Texas Tech University Athletics
Wednesday, January 17
Austin, Texas
7:00 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
at
Texas
Red Raider Preview: Texas
January 16, 2018 | Men's Basketball
The Red Raiders will look for the program’s first win in the capital city since the 1995-96 season.
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 8 Texas Tech men's basketball team begins a stretch of three of its next four games on the road with a midweek trip to Texas on Wednesday.
Tipoff is on-tap for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by the Longhorn Network along with the ESPN app. Lowell Galindo and Lance Blanks 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 950 AM in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton and Chris Level 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 (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) are currently tied with Oklahoma for second place and a half-game behind Kansas for the top spot in the Big 12 standings.
Texas Tech checks in at No. 8 in this week's edition of the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls. The Red Raiders are ranked among the nation's Top 10 for the second straight week for the first time Feb. 26 and March 4, 1996.
A win on Wednesday would give Texas Tech its second 5-1 Big 12 start in program history which came from the 1996-97 team. It also would give the Red Raiders their first win in Austin since a 75-58 decision on Feb. 24, 1996.
The Longhorns (11-6, 2-3 Big 12) have posted both of their Big 12 wins in overtime. Texas emerged with a 74-70 win at Iowa State on Jan. 1 and captured a dramatic 99-98 double overtime victory over TCU on Jan. 10.
The Longhorns have played their last three games without second leading scorer Andrew Jones (13.5 PPG) who was diagnosed with cancer. Texas also has played its last two outings without fourth leading scorer Kerwin Roach II (10.1 PPG) who has an injured hand.
"Big week ahead for our team with two road games in the Big 12 starting with Texas, a team we have a lot of respect for," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "Shaka Smart is one of the best coaches in the country, and Texas has really good players. It's a program that has been in our thoughts and prayers as a team because of what's going on with Andrew Jones and his fight against this disease. I have a lot of respect for Andrew. We have the same hometown in common, Irving, Texas. I saw him play a lot on the circuit. Shaka has told me what a great player, and more importantly a great person he is. We continue to pray for him, his family and the Texas program. We look forward to Wednesday night and the chance to compete with a great team."
ABOUT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders are ranked among the NCAA's Top 40 in nine categories fueled by a trio of Top 5 rankings which include scoring defense (60.8 – 5th), field goal percentage defense (37.6 – 5th) and scoring margin (+18.8 – 5th).
Keenan Evans has poured in a team-leading 17.5 points per game to go along with 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He moved past former teammate Jaye Crockett into 24th place on Texas Tech's all-time scoring list. Evans has garnered double figures in 11 straight games and upped his mark to 22.0 points per game in his last three games. The Red Raiders have won five of six this season and 11 of 15 overall when Evans surpasses 20 points.
Texas Tech's bench has racked up 642 points at a 37.8 per game rate. The Red Raiders hold a 173-62 advantage in bench points over their first five Big 12 games.
Jarrett Culver (9.9 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (6.0 PPG) and Brandone Francis (5.5 PPG) have been the top three scoring options off the bench. Culver has reached double figures seven times and is sixth among Big 12 freshmen with 9.9 points per game. Hamilton IV heads into Wednesday's matchup 93 points away from reaching 1,000.
Francis has found his groove recently with 9.8 points per game in his last four efforts. He amassed a career-best 17 points in the West Virginia game and is 13-of-20 from the field during the four-game run.
Zhaire Smith has started the last two games for an injured Zach Smith and is fifth in the Big 12 freshmen class with 10.4 points per game. He has corralled double figures 12 times highlighted by a 10-game streak which ran from Nov. 25-Jan. 6 and is the second-longest run by a freshman in program history.
Niem Stevenson has chipped in 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His 2.5 assists per game in Big 12 play is ranked inside the Big 12's Top 15. Stevenson has handed out 21 assists versus eight turnovers in his last nine games. He has provided 10-plus eight times, most recently an 11-point performance versus Baylor in the team's Big 12 opener.
Justin Gray and Davide Moretti have totaled 5.6 and 5.2 points per game, respectively. Gray is ranked in the Top 11 among Big 12 active players in points (757), rebounds (389), steals (81) and blocks (61). Moretti is third on the team with 31 assists.
Norense Odiase rounds out the Texas Tech 9-man rotation with 4.7 points and 5.4 rebounds game. He has started the team's last 10 games and his 6.4 rebounds per game is rated 13th in league games on the Big 12 leaderboard.
ABOUT TEXAS
The Longhorns are sparked by Dylan Osetkowski who has piled up 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He has secured double figures 14 times and two of his three 20-point performances have come in Big 12 action. Osetkowski poured in a season's best 25 points at Iowa State followed by 20 points during Texas' double overtime victory over TCU on Jan. 10.
Mohamed Bamba has provided 11.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game. He has amassed seven double-doubles, and the 71 total blocks are fourth-most by a UT freshmen. Bamba has ripped off 10-plus points in six straight games and in 10 of his last 11 outings. He has improved his marks to 14.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game during the six-game run.
The top option for the Longhorns off the bench has been Eric Davis, Jr.'s 8.8 points per game. Davis, Jr. has buried 21 of his 44 field goals from three-point territory. He has averaged 20.0 points per game and knocked down 15-of-25 from the field fueled by eight treys in his last two games. Davis, Jr. tallied a season-high 22 points during the TCU game.
Matt Coleman has been solid from the point guard spot with Matt Coleman. He has notched 8.8 points and 5.0 assists per game. Coleman registered his first double-double with 17 points and 12 assists against TCU on Jan. 10. He has dialed up double digit points in four of his last six appearances starting with the Alabama game on Dec. 22 and has registered a 2.36 assist-to-turnover ratio for the season.
"Dylan Osetkowski is a really good player," Beard said. "We did some background work like everybody does at this level. I think he's even improved from where he was at Tulane. That's a credit to Shaka and his staff. He's a guy that's got a lot better in his redshirt year. I would like to think that we did the same thing with Tommy Hamilton IV and Brandone Francis, but he's a great player. I think his numbers alone prove that he's an NBA prospect. He's a guy that plays all over the floor, inside and out. Shaka and those guys do a good job of getting the ball in different spots. I think he's one of the top players in the Big 12."
UP NEXT
Texas Tech stays on the road with a Saturday trip to Iowa State. Tip time is slated for 1 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with the 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 by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
Tipoff is on-tap for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by the Longhorn Network along with the ESPN app. Lowell Galindo and Lance Blanks 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 950 AM in Lubbock. Geoff Haxton and Chris Level 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 (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) are currently tied with Oklahoma for second place and a half-game behind Kansas for the top spot in the Big 12 standings.
Texas Tech checks in at No. 8 in this week's edition of the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls. The Red Raiders are ranked among the nation's Top 10 for the second straight week for the first time Feb. 26 and March 4, 1996.
A win on Wednesday would give Texas Tech its second 5-1 Big 12 start in program history which came from the 1996-97 team. It also would give the Red Raiders their first win in Austin since a 75-58 decision on Feb. 24, 1996.
The Longhorns (11-6, 2-3 Big 12) have posted both of their Big 12 wins in overtime. Texas emerged with a 74-70 win at Iowa State on Jan. 1 and captured a dramatic 99-98 double overtime victory over TCU on Jan. 10.
The Longhorns have played their last three games without second leading scorer Andrew Jones (13.5 PPG) who was diagnosed with cancer. Texas also has played its last two outings without fourth leading scorer Kerwin Roach II (10.1 PPG) who has an injured hand.
"Big week ahead for our team with two road games in the Big 12 starting with Texas, a team we have a lot of respect for," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "Shaka Smart is one of the best coaches in the country, and Texas has really good players. It's a program that has been in our thoughts and prayers as a team because of what's going on with Andrew Jones and his fight against this disease. I have a lot of respect for Andrew. We have the same hometown in common, Irving, Texas. I saw him play a lot on the circuit. Shaka has told me what a great player, and more importantly a great person he is. We continue to pray for him, his family and the Texas program. We look forward to Wednesday night and the chance to compete with a great team."
ABOUT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders are ranked among the NCAA's Top 40 in nine categories fueled by a trio of Top 5 rankings which include scoring defense (60.8 – 5th), field goal percentage defense (37.6 – 5th) and scoring margin (+18.8 – 5th).
Keenan Evans has poured in a team-leading 17.5 points per game to go along with 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He moved past former teammate Jaye Crockett into 24th place on Texas Tech's all-time scoring list. Evans has garnered double figures in 11 straight games and upped his mark to 22.0 points per game in his last three games. The Red Raiders have won five of six this season and 11 of 15 overall when Evans surpasses 20 points.
Texas Tech's bench has racked up 642 points at a 37.8 per game rate. The Red Raiders hold a 173-62 advantage in bench points over their first five Big 12 games.
Jarrett Culver (9.9 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (6.0 PPG) and Brandone Francis (5.5 PPG) have been the top three scoring options off the bench. Culver has reached double figures seven times and is sixth among Big 12 freshmen with 9.9 points per game. Hamilton IV heads into Wednesday's matchup 93 points away from reaching 1,000.
Francis has found his groove recently with 9.8 points per game in his last four efforts. He amassed a career-best 17 points in the West Virginia game and is 13-of-20 from the field during the four-game run.
Zhaire Smith has started the last two games for an injured Zach Smith and is fifth in the Big 12 freshmen class with 10.4 points per game. He has corralled double figures 12 times highlighted by a 10-game streak which ran from Nov. 25-Jan. 6 and is the second-longest run by a freshman in program history.
Niem Stevenson has chipped in 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His 2.5 assists per game in Big 12 play is ranked inside the Big 12's Top 15. Stevenson has handed out 21 assists versus eight turnovers in his last nine games. He has provided 10-plus eight times, most recently an 11-point performance versus Baylor in the team's Big 12 opener.
Justin Gray and Davide Moretti have totaled 5.6 and 5.2 points per game, respectively. Gray is ranked in the Top 11 among Big 12 active players in points (757), rebounds (389), steals (81) and blocks (61). Moretti is third on the team with 31 assists.
Norense Odiase rounds out the Texas Tech 9-man rotation with 4.7 points and 5.4 rebounds game. He has started the team's last 10 games and his 6.4 rebounds per game is rated 13th in league games on the Big 12 leaderboard.
ABOUT TEXAS
The Longhorns are sparked by Dylan Osetkowski who has piled up 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He has secured double figures 14 times and two of his three 20-point performances have come in Big 12 action. Osetkowski poured in a season's best 25 points at Iowa State followed by 20 points during Texas' double overtime victory over TCU on Jan. 10.
Mohamed Bamba has provided 11.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game. He has amassed seven double-doubles, and the 71 total blocks are fourth-most by a UT freshmen. Bamba has ripped off 10-plus points in six straight games and in 10 of his last 11 outings. He has improved his marks to 14.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game during the six-game run.
The top option for the Longhorns off the bench has been Eric Davis, Jr.'s 8.8 points per game. Davis, Jr. has buried 21 of his 44 field goals from three-point territory. He has averaged 20.0 points per game and knocked down 15-of-25 from the field fueled by eight treys in his last two games. Davis, Jr. tallied a season-high 22 points during the TCU game.
Matt Coleman has been solid from the point guard spot with Matt Coleman. He has notched 8.8 points and 5.0 assists per game. Coleman registered his first double-double with 17 points and 12 assists against TCU on Jan. 10. He has dialed up double digit points in four of his last six appearances starting with the Alabama game on Dec. 22 and has registered a 2.36 assist-to-turnover ratio for the season.
"Dylan Osetkowski is a really good player," Beard said. "We did some background work like everybody does at this level. I think he's even improved from where he was at Tulane. That's a credit to Shaka and his staff. He's a guy that's got a lot better in his redshirt year. I would like to think that we did the same thing with Tommy Hamilton IV and Brandone Francis, but he's a great player. I think his numbers alone prove that he's an NBA prospect. He's a guy that plays all over the floor, inside and out. Shaka and those guys do a good job of getting the ball in different spots. I think he's one of the top players in the Big 12."
UP NEXT
Texas Tech stays on the road with a Saturday trip to Iowa State. Tip time is slated for 1 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with the 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 by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
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