Red Raider Preview: No. 3 Kansas

Saturday, February 11

United Supermarkets Arena

1:00 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

No. 3 Kansas

Buy Tickets

February 10, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Game25KansasNotes

By: The Red Raiders will have close to 75 former players on campus dating back as late as the 1940’s.

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech men's basketball team starts another stretch of three consecutive games versus ranked opponents when No. 3 Kansas visits the United Supermarkets Arena during Alumni Weekend presented by Geico on Saturday.

Tipoff is on-tap for 1 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPN along with the www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Rich Hollenberg and Miles Simon 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 Saturday's broadcast @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.

The Red Raiders (16-8, 4-7 Big 12) are scheduled to take on three straight ranked opponents for the second time this season. Texas Tech defeated then No. 7 West Virginia (77-76) and No. 25 Kansas State (66-65) as part of the first stretch at home in January and have won their last four home decisions against ranked foes by a combined seven points dating back to last season.

Kansas (21-3, 9-2 Big 12) enters the weekend one game clear of No. 6 Baylor for first place in the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks have posted a 3-2 mark in their last five games but grinded out a 74-71 win at Kansas State on Monday. KU relied heavily on the trio of Devonte' Graham, Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson who combined for 63 points on 21-of-40 from the floor in an 85-68 win over the Red Raiders on Jan. 7 in Lawrence.

The Jayhawks have emerged with 15 consecutive wins in the series dating back to the 2008-09 season en route to a 32-4 series advantage. Texas Tech's last victory was an 84-65 decision on March 4, 2009. The Red Raiders connected on 15 three-pointers headed by Alan Voskuil's nine treys and 35 points.

"Me personally every game I've ever coached has been a must win," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "You put a lot of time, a lot of preparation in and the objective is to win. We go one game at a time. We have a lot of basketball left, but that's the way I address every game. I think some of our players are starting to share that view. It's the Big 12, it's February and we have to find a way to win at home if we're going to put ourselves in a position to do something special here during the last month of the season."

There are a limited number of 200-level tickets available for purchase 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.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early due to the high volume of traffic expected on campus and to take advantage of the free park and ride shuttles which originate at the S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex. The free shuttle begins 75 minutes prior to tipoff and 60 minutes following the game to transport fans to and from the United Supermarkets Arena.

Fans are asked to Black Out Kansas by wearing black to Saturday's game. The first 1,500 students will receive a 'Black Out' t-shirt. The student entrance will open early at 11:30 a.m. CT with complimentary food and beverages while supplies last. The Olate Dogs will serve as the halftime entertainment.

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.

Fans can gain complimentary admission to the Lady Raiders matchup with No. 19 Oklahoma later Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. CT by showing inside the United Supermarkets Arena.

Saturday's game marks Alumni Weekend with close to 75 former players back on-campus who will be recognized at the under 16 media timeout of the first half. Texas Tech legends Rick Bullock, Dub Malaise, Jim Reed, Bubba Jennings and Gerald Myers are among the players being honored.

About Texas Tech
Texas Tech has won 12 of its 13 games when leading at the half this season with the lone exception being the team's Big 12 opener at Iowa State on Dec. 30.

The Red Raiders are rated amongst the NCAA's Top 40 in six categories sparked by fewest turnovers per game (11.0 – 18th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.36 – 26th), field goal percentage (48.6 – 30th) and scoring defense (65.2 – 37th).

Keenan Evans has poured in a team-leading 14.4 points per game and heads into Saturday's game six points away from reaching 800 for his career. He has registered 10-plus points in 12 straight games and 20 of his 23 games on the season. The 14.4 points per game are ninth ignited by a 44.0 three-point percentage which is third on the Big 12 ledger. Last time out, Evans reached the 20-point plateau at TCU.

Zach Smith has dialed up a balanced 13.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists per game. He has tallied double figures in nine of his last 11 games and secured his first double-double against a Big 12 opponent with 11 points and 10 rebounds at TCU. Smith is the only player to be ranked inside the Big 12's Top 5 in rebounds and points per game. He has racked up 129 career blocks which is second on Texas Tech's all-time list only behind Tony Battie at 162 rejections.

Anthony Livingston has pumped in double figures in four straight games for the first time this season. He managed 14 points and six rebounds during the TCU game and has averaged 11.5 points per game for the season. Livingston has connected on 12 of his 18 field goals from three-point territory to ignite the four-game streak. His 42.5 percent three-point mark is right behind Evans in fifth place on the Big 12 list.

Aaron Ross is set to make his 104th career appearance on Saturday and has secured 10.2 points per game. He will look to bounce back from a scoreless effort but did distribute a career-high five assists at TCU. Ross has notched 10-plus points in three of his last five games. His 87.7 free throw percentage is second in the Big 12 rankings for the second straight season.

Justin Gray and Niem Stevenson have chipped in 8.5 points and 7.2 points per game, respectively. Stevenson has emerged into the starting lineup in Texas Tech's last two games. He has improved his scoring mark to 10.6 points and provided 10 of his 20 three-pointers in his last five games. The Red Raiders have won eight of their nine games when Gray reaches double digit points.

Thomas Brandsma, Shadell Millinghaus, Devon Thomas and Matthew Temple round out Texas Tech's 10-man playing rotation. Thomas has handed out a team-leading 77 assists and totaled a team-high 29 steals. His Big 12 career-high was a 12-point effort at Oklahoma back on January 14.

Texas Tech has played 20 of its 23 games this season which includes its last nine games without Norense Odiase who came away with 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game last season.

About Kansas
The Jayhawks check in with a No. 3 rankings across the board in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 in addition to the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Kansas averages 83.6 points per game on the strength of a Big 12-leading and 10th nationally 49.5 field goal percentage.

Frank Mason III, one of 20 finalists for the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list, is having a national player of the year type campaign. He paces the Big 12 with 20.4 points per game and has upped his mark to 21.2 points per game in Big 12 action. Mason has amassed 20-plus points on 13 occasions highlighted by three of his last four outings. He also has dished out 5.1 assists per game and is on pace to become the first player in Big 12 history to average 20 points and five assists for a season.

Josh Jackson has piled up over his 16.0 points per game average in four of his last five appearances. He was won five Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards and posted double-doubles in three of his last four games. Jackson's 16.0 points are sixth in the Big 12 rankings and tops among freshmen. He also has corralled 6.8 rebounds per game which is ninth. He leads the KU squad with 40 steals and has collected 28 blocked shots.

Devonte' Graham has heated up from beyond the three-point line and drained multiple treys in six consecutive games. He has knocked down 16 of his team-leading 58 three-pointers during the six-game run. Graham has tallied 13.3 points and 4.4 assists per game. He has notched 106 assists and 36 steals which are second on the team.

Landen Lucas has worked his way to 7.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on the interior. He has grabbed a Big 12 best 11.5 rebounds per game in conference games and pulled down a career-best 18 boards during the Iowa State game last Saturday. Lucas is an effective and efficient 68-of-109 shooting en route to 62.4 percent clip from the field.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has garnered 10.8 points per game and tallied 52 of his 93 field goals on three balls. He ranks fourth on the Big 12 leaderboard with a 43.0 percent on three-pointers. He has registered double figures in five of his last eight games.

"Lucas has always been a focal point," Beard said. "To me. Kansas gets in modes like Lucas mode. It's pretty obvious what they are trying to do right now. Jackson mode, a pick-and-pop, throw the ball to the top of the key and let the first round draft pick play. Great coaching, he puts his players in positions. Mason mode when he's in the open court. Graham mode when he's shooting and hunting three-point shots. We could go down the line, and that's why teams like Kansas are good. They have great players and a great coach that puts them in space. I think Mason has been a feature player since the very first game I watched this year."

Up Next
Texas Tech welcomes another marquee opponent in No. 6 Baylor to the United Supermarkets Arena on Monday. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with being available on 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.