Texas Tech University Athletics
Tuesday, November 6
Lubbock, Texas
6:30 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Incarnate Word
BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Incarnate Word
November 04, 2018 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech basketball is back. Coming off a historic run to the NCAA Elite Eight, coach Chris Beard and the Red Raiders are set to open the 2018-19 season with a three-game home stand starting against Incarnate Word at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the United Supermarkets Arena.
The Texas Tech basketball program will host a press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Monday in the USA Press Conference room to preview the season opener.
The Red Raiders are 66-27 all-time in season openers and 2-0 in the first game of the year under Beard. The team returns eight players from last year and welcomes in six newcomers. Texas Tech recorded a 27-10 record, including a 17-1 record at home, and a 3-1 record in the NCAA tournament last season. This year's team consists of four seniors (Brandone Francis, Norense Odiase, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens), one junior (Andrew Sorrells), six sophomores (Deshawn Corprew, Malik Ondigo, Jarrett Culver, Avery Benson, Davide Moretti, Parker Hicks) and the freshmen class of Kyler Edwards, Khavon Moore and Josh Mballa.
Incarnate Word is coming off a 7-21 season and were 2-16 in Southland Conference play. Beard was a graduate assistant coach at UIW in 1995-96 for head coach Danny Kaspar in his first year of postgraduate coaching. The Red Raiders and Cardinals are playing each other for only the second time ever with Tech earning a 69-48 win back on Nov. 30, 2016 in the other meeting. The Cardinals are now coached by Dr. Carson Cunningham who is in his first season in San Antonio after coaching at Carroll College the past five seasons.
Texas Tech will unveil its NCAA Elite Eight banner before the start of the game on Tuesday along with a giveaway of 10,000 replica banners for fans at the game.
Beard enters his third season leading the program and is 45-24 over the past two seasons. For his career, Beard is starting his seventh season as a head coach at the NCAA level where he is an impressive 141-54. His coaching staff includes assistant coaches Mark Adams, Brian Burg, Glynn Cyprien, Max Lefevre, Sean Sutton and Tim MacAllister. Cyprien and MacAllister begin their first seasons with the Red Raiders with Cyprien most recently being the head coach of the NBA G League's Memphis Hustle and MacAllister working at Creighton.
Culver is the team's leading returner after recording 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Odiase has averaged 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 91 games played during his Red Raider career. Culver has been identified as an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and named to the Jerry West Award Watch List. A Lubbock native, Culver had four games in his freshman season with 20 or more points including a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds against West Virginia. He led the team with 55 3-pointers and also added 67 assists. Francis is coming off a junior season where he made 33 and averaged 3.8 points per game. A guard from the Dominican Republic, Francis added 30 assists and 15 steals for the Red Raiders last season.
The Red Raiders lost talent, experience and leadership from last year's team due to graduation and the NBA Draft, but landed Owens and Mooney as graduate transfers to add experience and talent. Owens comes to Lubbock from St. John's where he averaged 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game along with leading the team and BIG EAST with 91 blocked shots. He would lead St. John's in blocks both seasons he was there and was 11th nationally last season with 2.8 blocks per game. Mooney transfers to Texas Tech after playing the last two seasons at South Dakota. He averaged 18.7 points per game as a junior and 18.6 as a sophomore and arrived in Lubbock having already made 181 3-pointers in his career. He was a two-time All-Summit League selection and is coming off a season where he recorded five games with 30 or more points.
Moretti played in all 37 games for the Red Raiders as a freshman where he would average 3.5 points per game to go along with 42 assists and 16 steals. A guard from Italy, Moretti scored a career-high 14 points against Florida Atlantic and also contributed seven points in the NCAA tournament in the games against No. 11 Purdue and No. 2 Villanova.
Texas Tech will return to action at 8 p.m. on Friday against Mississippi Valley State at the USA before playing Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, Nov. 13 to complete the season-opening home stand. The Red Raiders will then travel to Kansas City to play in the Hall of Fame Classic starting against Southern Cal on Monday, Nov. 19 and then either Nebraska or Missouri State on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the Sprint Center.
The Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office is selling season tickets for as low as $135 online at www.TexasTech.com. Fans also can purchase season tickets in person at the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office located on the East Side of Jones AT&T Stadium or over the phone at (806) 742-8324 (TECH).
The Texas Tech basketball program will host a press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Monday in the USA Press Conference room to preview the season opener.
The Red Raiders are 66-27 all-time in season openers and 2-0 in the first game of the year under Beard. The team returns eight players from last year and welcomes in six newcomers. Texas Tech recorded a 27-10 record, including a 17-1 record at home, and a 3-1 record in the NCAA tournament last season. This year's team consists of four seniors (Brandone Francis, Norense Odiase, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens), one junior (Andrew Sorrells), six sophomores (Deshawn Corprew, Malik Ondigo, Jarrett Culver, Avery Benson, Davide Moretti, Parker Hicks) and the freshmen class of Kyler Edwards, Khavon Moore and Josh Mballa.
Incarnate Word is coming off a 7-21 season and were 2-16 in Southland Conference play. Beard was a graduate assistant coach at UIW in 1995-96 for head coach Danny Kaspar in his first year of postgraduate coaching. The Red Raiders and Cardinals are playing each other for only the second time ever with Tech earning a 69-48 win back on Nov. 30, 2016 in the other meeting. The Cardinals are now coached by Dr. Carson Cunningham who is in his first season in San Antonio after coaching at Carroll College the past five seasons.
Texas Tech will unveil its NCAA Elite Eight banner before the start of the game on Tuesday along with a giveaway of 10,000 replica banners for fans at the game.
Beard enters his third season leading the program and is 45-24 over the past two seasons. For his career, Beard is starting his seventh season as a head coach at the NCAA level where he is an impressive 141-54. His coaching staff includes assistant coaches Mark Adams, Brian Burg, Glynn Cyprien, Max Lefevre, Sean Sutton and Tim MacAllister. Cyprien and MacAllister begin their first seasons with the Red Raiders with Cyprien most recently being the head coach of the NBA G League's Memphis Hustle and MacAllister working at Creighton.
Culver is the team's leading returner after recording 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Odiase has averaged 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 91 games played during his Red Raider career. Culver has been identified as an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and named to the Jerry West Award Watch List. A Lubbock native, Culver had four games in his freshman season with 20 or more points including a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds against West Virginia. He led the team with 55 3-pointers and also added 67 assists. Francis is coming off a junior season where he made 33 and averaged 3.8 points per game. A guard from the Dominican Republic, Francis added 30 assists and 15 steals for the Red Raiders last season.
Guess who's back? ?? #4To1
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) November 2, 2018
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/iRfHD9VN7T
The Red Raiders lost talent, experience and leadership from last year's team due to graduation and the NBA Draft, but landed Owens and Mooney as graduate transfers to add experience and talent. Owens comes to Lubbock from St. John's where he averaged 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game along with leading the team and BIG EAST with 91 blocked shots. He would lead St. John's in blocks both seasons he was there and was 11th nationally last season with 2.8 blocks per game. Mooney transfers to Texas Tech after playing the last two seasons at South Dakota. He averaged 18.7 points per game as a junior and 18.6 as a sophomore and arrived in Lubbock having already made 181 3-pointers in his career. He was a two-time All-Summit League selection and is coming off a season where he recorded five games with 30 or more points.
Moretti played in all 37 games for the Red Raiders as a freshman where he would average 3.5 points per game to go along with 42 assists and 16 steals. A guard from Italy, Moretti scored a career-high 14 points against Florida Atlantic and also contributed seven points in the NCAA tournament in the games against No. 11 Purdue and No. 2 Villanova.
Texas Tech will return to action at 8 p.m. on Friday against Mississippi Valley State at the USA before playing Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, Nov. 13 to complete the season-opening home stand. The Red Raiders will then travel to Kansas City to play in the Hall of Fame Classic starting against Southern Cal on Monday, Nov. 19 and then either Nebraska or Missouri State on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the Sprint Center.
The Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office is selling season tickets for as low as $135 online at www.TexasTech.com. Fans also can purchase season tickets in person at the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office located on the East Side of Jones AT&T Stadium or over the phone at (806) 742-8324 (TECH).
The season premiere of "Red Raider Basketball with @CoachBeardTTU" is set for 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday with host @GeoffHaxton at Rudy's Country Store & BBQ. Show up or tune in. #4To1 pic.twitter.com/gXRQR4NljC
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) November 5, 2018
Players Mentioned
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