Texas Tech University Athletics
Saturday, January 26
Lubbock, Texas
5 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Arkansas
PREVIEW: Arkansas
January 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball
No. 14 Red Raiders vs. Arkansas | 5 p.m., Saturday | TV: ESPN2 · RADIO: TTSN | United Supermarkets Arena · Lubbock, Texas
LUBBOCK, Texas – One of Texas Tech's most historic matchups will be renewed on Saturday when the Red Raiders host Arkansas at 5 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The Red Raiders (15-4) are on a 46-game non-conference home winning streak and are 10-1 at home this season, while the Razorbacks (11-7) are 9-3 in non-conference play coming into the game. TTU is coming off a 58-45 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas, while Arkansas earned a 72-60 win over Missouri on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak. Former foes in the Southwest Conference, Texas Tech and Arkansas met for the first time in 1942 are tied at 39-39 in the all-time series with the Razorbacks earning a 75-68 overtime win on Jan. 30, 2016 in the last matchup. TTU is 23-11 all-time in Lubbock against Arkansas.
STAT RANKINGS: Texas Tech's defense continues to lead nation by limiting opponents to 35.3 shooting on the season, while the team is second by holding opponents to 55.9 points per game and is third with teams shooting 26.4 shooting on 3-pointers. The Red Raiders are 21st nationally in scoring margin at 14.3, 22nd with 96 total blocks, 24th with 5.1 blocks per game and are forcing 16.26 turnovers per game which ranks as the 37th best in the country. Individually, Tariq Owens is second in the Big 12 and is 12th in the nation with 47 total blocks and 16th with 2.47 blocks per game. Jarrett Culver is second in the conference with a 53.1 shooting percentage, second with 75 made free throws and third in scoring with 18.7 points per game and total points (355).
POLLS: The Red Raiders are now ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press Top-25 and ESPN Power Rankings, No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the NCAA NET Rankings. TTU was ranked No. 8 last week before its losses against BU and ISU. Texas Tech has now been ranked in nine straight polls after starting the season unranked and through three weeks. The Red Raiders finished the 2017-18 season at No. 14 in the final AP Poll and were at No. 6 in the last USA TODAY Coaches Poll where it spent seven weeks in its top-10 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.
UP NEXT: Texas Tech will return to Big 12 play when it hosts TCU at 8 p.m. on Monday in an ESPN Big Monday matchup at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders are 2-1 at home in conference games with wins over KSU and Oklahoma before a 68-64 loss to Iowa State on Jan. 16 in their last home game.
SEC/Big 12 CHALLENGE: Texas Tech is 3-2 all-time after earning a 70-63 win at South Carolina last season. The Red Raiders also have wins over Auburn and LSU in the challenge with their losses coming to Alabama and Arkansas in that matchup in 2016. The Big 12 is 29-21 against the SEC going into the sixth year of the challenge. The Big 12/SEC Challenge also includes Florida at TCU, Alabama at Baylor, Iowa State at Ole Miss, Texas at Georgia, Kansas State at Texas A&M, South Carolina at Oklahoma State, West Virginia at Tennessee, Vanderbilt at Oklahoma and Kansas at Kentucky.
NON-CONFERENCE HOME STREAK: Texas Tech is on a 46-game non-conference home winning streak and is 8-0 in those games this season. The program started its winning streak in Lubbock against non-conference opponents Dec. 30, 2013 with a 100-69 win over Mount Saint Mary's after a 71-69 loss to LSU on Dec. 18, 2013. The Red Raiders have home non-conference wins over Incarnate Word, Mississippi Valley State, Southeastern Louisiana, Northern Colorado, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Northwestern State, Abilene Christian and UT Rio Grande Valley this season. Overall, the Red Raiders are 11-1 in non-conference play this season with their only loss coming to Duke on Dec. 20 in New York.
COACHES VS. CANCER: The Texas Tech coaching staff will be supporting the Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week initiative by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society. The Red Raider coaches wore their Under Armor sneakers on Tuesday and will once again on Saturday to show their support. The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs. Since 1993, coaches have raised over $100 million for the American Cancer Society.
PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game after recording 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and also a season-high five steals on Tuesday at Kansas State. The performance in Manhattan followed him going for 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists last Saturday at Baylor. Culver was 6-for-16 from the field against the Wildcats and has now led the team in scoring 15 times this season. Culver recorded his second double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and also 20 points against Iowa State. He has also had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas on Jan. 12 following his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 points against Oklahoma on his conference resume. A Lubbock native, he is currently averaging 17.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists through seven 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 18 of 19 games and is shooting 53.1 percent from the field overall and 47.8 percent 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 comes into the matchup against the Razorbacks having scored 770 career points in 56 games as a Red Raider.
Davide Moretti hit two 3-pointers and finished with six points against KSU after having scored in double figures the first six Big 12 games this season. He was coming off scoring 13 at Baylor after finishing with 10 points against Iowa State last week. Moretti now has 314 points through 56 games in his career, including recording a career-high 19 points in the first matchup against Kansas State where he also matched a career-high with four rebounds. In Manhattan, he was limited to 2-for-6 shooting for his six points. Moretti is averaging 12.1 points and 1.3 assists in conference play after also going for 13 points at Texas and 12 points against the Sooners. 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 19 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 2.1 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 in non-conference play. Moretti made a career-high five 3-pointers in his 17-point performance against MVSU and has scored in double figures in eight games this season and 10 in his career. He currently leads TTU with 28 3-pointers and is shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.
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. Owens and Mooney were both named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award Watch List, making TTU the only team with two members on the list of 15. Francis is coming off making his first start of the season and second of his career after his best scoring performance of the season after going for 14 points with three 3-pointers at Baylor. In the start against KSU, Francis was limited to two points after going 0-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. He scored his season-high at Baylor by going 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line in the game. He was also 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 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game and is fourth on the team with 17 3-pointers this season for the Red Raiders. Francis had a previous 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 294 points in 56 games in his career for the Red Raiders.
An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens came off the bench for the first time this season on Tuesday and responded by recording 12 points and six rebounds at Kansas State. He was 2-for-4 on 3-pointers and now has four 3s on the season. Owens had provided eight points, six rebounds and a block against Baylor las weekend in Waco and had three blocks and seven points against Iowa State after having four blocks against Oklahoma and Texas. He currently has 47 blocks this season which is tied for the seventh most in a single-season with Zach Smith (2015-16). Tony Battie has the single-season record with 71 blocks in the 1996-97 season. Owens currently has 18 blocks in Big 12 play after having one against KSU. Owens is averaging 2.6 blocks and 8.0 points per game in Big 12 play after also scoring 12 in the win over the Longhorns to go along with his four blocks. He led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots before graduating and transferring to Tech. Owens 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 in his first season in Lubbock. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and recorded the team's first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis.
Mooney scored a season-high 22 points against Texas where he was 8-for-10 from the field with three 3-pointers but has been limited to two points in the past two games at Baylor and Kansas State. He opened Big 12 play with 14 points in both games against KSU and WVU and is now averaging 9.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.4 assists per game in Big 12 play. He is currently third in the Big 12 with 1.7 steals overall per game for the season. 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 43.0 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in nine games and leads the team with 33 steals after having two against the Wildcats. Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 109 games. He pulled down five rebounds last week against ISU and also had four points, but is coming off a game at Kansas State where he was limited to two points and two rebounds. He matched a season-high by scoring eight points against Oklahoma two weeks ago after going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line and then pulled down eight rebounds at Texas. He currently has 479 career rebounds with 83 this season. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 55.1 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.
Kyler Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.1 points and 1.2 assists per game in his freshman season. Edwards has scored nine points in two conference games so far, first in the home game against KSU and then against Iowa State. He was held to two points against KSU on Tuesday in Manhattan after going 0-for-3 from the field. 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 41.8 percent from the field with 13 3-pointers. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew is averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in his first season with the Red Raiders. A transfer from South Plains College, he has played in 18 of 19 games including a career-night where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UTRGV. Corprew, who made his first career start in that game 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 against Iowa State with two minutes but has not played in the past two at Baylor and Kansas State. A Macon, Georgia native, Moore has been working through an injury that had sidelined him through the first 16 games of the season.
ARKANSAS PREVIEW (ArkansasRazorbacks.com Report Link): The Razorbacks travel to Lubbock after earning a 72-60 win over Missouri on Wednesday in Fayetteville where they outscored the Tigers by a 40-26 margin in the second half. Isaiah Joe led the team with 23 points after going 7-for-12 on 3-pointers, while Daniel Gafford went for 13 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Gafford, a 6-foot-11 sophomore from El Dorado, Arkansas, leads the Razorbacks with 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and has also added a team-leading 35 blocked shots. Joe is scoring 14.9 points per game and has 31 assists and Mason Jones is at 13.9 points per game. Jalen Harris leads the team with 116 assists and is also scoring 8.4 points per game after having 10 points and six assists.
Arkansas is averaging 78.9 points per game with a 44.7 shooting percentage from the field and knocking down 141 3-pointers through 18 games. The win over Missouri snapped a four-game losing streak for the Razorbacks who are now 2-4 in conference play. The team is shooting 64.5 percent from the free-throw line and has a plus-2.5 turnover margin. The Razorbacks opened their season with a 73-71 overtime loss to Texas in their only other game against a Big 12 opponent this season. They are currently 9-3 in non-conference play and 3-3 on the road.
Arkansas will return to conference play when it hosts Georgia on Tuesday.
FAN EXPERIENCE: Guests attending Texas Tech Athletics home events will be able to take advantage of fan friendly pricing at the concession stands throughout the season. A total of six items will be available for $3 or less. Fans will be able to purchase a hot dog (previously $5), Nacho Grande (previously $8.50) and 46oz popcorn (previously $5) for $2 each. In addition, 20oz bottled water (previously $4), 16oz soft drinks, and candy (previously $4) can be purchased for $3 per item. In addition, all guests of the legal drinking age attending Red Raider and Lady Raider games in United Supermarkets Arena will be offered the opportunity to purchase a variety of beer and wine. Points of sales will be offered at all main concession stands as well as portable stations throughout the concourse. Fans will still be able to enjoy Club Red located on the east concourse of United Supermarkets Arena. Furthermore, beer and wine will now be available for purchase at Rip Griffin Park and Jones AT&T Stadium.
PARKING: With the start of construction on the Womble Center, a portion of the West parking lot will be blocked off for the remainder of the season. Fans who normally park in the lots closest to the arena will now be asked to park in the West Lot just beyond the construction site.
The Red Raiders (15-4) are on a 46-game non-conference home winning streak and are 10-1 at home this season, while the Razorbacks (11-7) are 9-3 in non-conference play coming into the game. TTU is coming off a 58-45 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas, while Arkansas earned a 72-60 win over Missouri on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak. Former foes in the Southwest Conference, Texas Tech and Arkansas met for the first time in 1942 are tied at 39-39 in the all-time series with the Razorbacks earning a 75-68 overtime win on Jan. 30, 2016 in the last matchup. TTU is 23-11 all-time in Lubbock against Arkansas.
STAT RANKINGS: Texas Tech's defense continues to lead nation by limiting opponents to 35.3 shooting on the season, while the team is second by holding opponents to 55.9 points per game and is third with teams shooting 26.4 shooting on 3-pointers. The Red Raiders are 21st nationally in scoring margin at 14.3, 22nd with 96 total blocks, 24th with 5.1 blocks per game and are forcing 16.26 turnovers per game which ranks as the 37th best in the country. Individually, Tariq Owens is second in the Big 12 and is 12th in the nation with 47 total blocks and 16th with 2.47 blocks per game. Jarrett Culver is second in the conference with a 53.1 shooting percentage, second with 75 made free throws and third in scoring with 18.7 points per game and total points (355).
POLLS: The Red Raiders are now ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press Top-25 and ESPN Power Rankings, No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the NCAA NET Rankings. TTU was ranked No. 8 last week before its losses against BU and ISU. Texas Tech has now been ranked in nine straight polls after starting the season unranked and through three weeks. The Red Raiders finished the 2017-18 season at No. 14 in the final AP Poll and were at No. 6 in the last USA TODAY Coaches Poll where it spent seven weeks in its top-10 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.
UP NEXT: Texas Tech will return to Big 12 play when it hosts TCU at 8 p.m. on Monday in an ESPN Big Monday matchup at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders are 2-1 at home in conference games with wins over KSU and Oklahoma before a 68-64 loss to Iowa State on Jan. 16 in their last home game.
SEC/Big 12 CHALLENGE: Texas Tech is 3-2 all-time after earning a 70-63 win at South Carolina last season. The Red Raiders also have wins over Auburn and LSU in the challenge with their losses coming to Alabama and Arkansas in that matchup in 2016. The Big 12 is 29-21 against the SEC going into the sixth year of the challenge. The Big 12/SEC Challenge also includes Florida at TCU, Alabama at Baylor, Iowa State at Ole Miss, Texas at Georgia, Kansas State at Texas A&M, South Carolina at Oklahoma State, West Virginia at Tennessee, Vanderbilt at Oklahoma and Kansas at Kentucky.
NON-CONFERENCE HOME STREAK: Texas Tech is on a 46-game non-conference home winning streak and is 8-0 in those games this season. The program started its winning streak in Lubbock against non-conference opponents Dec. 30, 2013 with a 100-69 win over Mount Saint Mary's after a 71-69 loss to LSU on Dec. 18, 2013. The Red Raiders have home non-conference wins over Incarnate Word, Mississippi Valley State, Southeastern Louisiana, Northern Colorado, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Northwestern State, Abilene Christian and UT Rio Grande Valley this season. Overall, the Red Raiders are 11-1 in non-conference play this season with their only loss coming to Duke on Dec. 20 in New York.
COACHES VS. CANCER: The Texas Tech coaching staff will be supporting the Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week initiative by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society. The Red Raider coaches wore their Under Armor sneakers on Tuesday and will once again on Saturday to show their support. The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs. Since 1993, coaches have raised over $100 million for the American Cancer Society.
PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game after recording 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and also a season-high five steals on Tuesday at Kansas State. The performance in Manhattan followed him going for 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists last Saturday at Baylor. Culver was 6-for-16 from the field against the Wildcats and has now led the team in scoring 15 times this season. Culver recorded his second double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and also 20 points against Iowa State. He has also had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas on Jan. 12 following his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 points against Oklahoma on his conference resume. A Lubbock native, he is currently averaging 17.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists through seven 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 18 of 19 games and is shooting 53.1 percent from the field overall and 47.8 percent 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 comes into the matchup against the Razorbacks having scored 770 career points in 56 games as a Red Raider.
Davide Moretti hit two 3-pointers and finished with six points against KSU after having scored in double figures the first six Big 12 games this season. He was coming off scoring 13 at Baylor after finishing with 10 points against Iowa State last week. Moretti now has 314 points through 56 games in his career, including recording a career-high 19 points in the first matchup against Kansas State where he also matched a career-high with four rebounds. In Manhattan, he was limited to 2-for-6 shooting for his six points. Moretti is averaging 12.1 points and 1.3 assists in conference play after also going for 13 points at Texas and 12 points against the Sooners. 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 19 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 2.1 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 in non-conference play. Moretti made a career-high five 3-pointers in his 17-point performance against MVSU and has scored in double figures in eight games this season and 10 in his career. He currently leads TTU with 28 3-pointers and is shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.
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. Owens and Mooney were both named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award Watch List, making TTU the only team with two members on the list of 15. Francis is coming off making his first start of the season and second of his career after his best scoring performance of the season after going for 14 points with three 3-pointers at Baylor. In the start against KSU, Francis was limited to two points after going 0-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. He scored his season-high at Baylor by going 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line in the game. He was also 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 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game and is fourth on the team with 17 3-pointers this season for the Red Raiders. Francis had a previous 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 294 points in 56 games in his career for the Red Raiders.
An Odenton, Maryland native, Owens came off the bench for the first time this season on Tuesday and responded by recording 12 points and six rebounds at Kansas State. He was 2-for-4 on 3-pointers and now has four 3s on the season. Owens had provided eight points, six rebounds and a block against Baylor las weekend in Waco and had three blocks and seven points against Iowa State after having four blocks against Oklahoma and Texas. He currently has 47 blocks this season which is tied for the seventh most in a single-season with Zach Smith (2015-16). Tony Battie has the single-season record with 71 blocks in the 1996-97 season. Owens currently has 18 blocks in Big 12 play after having one against KSU. Owens is averaging 2.6 blocks and 8.0 points per game in Big 12 play after also scoring 12 in the win over the Longhorns to go along with his four blocks. He led the BIG EAST the past two seasons in blocked shots before graduating and transferring to Tech. Owens 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 in his first season in Lubbock. He had a season-high 18 points against Southern Cal and recorded the team's first double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in his eight-block performance against Memphis.
Mooney scored a season-high 22 points against Texas where he was 8-for-10 from the field with three 3-pointers but has been limited to two points in the past two games at Baylor and Kansas State. He opened Big 12 play with 14 points in both games against KSU and WVU and is now averaging 9.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.4 assists per game in Big 12 play. He is currently third in the Big 12 with 1.7 steals overall per game for the season. 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 43.0 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in nine games and leads the team with 33 steals after having two against the Wildcats. Odiase is in his fifth season at Texas Tech and has played in 109 games. He pulled down five rebounds last week against ISU and also had four points, but is coming off a game at Kansas State where he was limited to two points and two rebounds. He matched a season-high by scoring eight points against Oklahoma two weeks ago after going 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line and then pulled down eight rebounds at Texas. He currently has 479 career rebounds with 83 this season. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 55.1 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.
Kyler Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.1 points and 1.2 assists per game in his freshman season. Edwards has scored nine points in two conference games so far, first in the home game against KSU and then against Iowa State. He was held to two points against KSU on Tuesday in Manhattan after going 0-for-3 from the field. 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 41.8 percent from the field with 13 3-pointers. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew is averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in his first season with the Red Raiders. A transfer from South Plains College, he has played in 18 of 19 games including a career-night where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UTRGV. Corprew, who made his first career start in that game 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 against Iowa State with two minutes but has not played in the past two at Baylor and Kansas State. A Macon, Georgia native, Moore has been working through an injury that had sidelined him through the first 16 games of the season.
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— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 26, 2019
Be early, be loud and help us get it done.#4To1
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ARKANSAS PREVIEW (ArkansasRazorbacks.com Report Link): The Razorbacks travel to Lubbock after earning a 72-60 win over Missouri on Wednesday in Fayetteville where they outscored the Tigers by a 40-26 margin in the second half. Isaiah Joe led the team with 23 points after going 7-for-12 on 3-pointers, while Daniel Gafford went for 13 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Gafford, a 6-foot-11 sophomore from El Dorado, Arkansas, leads the Razorbacks with 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and has also added a team-leading 35 blocked shots. Joe is scoring 14.9 points per game and has 31 assists and Mason Jones is at 13.9 points per game. Jalen Harris leads the team with 116 assists and is also scoring 8.4 points per game after having 10 points and six assists.
Arkansas is averaging 78.9 points per game with a 44.7 shooting percentage from the field and knocking down 141 3-pointers through 18 games. The win over Missouri snapped a four-game losing streak for the Razorbacks who are now 2-4 in conference play. The team is shooting 64.5 percent from the free-throw line and has a plus-2.5 turnover margin. The Razorbacks opened their season with a 73-71 overtime loss to Texas in their only other game against a Big 12 opponent this season. They are currently 9-3 in non-conference play and 3-3 on the road.
Arkansas will return to conference play when it hosts Georgia on Tuesday.
FAN EXPERIENCE: Guests attending Texas Tech Athletics home events will be able to take advantage of fan friendly pricing at the concession stands throughout the season. A total of six items will be available for $3 or less. Fans will be able to purchase a hot dog (previously $5), Nacho Grande (previously $8.50) and 46oz popcorn (previously $5) for $2 each. In addition, 20oz bottled water (previously $4), 16oz soft drinks, and candy (previously $4) can be purchased for $3 per item. In addition, all guests of the legal drinking age attending Red Raider and Lady Raider games in United Supermarkets Arena will be offered the opportunity to purchase a variety of beer and wine. Points of sales will be offered at all main concession stands as well as portable stations throughout the concourse. Fans will still be able to enjoy Club Red located on the east concourse of United Supermarkets Arena. Furthermore, beer and wine will now be available for purchase at Rip Griffin Park and Jones AT&T Stadium.
PARKING: With the start of construction on the Womble Center, a portion of the West parking lot will be blocked off for the remainder of the season. Fans who normally park in the lots closest to the arena will now be asked to park in the West Lot just beyond the construction site.
.@CoachBeardTTU, @MoonSwag13 and @Sneaky_Bounce talked with the media this afternoon to preview Saturday's non-conference home game against Arkansas. #4To1
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 24, 2019
???https://t.co/pqCq8pcYDC pic.twitter.com/b1dHSa5gnr
Watch this clip for a #TTPTPL lesson from @CoachBeardTTU and click the link for the full #FiresideChat episode with @MayorDanPope. #4To1
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 25, 2019
??https://t.co/BdKihZO60d pic.twitter.com/Ip2XR5RcYQ
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballToughest Team Wins: Trust
Wednesday, October 22
Watts, Atwell Media Availability
Friday, October 17
Toughest Team Wins: Building Momentum
Thursday, October 16
Find A Way - Episode 6
Tuesday, October 14