Texas Tech University Athletics
Friday, December 28
Lubbock, Texas
6 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
UTRGV
PREVIEW: UTRGV Vaqueros
December 27, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Red Raiders vs. UTRGV | 6 p.m., Friday | Lubbock, Texas - United Supermarkets Arena | FSSW+ | TTSN
LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 11/13 Texas Tech will host The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley at 6 p.m. on Friday in the final game of the 2018 calendar year at the United Supermarkets Arena and the last game before the start of Big 12 play next week.
The Red Raiders (10-1) are currently on a 45-game non-conference home winning streak, are 7-0 at home this season and 25-10 in 2018 starting with an 85-73 win over No. 10/8 Kansas last season on Jan. 2, 2018. TTU's non-conference home winning streak started with a 100-69 win over Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013 and the team will come into Friday's game with a 5-0 all-time record against UTRGV. The Vaqueros (8-6) are coming off a 68-64 win over McNeese State last week.
Texas Tech will begin conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 against West Virginia in Morgantown, West Virginia before hosting Kansas State on Saturday, Jan. 5 and Oklahoma on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the USA. The Red Raiders were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 this season after going 11-7 in conference play last year before going on their NCAA Elite Eight run. The Mountaineers are currently 7-4 and will host Lehigh on Sunday before taking on the Red Raiders in the Big 12 opener.
TTU is back in action for the first time since a 69-58 loss to No. 2-ranked Duke last Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The only loss of the season by the Red Raiders came after the team led 29-28 at halftime but were unable to overcome a 24 turnover game where the Blue Devils (11-1) pulled away in the final six minutes in a win that propelled them back to a No. 1 ranking. The Red Raiders were 10-0 for the first time since the 1929-30 season coming into the game and now has the second best start to a season behind only that team that went 12-0 to start their season.
COVERING THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech and UTRGV will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest Plus with John Harris and Chris Level calling the game. On the radio, Geoff Haxton and Clark Lammert will broadcast on Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock. Fans can interact with the broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
RANKINGS/POLLS: Texas Tech continues to lead the nation in defense and is ranked in the polls for the fifth straight week at No. 7 in the NCAA NET Rankings, No. 11 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll, No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the ESPN Power Rankings.
The Red Raiders top defensive stat categories by limiting opponents to 32.8 percent shooting from the field and 24.1 on 3-pointers and are second nationally by holding teams to 52.8 points per game and are fourth with a 22.9 scoring margin. Texas Tech limited Duke to a season-low 38.3 percent shooting, including 3-for-20 on 3-pointers and were the first team to hold the Blue Devils under 70 points. The Red Raiders also lead the Big 12 in rebound margin (6.6), turnover margin (4.4) and forced turnovers (17.00) and are second in the conference with 5.2 blocked shots per game and on the offense side of the court by shooting 37.0 percent on 3-pointers. TTU is third in the Big 12 by shooting 48.9 percent from the field and third with a 1.27 turnover-to-assist ratio and 16.0 assists per game.
The Red Raiders, who were unranked in the preseason polls, have now been ranked in five straight polls. The team appeared in 14 AP polls last season but would enter this season unranked through three weeks. The Red Raiders finished the 2017-18 season at No. 6 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and were in its Top-10 rankings seven times during the season. The No. 6 ranking to finish the season matched a program-best set on Feb. 12, 2018 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll and on Feb. 19, 2018 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
PLAYER NOTES: Texas Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver is coming off a game where he scored 25 points, had six rebounds, four assists and two steals against No. 2-ranked Duke. A Lubbock native, Culver has now recorded 10 games with 20 or more points in his career after hitting a season-high four 3-pointers against the Blue Devils. Culver scored a career-high 30 points in the previous game against Abilene Christian where he went 12-for-13 from the field and leads the Red Raiders this season with 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after his performance against ACU and is on the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Jerry West Award Watch List. He comes into Friday's game against UTRGV with 631 points, 116 assists and 240 rebounds in 48 games played in his career at Tech.
After losing five seniors off last season's NCAA Elite Eight team, Texas Tech found a way to remain a veteran team through recruiting by adding graduate transfers Matt Mooney (University of South Dakota) and Tariq Owens (St. John's) to go along with returners Norense Odiase and Brandone Francis to make up a senior class of four for the Red Raiders. An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots and currently leads the Big 12 with 2.5 blocks per game (28 total). He established a new Texas Tech single-game record with eight blocks in the win over Memphis on Dec. 1 in Miami after starting his Red Raider career with six blocks against Incarnate Word in the season opener. Owens is averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game after having six points and four rebounds against Duke. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and has recorded the team's only double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis. Mooney is adding 10.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game after making the move from South Dakota to Texas Tech to finish his collegiate career. An Illinois native, Mooney started his career at Air Force before playing two seasons at South Dakota where he led his team in scoring both years. He is shooting 46.8 percent from the field this season and has scored in double figures in six games. Mooney, who leads the team with 24 steals after having two against Duke, scored 14 points against ACU and had a season-high 17 points back on Nov. 19 against USC. He's currently second on the team with 13 3-pointers and is shooting 46.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 102 games. He currently has 456 career rebounds after leading the Red Raiders with seven against Duke. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 61.3 percent from the field. He had a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 13 after a 10-rebounds performance against Mississippi Valley State. Odiase scored seven points to go along with his seven rebounds against the Blue Devils after going 3-for-4 from the field. Francis has played a valuable reserve role to start his senior season with 22.3 minutes per game. A Dominican Republic native, he started his career at Florida before transferring to Lubbock. He's currently averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Red Raiders. Francis had a season-high 13 points in the opener against UIW and would contribute 10 points and a career-high six assists in the neutral-court win over Memphis.
Along with Francis, sophomore Deshawn Corprew and freshman Kyler Edwards have added depth and production for the Red Raiders all season. A Virginia native and transfer from South Plains College, Corprew is averaging 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first season with a career-high 13 points against Northern Colorado and eight rebounds against Mississippi Valley State and ACU to highlight his season to this point. An Arlington native, Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 7.7 points with a career-high 19 points coming against Northern Colorado where he shot 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers. Edwards also has three 10-point performances coming against MVSU, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and ACU and is coming off a career-high six rebound performance against Duke. He also had six points against the Blue Devils after going 3-for-6 from the field and is currently shooting 50.0 percent from the field this season.
COACHING NOTES: Chris Beard won his 50th game as the head coach at Texas Tech with a 70-52 victory over No. 25 Nebraska on Nov. 20, 2018 to capture the Hall of Fame Classic Championship. He enters Friday's game with 55 wins as the Red Raider head coach and is 151-55 in seven years as a head coach in the NCAA. Beard matched Bob Knight for the fastest to 50 wins at Texas Tech with both head coaches reaching their 50th win in Lubbock in their 74th game leading the program. Knight won his 50th game at Tech against UTEP on Dec. 3, 2003 with Beard as an assistant coach. Beard is currently 40-4 in home games at Texas Tech, including a 26-0 record in non-conference home games.
UTRGV NOTES: The Vaqueros come to Lubbock for the first time since the 2005 season having knocked off McNeese State last Saturday at home with Javon Levi and Terry Winn III leading the way with 13 points each. UTRGV is 0-1 this season against Big 12 opposition with a 91-76 loss to Oklahoma back on Nov. 9 and battled to a 58-53 loss at Houston which is currently still unbeaten and ranked nationally. Lesley Varner II leads the team with 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while Winn III is at 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds for the season. Levi is adding 9.8 points per game and Tyson Smith is leading the team's reserves with 9.3 points per game off the bench.
UTRGV is coached by Lew Hill who is in his third season with the program after five years as an assistant at Oklahoma. Hill has also coached at UNLV, Texas A&M, East Carolina, Southeast Missouri State and South Alabama.
FOLLOW TEXAS TECH: Fans and media can stay connected by following the team @TexasTechMBB on Twitter and Instagram and at Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB.
TICKETS: 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 Red Raiders (10-1) are currently on a 45-game non-conference home winning streak, are 7-0 at home this season and 25-10 in 2018 starting with an 85-73 win over No. 10/8 Kansas last season on Jan. 2, 2018. TTU's non-conference home winning streak started with a 100-69 win over Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013 and the team will come into Friday's game with a 5-0 all-time record against UTRGV. The Vaqueros (8-6) are coming off a 68-64 win over McNeese State last week.
Texas Tech will begin conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 against West Virginia in Morgantown, West Virginia before hosting Kansas State on Saturday, Jan. 5 and Oklahoma on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the USA. The Red Raiders were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 this season after going 11-7 in conference play last year before going on their NCAA Elite Eight run. The Mountaineers are currently 7-4 and will host Lehigh on Sunday before taking on the Red Raiders in the Big 12 opener.
TTU is back in action for the first time since a 69-58 loss to No. 2-ranked Duke last Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The only loss of the season by the Red Raiders came after the team led 29-28 at halftime but were unable to overcome a 24 turnover game where the Blue Devils (11-1) pulled away in the final six minutes in a win that propelled them back to a No. 1 ranking. The Red Raiders were 10-0 for the first time since the 1929-30 season coming into the game and now has the second best start to a season behind only that team that went 12-0 to start their season.
COVERING THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech and UTRGV will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest Plus with John Harris and Chris Level calling the game. On the radio, Geoff Haxton and Clark Lammert will broadcast on Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock. Fans can interact with the broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
RANKINGS/POLLS: Texas Tech continues to lead the nation in defense and is ranked in the polls for the fifth straight week at No. 7 in the NCAA NET Rankings, No. 11 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll, No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the ESPN Power Rankings.
The Red Raiders top defensive stat categories by limiting opponents to 32.8 percent shooting from the field and 24.1 on 3-pointers and are second nationally by holding teams to 52.8 points per game and are fourth with a 22.9 scoring margin. Texas Tech limited Duke to a season-low 38.3 percent shooting, including 3-for-20 on 3-pointers and were the first team to hold the Blue Devils under 70 points. The Red Raiders also lead the Big 12 in rebound margin (6.6), turnover margin (4.4) and forced turnovers (17.00) and are second in the conference with 5.2 blocked shots per game and on the offense side of the court by shooting 37.0 percent on 3-pointers. TTU is third in the Big 12 by shooting 48.9 percent from the field and third with a 1.27 turnover-to-assist ratio and 16.0 assists per game.
The Red Raiders, who were unranked in the preseason polls, have now been ranked in five straight polls. The team appeared in 14 AP polls last season but would enter this season unranked through three weeks. The Red Raiders finished the 2017-18 season at No. 6 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and were in its Top-10 rankings seven times during the season. The No. 6 ranking to finish the season matched a program-best set on Feb. 12, 2018 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll and on Feb. 19, 2018 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
PLAYER NOTES: Texas Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver is coming off a game where he scored 25 points, had six rebounds, four assists and two steals against No. 2-ranked Duke. A Lubbock native, Culver has now recorded 10 games with 20 or more points in his career after hitting a season-high four 3-pointers against the Blue Devils. Culver scored a career-high 30 points in the previous game against Abilene Christian where he went 12-for-13 from the field and leads the Red Raiders this season with 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after his performance against ACU and is on the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Jerry West Award Watch List. He comes into Friday's game against UTRGV with 631 points, 116 assists and 240 rebounds in 48 games played in his career at Tech.
After losing five seniors off last season's NCAA Elite Eight team, Texas Tech found a way to remain a veteran team through recruiting by adding graduate transfers Matt Mooney (University of South Dakota) and Tariq Owens (St. John's) to go along with returners Norense Odiase and Brandone Francis to make up a senior class of four for the Red Raiders. An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots and currently leads the Big 12 with 2.5 blocks per game (28 total). He established a new Texas Tech single-game record with eight blocks in the win over Memphis on Dec. 1 in Miami after starting his Red Raider career with six blocks against Incarnate Word in the season opener. Owens is averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game after having six points and four rebounds against Duke. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and has recorded the team's only double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis. Mooney is adding 10.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game after making the move from South Dakota to Texas Tech to finish his collegiate career. An Illinois native, Mooney started his career at Air Force before playing two seasons at South Dakota where he led his team in scoring both years. He is shooting 46.8 percent from the field this season and has scored in double figures in six games. Mooney, who leads the team with 24 steals after having two against Duke, scored 14 points against ACU and had a season-high 17 points back on Nov. 19 against USC. He's currently second on the team with 13 3-pointers and is shooting 46.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 102 games. He currently has 456 career rebounds after leading the Red Raiders with seven against Duke. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 61.3 percent from the field. He had a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 13 after a 10-rebounds performance against Mississippi Valley State. Odiase scored seven points to go along with his seven rebounds against the Blue Devils after going 3-for-4 from the field. Francis has played a valuable reserve role to start his senior season with 22.3 minutes per game. A Dominican Republic native, he started his career at Florida before transferring to Lubbock. He's currently averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Red Raiders. Francis had a season-high 13 points in the opener against UIW and would contribute 10 points and a career-high six assists in the neutral-court win over Memphis.
Along with Francis, sophomore Deshawn Corprew and freshman Kyler Edwards have added depth and production for the Red Raiders all season. A Virginia native and transfer from South Plains College, Corprew is averaging 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first season with a career-high 13 points against Northern Colorado and eight rebounds against Mississippi Valley State and ACU to highlight his season to this point. An Arlington native, Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 7.7 points with a career-high 19 points coming against Northern Colorado where he shot 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers. Edwards also has three 10-point performances coming against MVSU, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and ACU and is coming off a career-high six rebound performance against Duke. He also had six points against the Blue Devils after going 3-for-6 from the field and is currently shooting 50.0 percent from the field this season.
COACHING NOTES: Chris Beard won his 50th game as the head coach at Texas Tech with a 70-52 victory over No. 25 Nebraska on Nov. 20, 2018 to capture the Hall of Fame Classic Championship. He enters Friday's game with 55 wins as the Red Raider head coach and is 151-55 in seven years as a head coach in the NCAA. Beard matched Bob Knight for the fastest to 50 wins at Texas Tech with both head coaches reaching their 50th win in Lubbock in their 74th game leading the program. Knight won his 50th game at Tech against UTEP on Dec. 3, 2003 with Beard as an assistant coach. Beard is currently 40-4 in home games at Texas Tech, including a 26-0 record in non-conference home games.
UTRGV NOTES: The Vaqueros come to Lubbock for the first time since the 2005 season having knocked off McNeese State last Saturday at home with Javon Levi and Terry Winn III leading the way with 13 points each. UTRGV is 0-1 this season against Big 12 opposition with a 91-76 loss to Oklahoma back on Nov. 9 and battled to a 58-53 loss at Houston which is currently still unbeaten and ranked nationally. Lesley Varner II leads the team with 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while Winn III is at 10.9 points and 5.1 rebounds for the season. Levi is adding 9.8 points per game and Tyson Smith is leading the team's reserves with 9.3 points per game off the bench.
UTRGV is coached by Lew Hill who is in his third season with the program after five years as an assistant at Oklahoma. Hill has also coached at UNLV, Texas A&M, East Carolina, Southeast Missouri State and South Alabama.
FOLLOW TEXAS TECH: Fans and media can stay connected by following the team @TexasTechMBB on Twitter and Instagram and at Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB.
TICKETS: 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).
We're back by the ?? for our #FiresideChat update with @CoachBeardTTU and special guest, Joey Hawkins who played for @TexasTechFB and us during our Sweet 16 run in 2005. #4To1
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) December 28, 2018
??: @Lantern_Tavern
??: @MeekMill @twentyonepilots @TheBeachBoys @ericchurch pic.twitter.com/SuVvCJ6AHy
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