Red Raider Preview: Wofford

Wednesday, November 22

United Supermarkets Arena

5:30 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

Wofford

November 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

The Red Raiders have won their first four games by a combined 111 points which ties a program record with the 2008-09 team.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Texas Tech men's basketball team returns home for a pair of contests on Thanksgiving week and squares off with Southern Conference power Wofford on Wednesday at the United Supermarkets Arena.

Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus along with the FOX Sports Go app. John Harris, Chris Level and Adam Doyle will serve as the announcing team.

The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship stations Double T 97.3 FM, 100.7 FM The Score and AM 950 in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton and Clark Lammert will have the radio call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the Texas Tech Sports Network radio affiliates, online at www.TexasTech.com and the Tune-In Radio app. Fans can interact live with Wednesday's broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.

The Red Raiders (4-0) have picked up double digit victories over South Alabama (75-50), Maine (83-44), Boston College (75-64) and No. 20 Northwestern (85-49). This year's squad joins the 1929-30, 1954-55, 2003-04 and 2008-09 teams to win its opening four contests by 10-plus points.

Texas Tech's two victories over Boston College and No. 20 Northwestern enabled the program to capture the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament title. It marked the program's first regular season tournament title dating back to the 2009-10 season.

"We want to be a positive team, have great enthusiasm, be an unselfish team and have a bench with some energy," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. It's part of our identity. I'd like to think our guys have that energy on a daily basis. I think the challenge is that we all know adversity is coming this season. It's not a matter of 'if' but a matter of 'when'. I have challenged the guys to keep that same type of energy during times of struggle not just in positive times. We have some key guys too. It's not just the players, but John Reilly our strength coach is an energetic guy on the bench as well as Chris Williams our athletic trainer."

Wednesday's matchup with Wofford (3-2) is the first in the series on the hardwood. Texas Tech has won all seven of its previous meetings with Southern Conference members which include three wins over East Tennessee State, two wins over Furman and two wins over Samford. The Red Raiders have won five of the seven meetings by double figures and by an average margin of 19.1 points per game. The program's last meeting with a SoCon school was a 74-53 win over Samford on Nov. 28, 2009.

Tickets to Wednesday's games can be purchased for as low as $10 online at www.TexasTech.com or in person at the United Supermarkets Arena Box Office which opens 90 minutes prior to tipoff. Texas Tech facility and staff can purchase tickets for $5. Wednesday's ticket also allows fans to attend the Lady Raiders matchup with UMass Lowell which is scheduled to tipoff at 3 p.m. CT.

Fans are reminded that the S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex which is located at 3901 10th Street is the lone free parking lot for all fans which includes ADA parking for all men's basketball games. A free shuttle service begins 75 minutes prior to tipoff and runs up to 60 minutes following the game to transport fans to and from the United Supermarkets Arena. Buses also are ADA accessible. There is no longer free parking available in the West Lot across from the United Supermarkets Arena.

Traffic patterns around the United Supermarkets Arena have changed for the 2017-18 season. All patrons with North Lot passes must enter their lot from the Main and Flint intersection. All fans with South Lot passes must enter their lot from the 18th and Flint intersection. All West Lot pass holders must enter their lot at the Texas Tech Parkway and Knoxville Avenue intersection. All vehicles will be blocked from entering Indiana Avenue off of the Texas Tech Parkway.

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 balanced on the offensive end with nine players averaging over 5.0 points per game and seven players already recording a double figures scoring effort on the young season.

Defensively, Texas Tech has put the clamps on its opponents through the first four games and limited three of its four to 50 points or less. The Red Raiders head into Wednesday's game allowing a 31.3 field goal percentage and 51.8 points per game which are second and fifth respectively in the NCAA rankings.

Keenan Evans had a weekend to remember with back-to-back games of 25-points plus en route to Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament MVP. He pumped in a career-best 29 points versus Boston College and followed up with a 25 points against Northwestern. Evans went over 1,000 career points for his career and his team-leading 19.5 points per game on third on the Big 12 leaderboard.

"I have always seen Keenan as that type of player," Beard said. "He took and made big shots for us and made plays on the defensive end. I think it's early in the season. We had a couple of games against BCS type opponents so the things I'm looking for from Keenan is consistency. Can he do this on a nightly basis? I believe he can. I have a lot of confidence in him. On the defensive end – people probably are not talking about this enough – he is playing great defense. He's locked in and making plays on a regular basis on the defensive end. If he continues to do this. our team is going to get even better."

Tommy Hamilton IV, Zach Smith and Norense Odiase have headed Texas Tech's interior attack. Hamilton IV has registered 7.3 points per game, and the Chicago native is coming off 10 points versus No. 20 Northwestern.

Zach Smith has been dialed in on all facets of the game with 6.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. He was an All-Tournament selection for the third straight season at last weekend's event. Smith also earned All-Tournament nods at the 2015 Puerto Rico Tipoff and 2016 Cancun Challenge. Like Evans, he has his own pursuit of 1,000 career points and is 84 points shy.
Odiase has chipped in 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. He has provided six or more points in three of four games and connected on 58.3 percent of his field goal attempts.

Zhaire Smith (9.3 PPG), Jarrett Culver (6.8 PPG), Brandone Francis (6.0 PPG) and Davide Moretti (5.8 PPG) have joined Odiase to spark the Red Raiders to 142 bench points through four games which ranks second in the Big 12. Francis also has been strong on the boards with 4.0 rebounds per game whereas Moretti has passed out 1.8 assists per game.

Niem Stevenson and Justin Gray have garnered 7.0 points and 3.9 points per game, respectively. Stevenson has piled up double figures in 10 of his last 16 outings which includes two of his last three games. He tallied 10 points apiece during the Maine and Northwestern games.

ABOUT WOFFORD
The Terriers will be making their second trip to the Lone Star State in as many seasons. Wofford was handed a 72-63 defeat by TCU last season.

The Terriers have made four NCAA Tournament trips in the last seven seasons under Mike Young who eclipsed 250 career wins over the weekend.

Fletcher Magee has racked up 24.0 points per game and is a candidate for the Lou Henson National Player of the Year award which is given to the nation's top "Mid-Major" player. He has already ripped off close to 1,200 career points in his first 70 games. Magee is currently on a three-game run of over 20 points sparked by 32 points at California and 31 points against North Florida over the last week.

Cameron Jackson (13.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG), Matthew Pegram (12.2 PPG) and Nathan Hoover (11.0 PPG) have been solid running mates to Magee. Jackson is an All-SoCon Preseason pick, while Hoover came away with 2016-17 All-SoCon Freshman Team accolades. Jackson provided 23 points on an 11-for-14 shooting performance versus North Florida last time out.

Wofford's top bench options are Tray Hollowell and Storm Murphy who have averaged 4.6 points per game apiece.

"Wofford is a good team," Beard said. "They've been to four NCAA Tournaments in the last seven years. That's a dominant run in Mid-Major Basketball. To me, it's a borderline dynasty. They're a team that is very well-coached. They have great players. Everybody talks about [Fletcher] Magee, but it's not a one-trick pony there. All five starters can really score, and they bring in quality players off the bench as well. It's a good game for us. We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete against a team that should be in the NCAA Tournament."

UP NEXT
Texas Tech caps its two-game home swing versus Savannah State on Saturday. Tipoff is on-tap for 2 p.m. CT and is televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus. It's a Door Buster Game which means fans can purchase tickets for only $5 on gameday at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office which will open early at 12 p.m. CT.

Season tickets are on-sale and features the affordable Red Raider Sports Pass at $99. Season tickets can be purchased in person at the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office located on the East Side of Jones AT&T Stadium, online at www.TexasTech.com or over the phone at (806) 742-8324 (TECH). Single-game tickets for nonconference games and Big 12 mini-plan ticket information also has been announced by the Texas Tech Athletics 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 by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.