Texas Tech University Athletics
Saturday, January 28
United Supermarkets Arena
1:00 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
LSU
Red Raider Preview: LSU
January 27, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Texas Tech faces LSU in Saturday’s SEC/Big 12 challenge.
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech men's basketball team will take its final regular season step out of conference action and plays host to LSU as part of the fourth-annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with the game broadcast televised by ESPNU in addition to being available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Kevin Fitzgerald and Chris Spatola 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. Geoff Haxton and Chris Level 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. Fans can interact live with Wednesday's broadcast @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
The Red Raiders (14-6, 3-5 Big 12) move into Saturday's matchup riding an overall eight-game nonconference winning streak since late November and 28-game run at home which dates back to the 2013-14 season. The last nonconference squad to win at the United Supermarkets Arena was LSU in a 71-69 decision on Dec. 18, 2013.
Texas Tech will look to bounce back from a narrow 65-61 setback at No. 5 Baylor on Wednesday. The Red Raiders held the Bears to season lows in field goals made (17) and field goal percentage (35.4%), with Baylor shooting under 40 percent from the field for the first time on the season.
The Tigers (9-10, 1-7 SEC) are coming off a 106-71 loss to No. 25 Florida also on Wednesday evening. LSU has dropped six straight decisions and eight of its last nine. The Tigers have not picked up a win since an 88-77 road triumph versus Missouri on January 4.
"I'm not into moral victories especially with a team that has five seniors and six juniors," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "We did some good things in Waco, but we didn't get the job done. My expectations are to win every game. It terms of effort, that's a given. I tell guys when I'm recruiting that I don't coach effort. We try to coach basketball and to build better players. Effort is just a given. We haven't had one possession this year that our guys aren't playing hard, our guys play hard. We have individual possessions where one player will take a play of. In basketball especially when you have a small margin of error like we do on this year's team, that was the problem in the Oklahoma State game. We had guys who were playing hard, competing and that wanted to win, but we would have one guy take a play off. Another possession another guy would take a play off, and you can't do that. We had more consistency in Waco. We had five guys playing hard each possession. That's why we played well."
Saturday's tilt represents the seventh all-time meeting between Texas Tech and LSU on the hardwood. The two schools began the series during the 1957-58 season and haven't met since a 69-64 overtime win for LSU on Nov. 18, 2014 as part of the ESPN Tipoff Marathon in Baton Rouge. In that contest, Zach Smith secured 13 points and seven rebounds, while Justin Gray added seven points as freshmen.
Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday's game for as low as $15 online at www.TexasTech.com or in person at the United Supermarkets Arena Box Office which opens 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
Saturday's game is Super Heroes Day. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to take pregame photos with their favorite Super Heroes on the concourse. Complimentary food and drink will be provided in the Texas Tech Student Lounge located on the concourse while supplies last.
Texas Tech is offering enhancements for the remainder of the season to better serve its fans. The S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex will be open for free parking for all fans. Texas Tech also will provide a free shuttle beginning 75 minutes prior to tipoff and 60 minutes following the game to transport fans to and from the United Supermarkets Arena.
Fans are reminded to go clear at all Texas Tech basketball games. The clear bag policy provides a safer atmosphere and speeds up the entry process into the United Supermarkets Arena.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have been handed back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Texas Tech has garnered a 1-2 mark in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge with road losses to Alabama (2013-14) and Arkansas (2015-16) coupled with a home win over Auburn (2014-15).
Texas Tech checks in among the NCAA Top 35 in field goal percentage (49.3 – 16th), fewest turnovers per game (11.2 – 27th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.37 – 27th) and turnover margin (+3.1 – 32nd).
A win on Saturday would give Chris Beard 15 wins during his first season with the Red Raiders which would tie him for third place with James Dickey in 1991-92. Only Gene Gibson (19, 1961-62) and Bob Knight (23, 2001-02) have more wins in their first full season as Texas Tech head coach.
Keenan Evans has improved his points average to 15.3 in Big 12 action which are tied for seventh on the conference leaderboard. He has amassed a career-long streak of nine consecutive games in double figures. Evans also is one of the Big 12's top three-point shooters at 45.2 percent which is third. He has connected on 21 triples over his last 11 games.
Even though Zach Smith had his career-long streak of six straight games with 10-plus points come to a close, he still has tallied 12.8 points per game which ranks 15th in the Big 12. Smith is the only player in the league to rank in the Top 5 in rebounds (7.3 – 5th) and blocks (1.6 – 5th). He has registered five double-doubles, all coming in nonconference action. Smith checks in second on the Texas Tech all-time blocks list with 122 and is only behind Tony Battie with 162 career stuffs.
Anthony Livingston and Aaron Ross are third and fourth on the team with 11.2 points and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Livingston has sank a team-high 36 triples and his 40.9 three-point rate is sixth in the Big 12 rankings. Ross will scheduled to make his 100th career appearance on Saturday. He piled up a team-leading 14 points at Baylor last time out.
Justin Gray and Devon Thomas have started the last 16 games for the Red Raiders. Thomas paces the squad with 70 assists and 26 steals. He has registered double figures in two of his last four outings en route to a 14-of-22 shooting clip. Gray pumped in 12 points at Baylor, his second Big 12 outings in double figures. He has buried 72-of-111 on two-point attempts.
Thomas Brandsma, Shadell Millinghaus, Niem Stevenson and Matthew Temple round out Texas Tech's 10-man playing rotation. The duo of Millinghaus and Stevenson have totaled double figures points eight times. Stevenson notched eight points and four rebounds whereas Millinghaus distributed three assists during the Baylor.
About LSU
Prior to the Florida loss, LSU had been within six points with less than six minutes to play in each of its last three games. The free-throw line hasn't been kind to the Tigers in SEC play as opponents have totaled 56 more made free throws and 61 more attempts.
Johnny Jones, the fifth-year head coach of the Tigers, owns the fourth most wins by an LSU basketball coach with 89. He already has the most wins by any LSU coach during his first five years on the job.
Antonio Blakeney is the main offensive threat for LSU and has reached double figures in eight of his last nine games. He has paced the Tigers in points during 10 of their 19 games this season. Blakeney is averaging 16.0 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting to go along with 5.3 rebounds per contest. He ranks seventh in the SEC in points per game.
Duop Reath, a junior college transfer, has been in double figures in 15 games. He posted his third double-double fueled by 19 points and 13 rebounds during the Mississippi State game on Jan. 7. Reath was the top scorer with 15 points versus Florida last time out. He checks in 16th in the SEC with 6.0 rebounds per game.
Skylar Mays has been the team's top assist man with 4.1 per game which is tied for the eighth most in the SEC. He handed out seven assists against Florida and has come away with 13 assists in the last two games. Mays owns six contests with five or more assists this year. He has connected on 23-of-29 at the free throw line during the last five contests.
LSU's top option off the bench has been Wayde Sims, who has averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Sims, whose father played at LSU from 1987-91, turned in his best season's best performance of 14 points against Vanderbilt on Dec. 29 in the SEC opener.
"LSU is very talented, and the fans will see that tomorrow when the ball goes up," Beard said. "They have future pro players in every position. Specifically, with their team and their record, I can say they have a really good coach in Johnny Jones and a team that's not giving up. Sometimes, you'll see a lopsided score. When you watch the basketball I've watched all year long – I've seen almost every one of LSU's game and their journey – they have a lot of high character guys and some really good freshmen. They are also in a league very similar to ours. It's brutal and very difficult to win a conference game in the SEC and in the Big 12. LSU has our full attention and all of our respect. We understand how good their players are, and we understand what a big game this is."
Up Next
Texas Tech heads back into Big 12 actions and wraps up the first half of the conference schedule with the first half Wednesday with the first of two meetings versus Texas. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT from the Erwin Center in Austin. The game will be televised by ESPNU in addition to being available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN 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 and Instagram.
Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with the game broadcast televised by ESPNU in addition to being available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Kevin Fitzgerald and Chris Spatola 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. Geoff Haxton and Chris Level 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. Fans can interact live with Wednesday's broadcast @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
The Red Raiders (14-6, 3-5 Big 12) move into Saturday's matchup riding an overall eight-game nonconference winning streak since late November and 28-game run at home which dates back to the 2013-14 season. The last nonconference squad to win at the United Supermarkets Arena was LSU in a 71-69 decision on Dec. 18, 2013.
Texas Tech will look to bounce back from a narrow 65-61 setback at No. 5 Baylor on Wednesday. The Red Raiders held the Bears to season lows in field goals made (17) and field goal percentage (35.4%), with Baylor shooting under 40 percent from the field for the first time on the season.
The Tigers (9-10, 1-7 SEC) are coming off a 106-71 loss to No. 25 Florida also on Wednesday evening. LSU has dropped six straight decisions and eight of its last nine. The Tigers have not picked up a win since an 88-77 road triumph versus Missouri on January 4.
"I'm not into moral victories especially with a team that has five seniors and six juniors," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "We did some good things in Waco, but we didn't get the job done. My expectations are to win every game. It terms of effort, that's a given. I tell guys when I'm recruiting that I don't coach effort. We try to coach basketball and to build better players. Effort is just a given. We haven't had one possession this year that our guys aren't playing hard, our guys play hard. We have individual possessions where one player will take a play of. In basketball especially when you have a small margin of error like we do on this year's team, that was the problem in the Oklahoma State game. We had guys who were playing hard, competing and that wanted to win, but we would have one guy take a play off. Another possession another guy would take a play off, and you can't do that. We had more consistency in Waco. We had five guys playing hard each possession. That's why we played well."
Saturday's tilt represents the seventh all-time meeting between Texas Tech and LSU on the hardwood. The two schools began the series during the 1957-58 season and haven't met since a 69-64 overtime win for LSU on Nov. 18, 2014 as part of the ESPN Tipoff Marathon in Baton Rouge. In that contest, Zach Smith secured 13 points and seven rebounds, while Justin Gray added seven points as freshmen.
Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday's game for as low as $15 online at www.TexasTech.com or in person at the United Supermarkets Arena Box Office which opens 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
Saturday's game is Super Heroes Day. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to take pregame photos with their favorite Super Heroes on the concourse. Complimentary food and drink will be provided in the Texas Tech Student Lounge located on the concourse while supplies last.
Texas Tech is offering enhancements for the remainder of the season to better serve its fans. The S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex will be open for free parking for all fans. Texas Tech also will provide a free shuttle beginning 75 minutes prior to tipoff and 60 minutes following the game to transport fans to and from the United Supermarkets Arena.
Fans are reminded to go clear at all Texas Tech basketball games. The clear bag policy provides a safer atmosphere and speeds up the entry process into the United Supermarkets Arena.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have been handed back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Texas Tech has garnered a 1-2 mark in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge with road losses to Alabama (2013-14) and Arkansas (2015-16) coupled with a home win over Auburn (2014-15).
Texas Tech checks in among the NCAA Top 35 in field goal percentage (49.3 – 16th), fewest turnovers per game (11.2 – 27th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.37 – 27th) and turnover margin (+3.1 – 32nd).
A win on Saturday would give Chris Beard 15 wins during his first season with the Red Raiders which would tie him for third place with James Dickey in 1991-92. Only Gene Gibson (19, 1961-62) and Bob Knight (23, 2001-02) have more wins in their first full season as Texas Tech head coach.
Keenan Evans has improved his points average to 15.3 in Big 12 action which are tied for seventh on the conference leaderboard. He has amassed a career-long streak of nine consecutive games in double figures. Evans also is one of the Big 12's top three-point shooters at 45.2 percent which is third. He has connected on 21 triples over his last 11 games.
Even though Zach Smith had his career-long streak of six straight games with 10-plus points come to a close, he still has tallied 12.8 points per game which ranks 15th in the Big 12. Smith is the only player in the league to rank in the Top 5 in rebounds (7.3 – 5th) and blocks (1.6 – 5th). He has registered five double-doubles, all coming in nonconference action. Smith checks in second on the Texas Tech all-time blocks list with 122 and is only behind Tony Battie with 162 career stuffs.
Anthony Livingston and Aaron Ross are third and fourth on the team with 11.2 points and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Livingston has sank a team-high 36 triples and his 40.9 three-point rate is sixth in the Big 12 rankings. Ross will scheduled to make his 100th career appearance on Saturday. He piled up a team-leading 14 points at Baylor last time out.
Justin Gray and Devon Thomas have started the last 16 games for the Red Raiders. Thomas paces the squad with 70 assists and 26 steals. He has registered double figures in two of his last four outings en route to a 14-of-22 shooting clip. Gray pumped in 12 points at Baylor, his second Big 12 outings in double figures. He has buried 72-of-111 on two-point attempts.
Thomas Brandsma, Shadell Millinghaus, Niem Stevenson and Matthew Temple round out Texas Tech's 10-man playing rotation. The duo of Millinghaus and Stevenson have totaled double figures points eight times. Stevenson notched eight points and four rebounds whereas Millinghaus distributed three assists during the Baylor.
About LSU
Prior to the Florida loss, LSU had been within six points with less than six minutes to play in each of its last three games. The free-throw line hasn't been kind to the Tigers in SEC play as opponents have totaled 56 more made free throws and 61 more attempts.
Johnny Jones, the fifth-year head coach of the Tigers, owns the fourth most wins by an LSU basketball coach with 89. He already has the most wins by any LSU coach during his first five years on the job.
Antonio Blakeney is the main offensive threat for LSU and has reached double figures in eight of his last nine games. He has paced the Tigers in points during 10 of their 19 games this season. Blakeney is averaging 16.0 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting to go along with 5.3 rebounds per contest. He ranks seventh in the SEC in points per game.
Duop Reath, a junior college transfer, has been in double figures in 15 games. He posted his third double-double fueled by 19 points and 13 rebounds during the Mississippi State game on Jan. 7. Reath was the top scorer with 15 points versus Florida last time out. He checks in 16th in the SEC with 6.0 rebounds per game.
Skylar Mays has been the team's top assist man with 4.1 per game which is tied for the eighth most in the SEC. He handed out seven assists against Florida and has come away with 13 assists in the last two games. Mays owns six contests with five or more assists this year. He has connected on 23-of-29 at the free throw line during the last five contests.
LSU's top option off the bench has been Wayde Sims, who has averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Sims, whose father played at LSU from 1987-91, turned in his best season's best performance of 14 points against Vanderbilt on Dec. 29 in the SEC opener.
"LSU is very talented, and the fans will see that tomorrow when the ball goes up," Beard said. "They have future pro players in every position. Specifically, with their team and their record, I can say they have a really good coach in Johnny Jones and a team that's not giving up. Sometimes, you'll see a lopsided score. When you watch the basketball I've watched all year long – I've seen almost every one of LSU's game and their journey – they have a lot of high character guys and some really good freshmen. They are also in a league very similar to ours. It's brutal and very difficult to win a conference game in the SEC and in the Big 12. LSU has our full attention and all of our respect. We understand how good their players are, and we understand what a big game this is."
Up Next
Texas Tech heads back into Big 12 actions and wraps up the first half of the conference schedule with the first half Wednesday with the first of two meetings versus Texas. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT from the Erwin Center in Austin. The game will be televised by ESPNU in addition to being available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN 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 and Instagram.
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