Texas Tech University Athletics
Wednesday, January 31
United Supermarkets Arena
8:00 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Texas
Red Raider Preview: Texas
January 30, 2018 | Men's Basketball
The Red Raiders will look for a regular season split with Texas for the third consecutive season.
LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 10 Texas Tech men's basketball team concludes the first half of the Big 12 schedule and takes on Texas at the United Supermarkets Arena on Wednesday.
Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with the ESPN app. Clay Matvick and Tim Welsh 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 (17-4, 5-2 Big 12) have ripped off 17 victories during their first 21 games to match the second-best start in program history most recently with the 2003-04 squad under Bob Knight when Chris Beard was an assistant coach.
Texas Tech's also started the season 17-4 during the 1953-54 season under Polk Robison and in 1975-76 under Gerald Myers. The Red Raiders' best start over a 21-game span was a 20-1 mark in 1995-96 under James Dickey.
Texas Tech heads into Wednesday's action tied with Oklahoma and West Virginia for second place in the Big 12 standings. All three teams sit 1.5 games behind 13-time defending regular season champion and frontrunner Kansas.
The Red Raiders have strung together a 14-game home winning streak which sits tied for ninth nationally with Creighton, Louisiana-Lafayette, Rhode Island and Xavier. The 14-game streak also is the fifth-longest in program history and second-longest since moving into the United Supermarkets Arena.
Texas (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) is one of the hottest teams inside the Big 12. The Longhorns have won three of their last four and four of their last six highlighted by ranked home wins over then No. 16 TCU (99-98 in 2OT) on Jan. 10 and No. 10 Texas Tech (67-58) on Jan. 17.
"It's a big game Wednesday," Beard said. "It's the next game on the schedule as always is our approach. Texas is not only a really good team that's well-coached, but they're playing great basketball right now. You always hesitate as a coach to talk about somebody else's team. Shaka and I are friends, but I will tell you that I think they are the most talented team in the Big 12. They're young, and they have overcome a lot of adversity with Andrew Jones and some injuries and stuff like that to Roach III. Player-to-player on their roster, they've got really good players. At least four guys are going to play in the NBA. If Mohamed Bamba isn't the best player in college basketball then he's part of that conversation. Everybody in Lubbock should buy a ticket and come see him play on Wednesday because you won't see him again in Lubbock. They have our full attention because they are a good team. They obviously beat us the first time we played them this season, and we just have a lot respect for the talent they have on their roster."
Tickets to Wednesday's game can be purchased for as low as $15 online at www.TexasTech.com or at the United Supermarkets Arena Box Office which opens on gameday starting at 6 p.m. CT. Doors open to the USA at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Fans are reminded that the S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex which is located at 3901 10th Street off of Texas Tech Parkway is the lone free parking lot for all fans which includes ADA parking for all men's basketball games.
A free shuttle service begins 90 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 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 garnered back-to-back comeback victories most recently a 70-63 decision over South Carolina as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Texas Tech was the only Big 12 road team to win during last weekend's challenge.
The Red Raiders have registered solid defensive marks and are ranked inside the NCAA's Top 25 in four categories fueled by scoring defense (62.1 – 6th), field goal percentage defense (39.1 – T-9th), turnovers forced (16.76 – 17th) and turnover margin (+3.9 – 22nd).
Keenan Evans has exploded for 17.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The 17.7 points per game are second on the Big 12 leaderboard. Evans tucked away his third Big 12 Player of the Week award, the most for a Texas Tech player since Andre Emmett won the award five times in 2003-04. He piled up 31 points, the second-highest output of his career, at South Carolina. Evans took the game over with 10 points in the closing 3:38 and 18 points over the game's last 10 minutes. He heads into Wednesday's action with 1,310 career points which is 22nd on the program's all-time list.
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have been inserted into the starting lineup together in the last three games. The freshmen duo has secured 10.6 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
Culver exploded for a career-best 25 points and hauled down eight rebounds versus Oklahoma State last Tuesday. He has notched 14.5 points per game over his last four appearances. Smith has managed double figures in 13 of his last 16 outings. He turned in 11 points, seven rebounds and matched a season's best three blocks at South Carolina.
Texas Tech's bench continues to lead the Big 12 with 725 points at a 34.5 per game average. Texas Tech has produced a 242-138 advantage in bench points over their first eight Big 12 contests.
The bench is led by Niem Stevenson (6.9 PPG), Brandone Francis (6.0 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (5.5 PPG) and Davide Moretti (4.2 PPG).
Francis has found his rhythm and totaled 9.0 points per game over his last eight appearance. He has sank 34 of his 67 career field goals on three-balls. His 50.0 clip from triple territory in Big 12 games is good enough fourth place in the Big 12 rankings.
Hamilton IV is creeping his way towards 1,000 career points and heads into Saturday's action 79 points shy of the milestone. He teamed with Norense Odiase and Malik Ondigo for 18 points and 10 rebounds during the South Carolina game.
Stevenson has come away with 6.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He has garnered double figures on eight occasions, the last time was an 11-point effort versus Baylor on Dec. 29.
Justin Gray rounds out Texas's Tech starting five with 5.0 points per game and is the only player to start all 21 games this season. He has knocked down 244-of-436 of his two-point attempts.
"I like Tommy Hamilton IV, that's my guy," Beard said. "Sometimes, there is not always a relationship between what that stat sheet says and what's really going on. He came here and transformed his body. We are playing a different style of play than he has ever played. He's really bought in and had some huge games for us. We don't beat South Carolina if it wasn't for Tommy's play. He's an interesting person too. Unless you know Tommy, you might have a different perception when you see him. He's a very unselfish guy. He's got a big heart, and he really wants to win. Sometimes it looks like Tommy is down, but he's down on himself more than anything. I hope we can get Tommy to continue going in the right direction, and he ends up having a great year for us this year. He's just an unselfish guy. I think he really is helping Malik, and I think he's helping Norense. They have both helped him too. Big picture is that I love Tommy Hamilton IV and I've got a lot of confidence in him, I think he's really going to help us in the second half of conference play."
ABOUT TEXAS
The Longhorns are led by Dylan Ostekowski's 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He has picked up double figures on 17 occasions which includes five of his last six appearances. Osetkowski has accounted for two of his three 20-point efforts against Big 12 opponents. He pumped in a season's best 25 points at Iowa State on Jan. 1 followed by a 20-point performance during the TCU game on Jan. 10.
Mohamed Bamba has been a dominant force where the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week has provided 24.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game in his last two outings. He has hit on 15 of his 19 field goal attempts and 16-of-17 at the free throw line. Bamba heads into Wednesday's game with 88 blocks and is five shy of surpassing Chris Owens' single-season mark. He has amassed six of his 10 double-doubles in Big 12 action which includes 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks against Texas Tech the first time around.
Kerwin Roach II has chipped in 11.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game on the season. He missed two games with a hand injury but returned to form with a then season-high 20 points versus Texas Tech. Roach II has improved his averages to 16.8 points per game in his last four games since returning from injury. He has converted on 21-of-43 shooting, buried 9-of-18 treys and connected on 16-of-20 at the foul line.
Texas' top option off the bench has been Eric Davis, Jr's 8.6 points per game. He has canned a team-high 27 three-balls en route to 53 field goals. Davis Jr. has managed five of his seven games and moved up his average to 12.0 points per game against Big 12 opponents which ties for third place on the team.
Matt Coleman has worked his way to an impressive 103-to-45 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has filled the box score with 7.8 points, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Coleman came away with his first career double-double with 17 points and 12 assists versus TCU on Jan. 10.
"I know Roach has gotten better," Beard said. "I saw him play a lot as a freshman just watching games on TV as a fan. Last year, we were competing against him. He got better from game two to game three when we played him. He is just a guy that's getting better because he is playing at Texas for a great coach. He's shooting the ball really well as of late. He's a guy that makes plays for them on both ends of the floor. I think he is one of the best players in the Big 12. That statement speaks for itself."
UP NEXT
Texas Tech makes the turn and starts the second half of the Big 12 schedule at TCU on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT from Schollmaier Arena. The game will be televised by ESPNU and 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.
Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with the ESPN app. Clay Matvick and Tim Welsh 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 (17-4, 5-2 Big 12) have ripped off 17 victories during their first 21 games to match the second-best start in program history most recently with the 2003-04 squad under Bob Knight when Chris Beard was an assistant coach.
Texas Tech's also started the season 17-4 during the 1953-54 season under Polk Robison and in 1975-76 under Gerald Myers. The Red Raiders' best start over a 21-game span was a 20-1 mark in 1995-96 under James Dickey.
Texas Tech heads into Wednesday's action tied with Oklahoma and West Virginia for second place in the Big 12 standings. All three teams sit 1.5 games behind 13-time defending regular season champion and frontrunner Kansas.
The Red Raiders have strung together a 14-game home winning streak which sits tied for ninth nationally with Creighton, Louisiana-Lafayette, Rhode Island and Xavier. The 14-game streak also is the fifth-longest in program history and second-longest since moving into the United Supermarkets Arena.
Texas (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) is one of the hottest teams inside the Big 12. The Longhorns have won three of their last four and four of their last six highlighted by ranked home wins over then No. 16 TCU (99-98 in 2OT) on Jan. 10 and No. 10 Texas Tech (67-58) on Jan. 17.
"It's a big game Wednesday," Beard said. "It's the next game on the schedule as always is our approach. Texas is not only a really good team that's well-coached, but they're playing great basketball right now. You always hesitate as a coach to talk about somebody else's team. Shaka and I are friends, but I will tell you that I think they are the most talented team in the Big 12. They're young, and they have overcome a lot of adversity with Andrew Jones and some injuries and stuff like that to Roach III. Player-to-player on their roster, they've got really good players. At least four guys are going to play in the NBA. If Mohamed Bamba isn't the best player in college basketball then he's part of that conversation. Everybody in Lubbock should buy a ticket and come see him play on Wednesday because you won't see him again in Lubbock. They have our full attention because they are a good team. They obviously beat us the first time we played them this season, and we just have a lot respect for the talent they have on their roster."
Tickets to Wednesday's game can be purchased for as low as $15 online at www.TexasTech.com or at the United Supermarkets Arena Box Office which opens on gameday starting at 6 p.m. CT. Doors open to the USA at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Fans are reminded that the S1 Parking Lot at the John Walker Soccer Complex which is located at 3901 10th Street off of Texas Tech Parkway is the lone free parking lot for all fans which includes ADA parking for all men's basketball games.
A free shuttle service begins 90 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 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 garnered back-to-back comeback victories most recently a 70-63 decision over South Carolina as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Texas Tech was the only Big 12 road team to win during last weekend's challenge.
The Red Raiders have registered solid defensive marks and are ranked inside the NCAA's Top 25 in four categories fueled by scoring defense (62.1 – 6th), field goal percentage defense (39.1 – T-9th), turnovers forced (16.76 – 17th) and turnover margin (+3.9 – 22nd).
Keenan Evans has exploded for 17.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The 17.7 points per game are second on the Big 12 leaderboard. Evans tucked away his third Big 12 Player of the Week award, the most for a Texas Tech player since Andre Emmett won the award five times in 2003-04. He piled up 31 points, the second-highest output of his career, at South Carolina. Evans took the game over with 10 points in the closing 3:38 and 18 points over the game's last 10 minutes. He heads into Wednesday's action with 1,310 career points which is 22nd on the program's all-time list.
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have been inserted into the starting lineup together in the last three games. The freshmen duo has secured 10.6 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
Culver exploded for a career-best 25 points and hauled down eight rebounds versus Oklahoma State last Tuesday. He has notched 14.5 points per game over his last four appearances. Smith has managed double figures in 13 of his last 16 outings. He turned in 11 points, seven rebounds and matched a season's best three blocks at South Carolina.
Texas Tech's bench continues to lead the Big 12 with 725 points at a 34.5 per game average. Texas Tech has produced a 242-138 advantage in bench points over their first eight Big 12 contests.
The bench is led by Niem Stevenson (6.9 PPG), Brandone Francis (6.0 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (5.5 PPG) and Davide Moretti (4.2 PPG).
Francis has found his rhythm and totaled 9.0 points per game over his last eight appearance. He has sank 34 of his 67 career field goals on three-balls. His 50.0 clip from triple territory in Big 12 games is good enough fourth place in the Big 12 rankings.
Hamilton IV is creeping his way towards 1,000 career points and heads into Saturday's action 79 points shy of the milestone. He teamed with Norense Odiase and Malik Ondigo for 18 points and 10 rebounds during the South Carolina game.
Stevenson has come away with 6.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He has garnered double figures on eight occasions, the last time was an 11-point effort versus Baylor on Dec. 29.
Justin Gray rounds out Texas's Tech starting five with 5.0 points per game and is the only player to start all 21 games this season. He has knocked down 244-of-436 of his two-point attempts.
"I like Tommy Hamilton IV, that's my guy," Beard said. "Sometimes, there is not always a relationship between what that stat sheet says and what's really going on. He came here and transformed his body. We are playing a different style of play than he has ever played. He's really bought in and had some huge games for us. We don't beat South Carolina if it wasn't for Tommy's play. He's an interesting person too. Unless you know Tommy, you might have a different perception when you see him. He's a very unselfish guy. He's got a big heart, and he really wants to win. Sometimes it looks like Tommy is down, but he's down on himself more than anything. I hope we can get Tommy to continue going in the right direction, and he ends up having a great year for us this year. He's just an unselfish guy. I think he really is helping Malik, and I think he's helping Norense. They have both helped him too. Big picture is that I love Tommy Hamilton IV and I've got a lot of confidence in him, I think he's really going to help us in the second half of conference play."
ABOUT TEXAS
The Longhorns are led by Dylan Ostekowski's 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He has picked up double figures on 17 occasions which includes five of his last six appearances. Osetkowski has accounted for two of his three 20-point efforts against Big 12 opponents. He pumped in a season's best 25 points at Iowa State on Jan. 1 followed by a 20-point performance during the TCU game on Jan. 10.
Mohamed Bamba has been a dominant force where the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week has provided 24.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game in his last two outings. He has hit on 15 of his 19 field goal attempts and 16-of-17 at the free throw line. Bamba heads into Wednesday's game with 88 blocks and is five shy of surpassing Chris Owens' single-season mark. He has amassed six of his 10 double-doubles in Big 12 action which includes 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks against Texas Tech the first time around.
Kerwin Roach II has chipped in 11.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game on the season. He missed two games with a hand injury but returned to form with a then season-high 20 points versus Texas Tech. Roach II has improved his averages to 16.8 points per game in his last four games since returning from injury. He has converted on 21-of-43 shooting, buried 9-of-18 treys and connected on 16-of-20 at the foul line.
Texas' top option off the bench has been Eric Davis, Jr's 8.6 points per game. He has canned a team-high 27 three-balls en route to 53 field goals. Davis Jr. has managed five of his seven games and moved up his average to 12.0 points per game against Big 12 opponents which ties for third place on the team.
Matt Coleman has worked his way to an impressive 103-to-45 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has filled the box score with 7.8 points, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Coleman came away with his first career double-double with 17 points and 12 assists versus TCU on Jan. 10.
"I know Roach has gotten better," Beard said. "I saw him play a lot as a freshman just watching games on TV as a fan. Last year, we were competing against him. He got better from game two to game three when we played him. He is just a guy that's getting better because he is playing at Texas for a great coach. He's shooting the ball really well as of late. He's a guy that makes plays for them on both ends of the floor. I think he is one of the best players in the Big 12. That statement speaks for itself."
UP NEXT
Texas Tech makes the turn and starts the second half of the Big 12 schedule at TCU on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT from Schollmaier Arena. The game will be televised by ESPNU and 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.
Players Mentioned
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