Saturday, February 10
Manhattan, Kan.
7:00 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
at
Kansas State
Red Raider Preview: Kansas State
February 09, 2018 | Men's Basketball
The Red Raiders will look for the program’s first win in Manhattan since the 2006-07 season.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The No. 7 Texas Tech men's basketball team opens up a stretch of three of its next four games on the road and travels to Kansas State on Saturday.
Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with the ESPN app. Mitch Holthus and Bryndon Manzer 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 Saturday's broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
Texas Tech (20-4, 8-3 Big 12) has already surpassed its win overall and Big 12 totals from last season. The Red Raiders also have reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2006-07 season.
Texas Tech has matched the program's best 11-game start in Big 12 history with the 2004-05 team, the program's last NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The Red Raiders also have won back-to-back road games for the first time since their five-game winning streak in 2015-16 with victories at No. 21 Baylor on Feb. 13 and at Oklahoma State on Feb. 20.
Texas Tech has secured wins in 20 of its first 24 games for the third time in program history. This year's team joins the 1953-54 team which also started 20-4 under Polk Robison. The program's best start was a 23-1 record in 1995-96 under James Dickey when the Red Raiders made the NCAA Sweet 16.
Texas Tech heads into Saturday's action tied with 13-time defending regular season champion Kansas in the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats (17-7, 6-5 Big 12) currently sit in a fourth-place tie with Oklahoma and are one game back of West Virginia in the Big 12 race.
Kansas State has dialed up wins in five of its last seven games starting with an 87-69 rout of then No. 4 Oklahoma on Jan. 16. The Wildcats also have tucked away road wins at Baylor (90-83) on Jan. 22 and most recently at Texas (67-64) on Feb. 7 during the stretch.
The Red Raiders have won three of the last four and will look for the program's first regular season sweep of the Wildcats since the Big 12 play moved to the double round robin schedule in 2011-12. Kansas State holds an overall 23-16 series advantage.
"We have a lot of respect for Kansas State," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "They're not only one of the hottest teams in our conference right now but one of the hottest teams in our country. The way they bounce back from a West Virginia loss, to beat Texas on the road, speaks for itself. Coach Weber's won wherever he's ever been, and Kansas State is no different. We also have respect for their players. I think they have basically an all-conference back court. Wade's really developed into one of the best players in the Big 12. Everybody on their roster is playing great and at a high level. They've overcome an adverse situation with Stokes' injury and now he's back. In our minds, we're going to have play one of our best games of the year to have a chance to be competitive and win the game Saturday."
ABOUT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders have secured five consecutive victories with their last two decisions coming by a combined 30-point margin. Texas Tech has won all 17 games which include each of the eight Big 12 contests this season when the Red Raiders make more free throws than their opponents.
Defense continues to be a calling card of Texas Tech's as the Red Raiders have limited the opposition to a pair of Big 12 leading and NCAA Top 10 marks in points per game (62.7 – 7th) coupled with field goal percentage defense (39.3 – T-10th).
Keenan Evans has registered 18.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The 18.4 points are second, while 3.5 assists are 10th on the Big 12 leaderboard. The Bob Cousy finalist and Wooden Late Season Top 20 Watch List member has garnered double figures in 22 of 24 outings. Evans has upped his marks to 25.6 points per game in his last five outings and is the two-time defending Big 12 Player of the Week.
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have found their rhythm in the starting lineup during the last six games. The freshman duo have averaged 11.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, en route to 27 games in double figures between them.
Smith is coming off a season's best 21 points coupled with eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists during the Iowa State game. He has reached double figures five of his last seven outings and in 15 of his last 19 appearances.
Culver has come away with 14.4 points per game in his last five outings sparked by a pair of 20-plus point performances against Oklahoma State and at TCU. He is an efficient 10-of-15 from the floor during his last two games.
The Texas Tech bench continues to be the Big 12 frontrunner with 782 points for a 32.6 points per game average. The Red Raiders have managed a 297-174 advantage during its 11 Big 12 games.
The bench rotation is led by Niem Stevenson (6.8 PPG), Brandone Francis (5.9 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (5.5 PPG) and Davide Moretti (4.0 PPG).
Stevenson has pumped in 8.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his last two games. He notched nine points versus Iowa State, his highest scoring output since the Baylor game on Dec. 29.
Francis has posted 7.9 points per game in his last 11 games and knocked down 31-of-64 from the field during that span. He has drained 27 of his 52 baskets from beyond the three-point line.
Hamilton IV is working his way towards 1,000 career points and heads into Saturday's action 63 points away. Norense Odiase is the team's leading rebounder at 5.2 points per game which is tied for 17th in the Big 12 rankings. He has tallied five points or more 12 times on the season.
Texas Tech's interior play have combined to post consecutive double-doubles in the last two games. Norense Odiase hauled down 11 rebounds against Texas, his second-highest output on the season.
Justin Gray has provided 6.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his last two appearances. He is the only player to start all 24 games this season and has buried 250-of-449 of his career two-point attempts.
"I think Niem has been doing a great job getting some offensive punch coming off the bench," Beard said. "I continue to have a lot of confidence in young players. Moro and Josh have come in and effect the game. Brandone is having a good season for us, same with Tommy and Norense. I don't really view either one the starter. It's really having two guys that have to play well for us to win. I would think as the season goes on chemistry improves on good teams then kind of stales on average teams. Right now, our chemistry is improving which is a good sign."
ABOUT KANSAS STATE
The top six players in the Wildcats rotation do a majority of heavy lifting with 68.7 of the team's 74.0 points per game. Kansas State's top four scoring options are Dean Wade (16.4 PPG), Barry Brown (16.0 PPG), Kamau Stokes (11.9 PPG) and Xavier Sneed (11.2 PPG). Wade and Brown have taken their games to new levels in Big 12 action with 19.5 points and 18.5 points per game, respectively.
Wade is on an impressive run with 12 consecutive games in doubles figures headed by seven games with 20 or more points during the run. He has knocked down 58.3 percent of his shot attempts and 52.5 percent of his three-point attempts in league play.
Brown has eclipsed double figures in 10 of his last 13 efforts highlighted by six games over the 20-point plateau. He exploded for 38 points against Oklahoma State on Jan. 10 and added a 34-point outburst at Baylor on Jan. 22.
Kansas State welcomed Stokes back into the fold after a seven-game absence. He has played limited minutes in the last two games but has dished out seven assists from the point guard position. Stokes has garnered a trio of games over 20 points with his season-high being 23 points versus Arizona State on Nov. 23 and at Iowa State on Dec. 29.
Sneed has filled the stats sheet with 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.6 assists per game. He has hit on eight three-pointers in his last two games and 45 of his 88 buckets are beyond the arc.
Cartier Diarra has upped his average to 7.0 points per game and reached double figures in seven of his last 10 games. He began his run with an 11-point game at Texas Tech and picked up 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting during the Texas game last time out.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech returns home to face No. 17 Oklahoma as part of ESPN's Super Tuesday. Tipoff is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT from the United Supermarkets Arena. The game will be televised by ESPN and the ESPN app.
Tickets to Tuesday's game are sold out. Doors open to the USA at 4:30 p.m. CT. 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.
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 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNU along with the ESPN app. Mitch Holthus and Bryndon Manzer 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 Saturday's broadcast by following @GunsUpRadio on Twitter.
Texas Tech (20-4, 8-3 Big 12) has already surpassed its win overall and Big 12 totals from last season. The Red Raiders also have reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2006-07 season.
Texas Tech has matched the program's best 11-game start in Big 12 history with the 2004-05 team, the program's last NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The Red Raiders also have won back-to-back road games for the first time since their five-game winning streak in 2015-16 with victories at No. 21 Baylor on Feb. 13 and at Oklahoma State on Feb. 20.
Texas Tech has secured wins in 20 of its first 24 games for the third time in program history. This year's team joins the 1953-54 team which also started 20-4 under Polk Robison. The program's best start was a 23-1 record in 1995-96 under James Dickey when the Red Raiders made the NCAA Sweet 16.
Texas Tech heads into Saturday's action tied with 13-time defending regular season champion Kansas in the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats (17-7, 6-5 Big 12) currently sit in a fourth-place tie with Oklahoma and are one game back of West Virginia in the Big 12 race.
Kansas State has dialed up wins in five of its last seven games starting with an 87-69 rout of then No. 4 Oklahoma on Jan. 16. The Wildcats also have tucked away road wins at Baylor (90-83) on Jan. 22 and most recently at Texas (67-64) on Feb. 7 during the stretch.
The Red Raiders have won three of the last four and will look for the program's first regular season sweep of the Wildcats since the Big 12 play moved to the double round robin schedule in 2011-12. Kansas State holds an overall 23-16 series advantage.
"We have a lot of respect for Kansas State," Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. "They're not only one of the hottest teams in our conference right now but one of the hottest teams in our country. The way they bounce back from a West Virginia loss, to beat Texas on the road, speaks for itself. Coach Weber's won wherever he's ever been, and Kansas State is no different. We also have respect for their players. I think they have basically an all-conference back court. Wade's really developed into one of the best players in the Big 12. Everybody on their roster is playing great and at a high level. They've overcome an adverse situation with Stokes' injury and now he's back. In our minds, we're going to have play one of our best games of the year to have a chance to be competitive and win the game Saturday."
ABOUT TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders have secured five consecutive victories with their last two decisions coming by a combined 30-point margin. Texas Tech has won all 17 games which include each of the eight Big 12 contests this season when the Red Raiders make more free throws than their opponents.
Defense continues to be a calling card of Texas Tech's as the Red Raiders have limited the opposition to a pair of Big 12 leading and NCAA Top 10 marks in points per game (62.7 – 7th) coupled with field goal percentage defense (39.3 – T-10th).
Keenan Evans has registered 18.4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The 18.4 points are second, while 3.5 assists are 10th on the Big 12 leaderboard. The Bob Cousy finalist and Wooden Late Season Top 20 Watch List member has garnered double figures in 22 of 24 outings. Evans has upped his marks to 25.6 points per game in his last five outings and is the two-time defending Big 12 Player of the Week.
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have found their rhythm in the starting lineup during the last six games. The freshman duo have averaged 11.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, en route to 27 games in double figures between them.
Smith is coming off a season's best 21 points coupled with eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists during the Iowa State game. He has reached double figures five of his last seven outings and in 15 of his last 19 appearances.
Culver has come away with 14.4 points per game in his last five outings sparked by a pair of 20-plus point performances against Oklahoma State and at TCU. He is an efficient 10-of-15 from the floor during his last two games.
The Texas Tech bench continues to be the Big 12 frontrunner with 782 points for a 32.6 points per game average. The Red Raiders have managed a 297-174 advantage during its 11 Big 12 games.
The bench rotation is led by Niem Stevenson (6.8 PPG), Brandone Francis (5.9 PPG), Tommy Hamilton IV (5.5 PPG) and Davide Moretti (4.0 PPG).
Stevenson has pumped in 8.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his last two games. He notched nine points versus Iowa State, his highest scoring output since the Baylor game on Dec. 29.
Francis has posted 7.9 points per game in his last 11 games and knocked down 31-of-64 from the field during that span. He has drained 27 of his 52 baskets from beyond the three-point line.
Hamilton IV is working his way towards 1,000 career points and heads into Saturday's action 63 points away. Norense Odiase is the team's leading rebounder at 5.2 points per game which is tied for 17th in the Big 12 rankings. He has tallied five points or more 12 times on the season.
Texas Tech's interior play have combined to post consecutive double-doubles in the last two games. Norense Odiase hauled down 11 rebounds against Texas, his second-highest output on the season.
Justin Gray has provided 6.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his last two appearances. He is the only player to start all 24 games this season and has buried 250-of-449 of his career two-point attempts.
"I think Niem has been doing a great job getting some offensive punch coming off the bench," Beard said. "I continue to have a lot of confidence in young players. Moro and Josh have come in and effect the game. Brandone is having a good season for us, same with Tommy and Norense. I don't really view either one the starter. It's really having two guys that have to play well for us to win. I would think as the season goes on chemistry improves on good teams then kind of stales on average teams. Right now, our chemistry is improving which is a good sign."
ABOUT KANSAS STATE
The top six players in the Wildcats rotation do a majority of heavy lifting with 68.7 of the team's 74.0 points per game. Kansas State's top four scoring options are Dean Wade (16.4 PPG), Barry Brown (16.0 PPG), Kamau Stokes (11.9 PPG) and Xavier Sneed (11.2 PPG). Wade and Brown have taken their games to new levels in Big 12 action with 19.5 points and 18.5 points per game, respectively.
Wade is on an impressive run with 12 consecutive games in doubles figures headed by seven games with 20 or more points during the run. He has knocked down 58.3 percent of his shot attempts and 52.5 percent of his three-point attempts in league play.
Brown has eclipsed double figures in 10 of his last 13 efforts highlighted by six games over the 20-point plateau. He exploded for 38 points against Oklahoma State on Jan. 10 and added a 34-point outburst at Baylor on Jan. 22.
Kansas State welcomed Stokes back into the fold after a seven-game absence. He has played limited minutes in the last two games but has dished out seven assists from the point guard position. Stokes has garnered a trio of games over 20 points with his season-high being 23 points versus Arizona State on Nov. 23 and at Iowa State on Dec. 29.
Sneed has filled the stats sheet with 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.6 assists per game. He has hit on eight three-pointers in his last two games and 45 of his 88 buckets are beyond the arc.
Cartier Diarra has upped his average to 7.0 points per game and reached double figures in seven of his last 10 games. He began his run with an 11-point game at Texas Tech and picked up 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting during the Texas game last time out.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech returns home to face No. 17 Oklahoma as part of ESPN's Super Tuesday. Tipoff is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT from the United Supermarkets Arena. The game will be televised by ESPN and the ESPN app.
Tickets to Tuesday's game are sold out. Doors open to the USA at 4:30 p.m. CT. 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.
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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