. Things like starting lineups have to be earned. Not from game-to-game, but from producing in practice producing and doing what you're supposed to do on a day-to-day basis. We've never really had a team that had a set starting lineup. We've had teams that had the same lineup over a long time, but that's because those guys continued to earn that opportunity."
Texas Tech is playing host to "Military Night" as part of Veterans Day. Members of the Military Veterans Program, Veterans at Texas Tech, Texas Tech Army ROTC and Texas Tech Air Force ROTC will be in attendance.
The first 3,000 students will receive a "Beard Ball: A New Era Begins" t-shirts. Students are encouraged to arrive early and walk down the "Red Carpet Rollout" at the student gate. The student lounge featuring a complimentary nacho bar opens at 5 p.m. while supplies last.
Fans can buy tickets to Friday's season opener for as low as $10 online at www.TexasTech.com or in person at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
The Texas Tech Athletic Ticket Office will be tagging seats in the arena that are still available for purchase as season tickets. Fans wishing to purchase season tickets can take the tag to the season ticket table setup on the West concourse.
More season tickets have already been sold for 2016-17 than all of last season. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets now to reserve the best available seats. Reserved season tickets are on-sale for as low as $199.
Fans are reminded to go clear at all Texas Tech basketball games. The new clear bag policy provides a safer atmosphere and speeds up the entry process into the United Supermarkets Arena.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders dialed up a 92-40 exhibition victory over Missouri Western State last Friday where five players secured double figures led by Anthony Livingston's 17 points. The grad transfer from Arkansas State buried 7-of-10 from the floor sparked by a trio of three-pointers.
Justin Gray and Norense Odiase chipped in 12 points apiece and amassed a combined 16 points on a combined 6-for-10 shooting clip in the second half. The duo also combined for 14 rebounds as Texas Tech possessed a 50-30 rebounding edge during the exhibition contest.
Shadell Millinghaus and Aaron Ross provided 11 and 10 points, respectively. For Ross, he made his career debut with six points and three rebounds in the last meeting with HBU.
From the point guard position, Keenan Evans tacked on nine points and four assists whereas Devon Thomas dished out three assists with four rebounds.
Zach Smith filled the box score with six points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block, while Niem Stevenson added a balanced six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
About HBU
The Huskies posted a 17-17 record, the program's most successful season since returning to the NCAA Division I level. HBU captured a postseason berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) last season.
Colter Lasher is the team's leading returning scorer with 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He reached double figures 19 times which included 12 of his last 16 outings. On the perimeter, Asa Cantwell knocked down 39.4 percent from three-point territory as a freshman.
Josh Ibarra, a 6-11 center, fueled the interior with 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He connected on 63.1 percent of his shot attempts and registered 30 blocks. The Arlington native missed HBU's last 11 games with an injury.
"Houston Baptist is a team we have a lot of respect for," Beard said. "Last year, they were having one of their best seasons until they had a pivotal injury with one of their best players. They were a postseason team. They're well-coached. Coach Cottrell has been there for a long time. He has sustained success through a transition from NAIA to the Division 1 level. They've got good players. A lot of quickness in their backcourt, they are a backcourt that can create steals. We're going to have to be very careful with our ball-handling. We're going to have to play well against a team that I have a lot of respect for."
Up Next
The Red Raiders continue their three-game homestand to start the season Tuesday versus North Texas. Tip time is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus in addition to the FOX Sports Go App.
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.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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