Texas Tech University Athletics

PREVIEW: at Baylor Bears
January 18, 2019 | Men's Basketball
No. 8 Red Raiders at Baylor | 5 p.m., Saturday | TV: ESPN2 / RADIO: TTSN | Waco, Texas - Ferrell Center
LUBBOCK, Texas – Back in Central Texas for the second straight weekend, No. 8 Texas Tech will play Baylor at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Waco at the Ferrell Center.
The Red Raiders (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) are coming off a 68-64 loss to Iowa State at home on Wednesday that snapped a five-game winning streak, while the Bears (10-6, 2-2 Big 12) secured a 73-69 win over Oklahoma State on Monday in Stillwater. TTU is 2-0 on the road this season in Big 12 play after knocking off Texas last Saturday in Austin. BU is 7-3 at home and currently 1-1 against ranked opponents this season with a 73-70 win over then-No. 20 Iowa State and a 73-68 loss to No. 7 Kansas with both games at home.
POLLS/STAT RANKINGS:Â Texas Tech leads the nation by limiting opponents to 34.4 percent shooting and remains at No. 8 in the Associated Press Top-25 and No. 8 in the NCAA NET Rankings after the loss to the Cyclones. The Red Raiders moved up two spots to No. 6 in the ESPN Power Rankings this week but dropped one spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll to No. 9. TTU is currently second in the nation by holding teams to 54.8 points per game and to 25.3 shooting on 3-pointers, while it is 12th with a 17.4 scoring margin advantage, 16th with 91 total blocks and 32nd by forcing 16.4 turnovers per game. TTU is second in the Big 12 with a 3.6 turnover margin advantage, a 70.0 free-throw percentage and is third offensively by shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Defensively, an opponent has still not scored over 70 points this season. Â
Individually, Texas Tech senior Tariq Owens ranks 10th nationally with 45 total blocks and 2.5 blocks per game. He leads the Big 12 with his 2.63 blocks per game, while Jarrett Culver is third in the conference with 18.8 points per game and is fourth with 66 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 1.76 steals per game and has 30 total steals.
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.
SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech and Baylor will be meeting for the 137th time with the Red Raiders owning a 79-57 advantage in the all-time series… The teams have split the past three seasons with the home teams winning the past two years after the visitors winning in 2016… Baylor is 35-29 against TTU in Waco, including taking the last meeting with a 59-57 win over the Red Raiders on Feb. 17, 2018… The series began with Texas Tech winning 38-28 back on Jan. 2, 1937 in Oklahoma City. Â
PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 18.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game after going off for a career-high 16 rebounds and also scoring 20 points on Wednesday against Iowa State. It was Culver's second double-double of the season and fourth of his career and was the eighth time this season he's scored 20 or more points. He had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas last Saturday following his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 points on Tuesday against Oklahoma. Culver is currently averaging 16.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists through five conference games. Culver is on the John R. Wooden Award, Jerry West Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Lute Olson Award watch lists, was named to the Sporting News Midseason All-America second-team and earned Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention honors. He has scored in double figures in 16 of 17 games and is shooting 48.3 percent from the field in Big 12 play. Culver recorded a career-high with 30 points against Abilene Christian on Dec. 20 where he went 12-for-13 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after the performance and followed it by going to New York and scoring 25 points against Duke. Culver, who is shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 37.7 percent on 3-pointers, comes into the matchup at Baylor having scored 734 career points in 54 games as a Red Raider.
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. Mooney scored a season-high 22 points against Texas where he was 8-for-10 from the field with three 3-pointers last Saturday but was limited to eight points against the Cyclones. He opened Big 12 play with 14 points in both games against KSU and WVU and is now averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.2 assists per game in Big 12 play. He is currently third in the Big 12 with 1.9 steals per game. 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 46.0 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in nine games and leads the team with 30 steals after having two against the Longhorns. An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens had three blocks and seven points against Iowa State after having four blocks against Oklahoma and Texas. He currently has 45 blocks this season which is tied with Zach Smith (2014-15) for the eighth most in a single-season by a Red Raider. Tony Battie has the single-season record with 71 blocks in the 1996-97 season. Owens is averaging 3.2 blocks and 7.2 points per game in Big 12 play after also scoring 12 in the win over the Longhorns to go along with his blocks. He led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots and currently leads Big 12 and is 11th nationally with 2.6 blocks per game (45 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 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in his first season in Lubbock. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and has recorded the team's first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis.
Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 107 games. He pulled down five rebounds on Wednesday against ISU and also had four points. He matched a season-high by scoring eight points against Oklahoma last week after going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line and then pulled down eight rebounds against the Longhorns. He currently has 475 career rebounds with 79 this season. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 55.5 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 Duke after going 3-for-4 from the field. Francis has played a valuable reserve role in his senior season and would finish with six points against the Cyclones after hitting two 3-pointers early in the second half to get the Red Raiders back into the game. Francis was coming off a week where he had five points and three assists against the Longhorns after scoring eight second-half points against Oklahoma. Francis was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers in the game against OU and helped spark the Red Raiders to the win. A Dominican Republic native, he started his career at Florida before transferring to Lubbock where he averaged 5.1 points per game with 33 3-pointers as a junior during the Elite 8 run, including a career-high 17 points in the win over West Virginia. He's currently averaging 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 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. He has scored 278 points in 54 games in his career for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech sophomore Davide Moretti has scored in double figures in all five Big 12 games this season after knocking down two 3-pointers and finishing with 10 points against the Cyclones. He now has 295 points through 54 games in his career. Moretti is averaging 13.2 points and 1.4 assists in conference play after going for 13 points last Saturday at Texas. He also 12 points against the Sooners after recording a career-high 19 points against Kansas State where he also matched a career-high with four rebounds. Moretti was 7-for-11 from the field with three 3-pointers against the Wildcats and followed it with two more 3-pointers and going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line against OU. Against Texas, Moretti was 3-for-6 on 3-pointers and also led the Red Raiders with three steals. He started Big 12 play by hitting a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining to give the Red Raiders a 55-54 lead at West Virginia. Moretti finished the game at WVU with 12 points after hitting two 3-pointers to give him 15 for the season. Moretti has started all 17 games for the Red Raiders this season after making one start in 37 games played as a freshman. A coach's son from Italy, Moretti is averaging 9.8 points and 2.2 assists per game in his second season with the program. He had previously scored a career-high 17 points in wins over Southern Cal and Mississippi Valley State and has two games with six assists. Moretti made a career-high five 3-pointers in his 17-point performance against MVSU and has scored in double figures in four games. He currently leads TTU with 25 3-pointers and is shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Kyler Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.6 points per game to start his freshman season after going for nine against ISU. He also scored nine points with a 3-pointer and a 4-for-4 performance at the free-throw line for his Big 12-high against KSU. A freshman from Arlington, he has scored nine or more points in eight games this season and has recorded four double-digit scoring performances. Edwards recorded a career-high 19 points against Northern Colorado where he went 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers. Edwards is shooting 43.4 percent from the field with 12 3-pointers. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew played only four minutes in Austin before exiting with an injury and did not play against ISU. A transfer from South Plains College, he had previously played in all 16 games and is averaging 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Corprew had a career-night where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UTRGV but has been held to two points at WVU, three against KSU, four against OU to start of conference play. Corprew, who made his first career start against UTRGV, was 6-for-8 from the field to match a previous career-high of 13 points that he also had against Northern Colorado. He also pulled down four offensive and six defensive rebounds for a new career-high in rebounding in the last non-conference game before Big 12 play. Texas Tech freshman Khavon Moore made his first appearance of the season on Wednesday where he played two minutes. A Macon, Georgia native, Moore has been working through an injury that had sidelined him through the first 16 games of the season.
UP NEXT: Texas Tech will return to action at 6 p.m. on Tuesday against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. The Red Raiders won the first meeting between the two teams in a 63-57 decision on Jan. 2 in Lubbock.
BAYLOR QUICK NOTES (BaylorBears.com Report Link): Baylor is 2-2 in Big 12 play with wins over Iowa State and Oklahoma State and is currently 7-3 at home this season. The Bears lead the conference with 5.6 blocks per game, are third by limiting teams to 63.9 points per game and second with a plus-6.7 rebounding advantage. Tristan Clark and Makai Mason lead BU with 14.6 points per game each with Clark leading the team 34 blocked shots. Mark Vital leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with 6.2 points. Vital is fourth in the conference in rebounding and Clark was second in blocks at 2.4 blocks behind only Owens before being injured. Baylor announced last Saturday that he would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. King McClure has 40 assists and 11.0 points per game for the Bears after leading the team with 29 points and nine rebounds on Monday at Oklahoma State. McClure was 9-for-14 from the field in the game, including going off for seven 3-pointers. Jared Butler added 16 points and Mason had 13 in the road win.
The Bears will play at West Virginia on Monday in Morgantown before hosting Alabama next Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at the Ferrell Center.
COVERING THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech and Baylor will be televised on ESPN2 with Mark Neely and Reid Gettys calling the game. On the radio, Geoff Haxton and Chris Level 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.
The Red Raiders (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) are coming off a 68-64 loss to Iowa State at home on Wednesday that snapped a five-game winning streak, while the Bears (10-6, 2-2 Big 12) secured a 73-69 win over Oklahoma State on Monday in Stillwater. TTU is 2-0 on the road this season in Big 12 play after knocking off Texas last Saturday in Austin. BU is 7-3 at home and currently 1-1 against ranked opponents this season with a 73-70 win over then-No. 20 Iowa State and a 73-68 loss to No. 7 Kansas with both games at home.
POLLS/STAT RANKINGS:Â Texas Tech leads the nation by limiting opponents to 34.4 percent shooting and remains at No. 8 in the Associated Press Top-25 and No. 8 in the NCAA NET Rankings after the loss to the Cyclones. The Red Raiders moved up two spots to No. 6 in the ESPN Power Rankings this week but dropped one spot in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll to No. 9. TTU is currently second in the nation by holding teams to 54.8 points per game and to 25.3 shooting on 3-pointers, while it is 12th with a 17.4 scoring margin advantage, 16th with 91 total blocks and 32nd by forcing 16.4 turnovers per game. TTU is second in the Big 12 with a 3.6 turnover margin advantage, a 70.0 free-throw percentage and is third offensively by shooting 47.4 percent from the field. Defensively, an opponent has still not scored over 70 points this season. Â
Individually, Texas Tech senior Tariq Owens ranks 10th nationally with 45 total blocks and 2.5 blocks per game. He leads the Big 12 with his 2.63 blocks per game, while Jarrett Culver is third in the conference with 18.8 points per game and is fourth with 66 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 1.76 steals per game and has 30 total steals.
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.
SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech and Baylor will be meeting for the 137th time with the Red Raiders owning a 79-57 advantage in the all-time series… The teams have split the past three seasons with the home teams winning the past two years after the visitors winning in 2016… Baylor is 35-29 against TTU in Waco, including taking the last meeting with a 59-57 win over the Red Raiders on Feb. 17, 2018… The series began with Texas Tech winning 38-28 back on Jan. 2, 1937 in Oklahoma City. Â
PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 18.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game after going off for a career-high 16 rebounds and also scoring 20 points on Wednesday against Iowa State. It was Culver's second double-double of the season and fourth of his career and was the eighth time this season he's scored 20 or more points. He had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas last Saturday following his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 points on Tuesday against Oklahoma. Culver is currently averaging 16.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists through five conference games. Culver is on the John R. Wooden Award, Jerry West Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Lute Olson Award watch lists, was named to the Sporting News Midseason All-America second-team and earned Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention honors. He has scored in double figures in 16 of 17 games and is shooting 48.3 percent from the field in Big 12 play. Culver recorded a career-high with 30 points against Abilene Christian on Dec. 20 where he went 12-for-13 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after the performance and followed it by going to New York and scoring 25 points against Duke. Culver, who is shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 37.7 percent on 3-pointers, comes into the matchup at Baylor having scored 734 career points in 54 games as a Red Raider.
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. Mooney scored a season-high 22 points against Texas where he was 8-for-10 from the field with three 3-pointers last Saturday but was limited to eight points against the Cyclones. He opened Big 12 play with 14 points in both games against KSU and WVU and is now averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.2 assists per game in Big 12 play. He is currently third in the Big 12 with 1.9 steals per game. 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 46.0 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in nine games and leads the team with 30 steals after having two against the Longhorns. An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens had three blocks and seven points against Iowa State after having four blocks against Oklahoma and Texas. He currently has 45 blocks this season which is tied with Zach Smith (2014-15) for the eighth most in a single-season by a Red Raider. Tony Battie has the single-season record with 71 blocks in the 1996-97 season. Owens is averaging 3.2 blocks and 7.2 points per game in Big 12 play after also scoring 12 in the win over the Longhorns to go along with his blocks. He led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots and currently leads Big 12 and is 11th nationally with 2.6 blocks per game (45 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 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in his first season in Lubbock. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and has recorded the team's first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis.
Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 107 games. He pulled down five rebounds on Wednesday against ISU and also had four points. He matched a season-high by scoring eight points against Oklahoma last week after going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line and then pulled down eight rebounds against the Longhorns. He currently has 475 career rebounds with 79 this season. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 55.5 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 Duke after going 3-for-4 from the field. Francis has played a valuable reserve role in his senior season and would finish with six points against the Cyclones after hitting two 3-pointers early in the second half to get the Red Raiders back into the game. Francis was coming off a week where he had five points and three assists against the Longhorns after scoring eight second-half points against Oklahoma. Francis was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers in the game against OU and helped spark the Red Raiders to the win. A Dominican Republic native, he started his career at Florida before transferring to Lubbock where he averaged 5.1 points per game with 33 3-pointers as a junior during the Elite 8 run, including a career-high 17 points in the win over West Virginia. He's currently averaging 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 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. He has scored 278 points in 54 games in his career for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech sophomore Davide Moretti has scored in double figures in all five Big 12 games this season after knocking down two 3-pointers and finishing with 10 points against the Cyclones. He now has 295 points through 54 games in his career. Moretti is averaging 13.2 points and 1.4 assists in conference play after going for 13 points last Saturday at Texas. He also 12 points against the Sooners after recording a career-high 19 points against Kansas State where he also matched a career-high with four rebounds. Moretti was 7-for-11 from the field with three 3-pointers against the Wildcats and followed it with two more 3-pointers and going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line against OU. Against Texas, Moretti was 3-for-6 on 3-pointers and also led the Red Raiders with three steals. He started Big 12 play by hitting a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining to give the Red Raiders a 55-54 lead at West Virginia. Moretti finished the game at WVU with 12 points after hitting two 3-pointers to give him 15 for the season. Moretti has started all 17 games for the Red Raiders this season after making one start in 37 games played as a freshman. A coach's son from Italy, Moretti is averaging 9.8 points and 2.2 assists per game in his second season with the program. He had previously scored a career-high 17 points in wins over Southern Cal and Mississippi Valley State and has two games with six assists. Moretti made a career-high five 3-pointers in his 17-point performance against MVSU and has scored in double figures in four games. He currently leads TTU with 25 3-pointers and is shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Kyler Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.6 points per game to start his freshman season after going for nine against ISU. He also scored nine points with a 3-pointer and a 4-for-4 performance at the free-throw line for his Big 12-high against KSU. A freshman from Arlington, he has scored nine or more points in eight games this season and has recorded four double-digit scoring performances. Edwards recorded a career-high 19 points against Northern Colorado where he went 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers. Edwards is shooting 43.4 percent from the field with 12 3-pointers. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew played only four minutes in Austin before exiting with an injury and did not play against ISU. A transfer from South Plains College, he had previously played in all 16 games and is averaging 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Corprew had a career-night where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UTRGV but has been held to two points at WVU, three against KSU, four against OU to start of conference play. Corprew, who made his first career start against UTRGV, was 6-for-8 from the field to match a previous career-high of 13 points that he also had against Northern Colorado. He also pulled down four offensive and six defensive rebounds for a new career-high in rebounding in the last non-conference game before Big 12 play. Texas Tech freshman Khavon Moore made his first appearance of the season on Wednesday where he played two minutes. A Macon, Georgia native, Moore has been working through an injury that had sidelined him through the first 16 games of the season.
UP NEXT: Texas Tech will return to action at 6 p.m. on Tuesday against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. The Red Raiders won the first meeting between the two teams in a 63-57 decision on Jan. 2 in Lubbock.
BAYLOR QUICK NOTES (BaylorBears.com Report Link): Baylor is 2-2 in Big 12 play with wins over Iowa State and Oklahoma State and is currently 7-3 at home this season. The Bears lead the conference with 5.6 blocks per game, are third by limiting teams to 63.9 points per game and second with a plus-6.7 rebounding advantage. Tristan Clark and Makai Mason lead BU with 14.6 points per game each with Clark leading the team 34 blocked shots. Mark Vital leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with 6.2 points. Vital is fourth in the conference in rebounding and Clark was second in blocks at 2.4 blocks behind only Owens before being injured. Baylor announced last Saturday that he would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. King McClure has 40 assists and 11.0 points per game for the Bears after leading the team with 29 points and nine rebounds on Monday at Oklahoma State. McClure was 9-for-14 from the field in the game, including going off for seven 3-pointers. Jared Butler added 16 points and Mason had 13 in the road win.
The Bears will play at West Virginia on Monday in Morgantown before hosting Alabama next Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at the Ferrell Center.
COVERING THE RED RAIDERS: Texas Tech and Baylor will be televised on ESPN2 with Mark Neely and Reid Gettys calling the game. On the radio, Geoff Haxton and Chris Level 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.
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— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 19, 2019
ÂAn important part of our journey's story is who gets us there. #4To1 https://t.co/SizMo8TXGD??https://t.co/L19CGiiBTH pic.twitter.com/tasZ4RBhxo
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 18, 2019
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