Red Raiders Remain at No. 8 in AP Top-25

LUBBOCK, Texas – Through 16 games Texas Tech has only one loss, is the top defensive team in the nation by limiting opponents to 33.8 percent shooting and remains at No. 8 in the Associated Press Top-25 and No. 4 in the NCAA NET Rankings.

The Red Raiders (15-1, 4-0 Big 12) are coming off a 68-62 win over Texas and 66-59 victory over Oklahoma last week and will now host Iowa State at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the United Supermarkets Arena before traveling to Waco to play Baylor on Saturday. TTU is currently 10-0 at home this season coming into the game against the Cyclones (12-4, 2-2 Big 12).

Staying in the polls, Texas Tech moved up two spots to No. 6 in the ESPN Power Rankings and dropped one spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll to No. 9.
The Red Raiders are also currently second in the nation by holding teams to 54.0 points per game and to 25.4 shooting on 3-pointers, while they are ninth with a 18.7 scoring margin advantage, 15th with 86 total blocks and 28th by forcing 16.88 turnovers per game. TTU is second in the Big 12 with a 3.8 turnover margin advantage, a 71.4 free-throw percentage and is third offensively by shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Defensively, an opponent has still not scored over 70 points this season.

Individually, Texas Tech senior Tariq Owens ranks 11th nationally with 42 total blocks and 2.63 blocks per game. He leads the Big 12 with his 2.63 blocks per game, while Jarrett Culver is third in the conference with 18.7 points per game and is fourth with 65 total assists. Culver is also third with 299 points and 81 field goals made through 16 games. Matt Mooney is third in the Big 12 with 1.88 steals per game and has is 73rd nationally with 30 total steals.

Duke (14-1) remains the top-ranked team in the nation for the fourth straight week and also is the only team to top the Red Raiders this season. The Blue Devils won 69-58 over TTU in New York on Dec. 20 at Madison Square Garden and moved up to No. 1 after the win. The Red Raiders limited Duke to 38.3 percent shooting in the game and to under 70 points for the only time this season. Michigan (17-0) is second in the polls, followed by No. 3 Tennessee (14-1), No. 4 Virginia (15-0) and No. 5 Gonzaga (16-2) in the top-5. Kansas (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) is seventh in the poll and will play Texas and West Virginia this week. TTU and KU will meet for the first time on Saturday, Feb. 2 in Lawrence, Kansas.

Texas Tech has now been ranked in eight straight polls after starting the season unranked and 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.

Texas Tech University Athletics

Red Raiders Remain at No. 8 in AP Top-25

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Players Mentioned

Jarrett Culver

Matt Mooney

Tariq Owens

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