PREVIEW: Long Island University

LUBBOCK, Texas – Las Vegas can wait.

All of No. 12 Texas Tech's attention is on Long Island University as it prepares to host the Sharks at 1 p.m. on Sunday for a Continental Tire Las Vegas campus game at the United Supermarkets Arena. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a limited edition commemorative Final Four poster and Raising Canes will be outside the student entrance to provide free food, coupons and swag while supplies last.

The Red Raiders (4-0) extended a 50-game non-conference home winning streak with a 72-57 win over Tennessee State on Thursday in the first game of the multi-team event that will continue next week in Las Vegas. Tech, which started last year with a 10-0 record, is unblemished through four games for the third straight season and the 18th time in program history. Under head coach Chris Beard the Red Raiders are now 53-5 in home games and 80-31 overall. LIU (1-4) is coming off a Friday night loss at San Diego where it fell 81-64. The Sharks went 16-16 last season after winning 2018 Northeast Conference championship.

SERIES: Texas Tech and LIU will meet for the first time in program history. The Red Raiders are 2-0 all-time against Northeast Conference opponents with wins over St. Francis (Pa.) and Mount St. Mary's. The Sharks, who merged this year from LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post for a unified athletic department, are the fourth opponent this season that the Red Raiders are playing for the first time in their program history.

GAME COVERAGE: The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus with John Harris and Chris Level on the call and on the Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock with Geoff Haxton. Fans can also find the game on any streaming device by using the FOX Sports Go app and can follow the game at @TexasTechMBB.

STAT RANKINGS: After moving to 4-0 with the win over Tennessee State the Red Raiders are one of 47 teams that remain unbeaten (through Friday night) and also are 12th nationally with a 26.0 scoring margin of victory advantage. Tech leads the nation with 22.0 assists per game, including having 31 in the win over Houston Baptist, 25 against Eastern Illinois and 22 versus Bethune-Cookman. With 44 assists through the opening slate, the Red Raiders have the 12th most in the country and lead the Big 12 with 84.8 points per game. Individually, Kyler Edwards and Davide Moretti lead the country by shooting 100 percent from the free-throw line and TJ Holyfield is second in the NCAA by shooting 81.3 percent from the field. Moretti is in the top-20 among 3-point shooters at 55.6 percent which is the 17th best in the rankings and Chris Clarke is 26th nationally in assists with 6.5 per game. His 26 total assists are the third most in the conference coming into the weekend.

POLL REPORT: Texas Tech is ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll along with being slotted at No. 10 in the NCAA March Madness Power 36 by Andy Katz. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 11 in last week's poll and No. 13 in the preseason poll. Duke (4-0) is now ranked No. 1 in the nation followed by Louisville, Michigan State, Kansas and North Carolina.

STREAKING: Texas Tech has won 50 straight non-conference home games after its 72-57 win over Tennessee State on Thursday. The team came into the season following a 67-64 win over Arkansas to complete a 9-0 mark in those games last year. TTU started the streak with a 100-69 win over St. Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013. Chris Beard is 31-0 in non-conference home games as the team's head coach.

SELL-OUT WITH ME: Fresh off the success of reaching the program's first NCAA Final Four, Texas Tech fans filled the USA during its season-opening week for the 20th and 21st sell-out in program history. It was the first time in program history with two sell-outs to begin the season and doubled the previous amount of non-conference games at capacity. The Red Raiders had four sell-outs last season where the program averaged 12,098 which was the second most ever behind only a 13,743 count in the 2001-02 season. Prior sell-outs in non-conference play came against New Mexico (2007) and UNLV (2006). Tech also sold out its neutral-court matchup against Houston Baptist in Midland before having 12,284 in attendance against Tennessee State.

PLAYER NOTES: Davide Moretti is a coming off a season-high 19 points after going 6-for-11 from the field with four 3-pointers in the win over Tennessee State. A junior from Italy, Moretti has scored in double-digits in all four games this season and in 31 during his career. He is currently shooting 18-for-31 (58.1 percent) from the field, 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) on 3-pointers and is 11-for-11 at the free-throw line this season. Moretti, who has hit three or more 3-pointers in three of four games, has scored 623 career points and hit 109 3-pointers in 79 games played at Tech. He is 132-for-144 (91.7 percent) from the free-throw line during his career and is coming off a sophomore season where he led the nation at 92.4 percent. An All-Big 12 Third Team selection last year, he is also adding 3.8 assists per game this season to go along with averaging 14.3 points per game. He scored 11.5 per game last season where he led the team with 73 3-pointers in 38 games.

Jahmi'us Ramsey lead the Red Raiders with 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season as a freshman. An Arlington native, Ramsey is coming off a 13-point performance against TSU where he also grabbed seven rebounds. He went 5-for-6 at the free-throw line and also had two assists and two steals. Ramsey scored a career-high 25 points in a win over Houston Baptist where he was 10-for-13 from the field with three 3-pointers and also scored 19 points in the season-opener against Eastern Illinois where he was 8-for-16 from the field with three 3-pointers. He had a season-best nine rebounds against Bethune-Cookman and is currently averaging 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game to go along with his team-leading scoring and rebounding numbers. Terrence Shannon, Jr. is also coming off a season-high scoring performance after dropping 13 against the Tigers. A freshman from Chicago, Shannon was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line for the second time this season and would also add a career-best seven rebounds in the win that took the Red Raiders to 4-0. He also went 7-for-8 at the line in the opener against EIU where he finished with 11 points. He is currently averaging 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds through four games of his collegiate career.

Chris Clarke has only attempted eight shots this season but continues to be one of the most influential players in the nation with his activity on the court. He's currently leading the Red Raiders with 7.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game after having a season-best 12 rebounds and adding four assists in the win over Tennessee State. A Virginia Beach native and Virginia Tech graduate transfer, Clarke now has 26 assists through four games for the Red Raiders and 236 in his career when you add in three seasons and 79 games played with the Hokies. He averaged 6.5 rebounds per game for VT during his career there and averaged 2.96 assist per game as a junior. Through four games coming in as a reserve, Clarke has a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and has eight offensive rebounds. TJ Holyfield is second on the team with 16.0 points per game and is also adding 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in his first season in Lubbock. An Albuquerque, New Mexico native and SFA graduate transfer, Holyfield scored a season-high 21 points against Houston Baptist after dropping 20 on Bethune-Cookman and 15 against EIU. He is shooting 26-for-32 (81.3 percent) from the field this season and will be coming off a game where he scored eight points in a game where he was limited to 2-for-3 shooting from the field after getting into early foul trouble. Despite playing only 14 minutes, Holyfield still produced eight points from the starting lineup and now has scored 1,145 points in his career when you couple his first four game with the Red Raiders along with his time with the Lumberjacks.

Texas Tech sophomore Kyler Edwards has started all four games and is averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game after scoring 10 and securing seven rebounds in the win over TSU. An Arlington native, Edwards scored a season-high 15 points in the win over HBU after contributing nine against BCU. He has six or more rebounds in three of four games this season and is also averaging a team-best 4.0 assists per game. Edwards, who played as a reserve in all 38 games last season for the Red Raiders, had three assists on Thursday night against TSU after having five in the wins over HBU and BCU. He currently has scored 248 points and grabbed 107 rebounds through 42 games in his career. He had a career-high 19 points in a win over Northern Colorado last season where he was 7-for-7 from the field and is currently 12-for-12 at the free-throw line this season after going 8-for-8 from the line against TSU. After redshirting last season, freshman Kevin McCullar is making an impact off the bench this season where he is averaging 5.0 points per game after scoring a career-high seven points against TSU. He was 2-for-2 from the field and 3-for-6 at the free-throw line after having scored a previous career-high five in the win over HBU. Avery Benson, who is in his third year with the Red Raiders and sophomore season, is adding 3.5 points per game and is currently 5-for-6 from the field with three 3-pointers. A Springdale, Arkansas native, Benson scored a career-high six points against Bethune-Cookman and is also pulling down 1.3 rebounds per game. He played in 24 games last season for the Red Raiders.

Clarence Nadolny is adding 4.5 points and 1.5 assists per game, while Russel Tchewa is at 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in their freshmen seasons. The pair of freshmen are part of a seven-player freshman class that includes Andrei Savrasov who is averaging 2.3 rebounds per game. The class also includes Tyreek Smith who has not played this season due to injury.

OPPONENT FIVE: The LIU Sharks come into Lubbock with a 1-4 record after taking an 81-64 loss to San Diego State in its first Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational campus game on Friday in San Diego. The Sharks, who play out of the Northeast Conference, went 16-16 last season and were coming off a 92-84 win over Delaware State in their last game before SDSU. The Sharks are averaging 73.8 points per game this season and are shooting 43.2 percent from the field through five games. LIU has made 45 3-pointers (30.6 percent) and is averaging 36.6 rebounds per game.

Raiquan Clark leads the Sharks by averaging 20.5 points per game and is also adding 6.0 rebounds per game. A senior from New Haven, Conn., Clark is coming off a double-double in San Diego where he had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Ty Flowers, a junior from Waterbury, Conn., is adding 16.0 points per game and leads the team with 13.2 rebounds per game. Flowers led LIU with 15 points and also had eight rebounds against SDSU. Jashaun Agosto is the third LIU player averaging double figures in scoring at 10.8 points per game and leads the team with 22 assists through five games. A senior from Seattle, Agosto had 10 points and two assists on Friday night. In the loss at San Diego State, the Sharks shot 43.5 percent from the field but struggled with possession with 21 turnovers while SDSU had only six. The team also has losses to Rhode Island, UMass-Lowell and George Mason.

The Sharks are led by Derek Kellogg who is in his third season at Long Island. Kellogg, who formerly coached at UMass, is 190-174 in his career and 34-37 at LIU.

Watch Lists: Moretti has been named to the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List following a season where he helped lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA National Championship Final and the Big 12 regular season championship. Moretti averaged 11.5 points per game, had 91 assists and shot 53.5 from the field, 53.5 percent on 3-pointers and 93.1 percent at the free-throw line during conference play as a sophomore. A Bologna, Italy native, Moretti earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors and led the nation by finishing the season at 92.4 percent at the line (97-of-105). Clarke was announced as one of 20 players on the watch list for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Clarke transferred to Texas Tech this season after averaging 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.03 steals in 79 games played at Virginia Tech. With the Hokies, Clarke would average 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds as a junior after going for 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his sophomore season. For his career, he has scored 728 points, secured 517 rebounds and has 210 assists in his collegiate career.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its watch list with 20 candidates for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its seventeenth year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

SPANNING THE GLOBE: The Red Raiders are represented by eight players by five international players: Moretti (Italy), Nadolny (France), Ntambwe (Congo), Savrasov (Russia) and Tchewa (Cameroon). The program his two players from Arlington, Texas in Kyler Edwards and Jahmi'us Ramsey, Kevin McCullar is from San Antonio and four from out of state: Avery Benson (Arkansas), TJ Holyfield (New Mexico), Tyreek Smith (Louisiana) and Terrence Shannon (Illinois).

COACHING STAFF: The Red Raiders are led by head coach Chris Beard who is in his fourth season. Beard was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year last season along with earning Big 12 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Beard has led the Red Raiders to an 80-31 record coming into Thursday's game against TSU, including a 53-5 record at home after the win over BCU. Beard is joined on the coaching bench by assistant coaches Mark Adams, Brian Burg and Ulric Maligi, Tim MacAllister (Chief of Staff), Bob Donewald (Player Development), Sean Sutton (Executive Advisor), John Reilly (Strength & Conditioning), Mike Neal (Athletic Trainer) and graduate assistants Casey Perrin, Ronald Ross, Matt Temple, Elliott De Wit, Khristian Smith, Joey Kuhl, Rusty Grafel and Mike Fallone. Adams was named the TABC Assistant Coach of the Year last season for his role in helping Beard and the Red Raiders reach the national championship final. Burg was listed by The Athletic as one of the top rising assistants in the game as he enters his fourth season at Tech and fifth with Beard after also being at Little Rock with Beard and Adams. Maligi is in his first season at Texas Tech after working at Texas A&M last year. Neal is also new to the program, joining the Red Raiders after working at Little Rock where he was also a player before going into athletic training. Adams and Burg were previously on Beard's staff at Little Rock along with athletic trainer Mike Neal who is in his first season at Tech. MacAllister was named to the NABC 30 Under 30 list after last year and enters his second season with the Red Raiders. Along with being 20 wins away from 100 at Tech, Beard is 176-61 as a collegiate head coach after prior leadership at Little Rock, Angelo State and McMurry.

SIGNING CLASS: Beard announced the signings of Chibuzo Agbo, Nimari Burnett and Micah Peavy to their national letter of intent for the 2020-21 academic year on November 13. The trio of talented recruits is ranked No. 5 nationally by Rivals.com and join a program that has advanced to the 2018 Elite Eight and to the 2019 NCAA National Championship Final over the past two season. Agbo signs with Texas Tech as a 4-star prospect by Rivals and 247Sports after being named the 2019 Western League Player of the Year playing for Saint Augustine High School. He enters his senior season as the 2019-20 San Diego Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 20 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and shooting 42.0 percent on 3-pointers as a junior. He is currently ranked No.70 by 247Sports and No. 87 nationally by Rivals. Agbo chose Texas Tech over USC and was also recruited by Arizona, Cal, San Diego State and Marquette. Burnett is the highest rated recruit to sign in Texas Tech basketball history with a 5-star ranking by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. A Chicago, Illinois native, Burnett is ranked No. 19 nationally in the 2020 signing class by ESPN, No. 22 by Rivals and No. 28 in the 247Sports rankings. Peavy helped lead Duncanville High School to a Class 6A State Championship last season as a junior where he averaged 16 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He signs with Texas Tech as a 4-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports and is the No. 2-ranked prospect in Texas according to Mike Kunstadt's Texas Hoops. Peavy is the No. 32-ranked player in the nation by ESPN and No. 34 by Rivals.

DEPARTURES: Texas Tech will look to replace the winningest team in program history that is now without Jarrett Culver, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens, Brandone Francis and Norense Odiase. Culver declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was selected No. 6 overall. After leading the Red Raiders with 18.5 points per and 6.4 rebounds per game and earning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America honors, Culver is now on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mooney was the team's third leading scorer behind Culver and Moretti and is now with the Memphis Hustle in the G-League, while Owens established a new program single-season record with 92 blocked shots and is with Odiase on the Northern Arizona Suns (G-League). Francis was a member of the 2018 Elite Eight run and 2019 runner-up team and is on the Iowa Wolves roster. Along with players from last year's team, Max Lefevre is now with the Timberwolves working in video and athletic trainer Chris Williams joined the Timberwolves and Iowa Wolves athletic training staff.

FROM THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT: We've got plenty of exciting promotions for Sunday's game, as the first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a limited edition commemorative Final Four poster. This will also be the final game of the November STH rewards program, so season ticket holders who scan their tickets in for the 4th consecutive game this season will earn their exclusive Fireside Chat Coffee Mug. For all our Texas Tech students, its Game 4 of the Kentucky Guarantee, so for the 2,000 students who are still active, make sure to scan in to earn your 4th credit towards a guaranteed seat at the Kentucky game. Plus, come early as Raising Canes will be outside the student entrance, providing free food, coupons, and swag while supplies last.

WE WROTE A BOOK: The story of the 2018-19 season has been chronicled in a commemorative book titled Raider Power: Texas Tech's Journey From Unranked to the Final Four. The Texas Tech Athletic Communications Office produced book is filled with images from our photographers and stories from throughout the season. The book is available now online and in stores. It is published by the TTU Press.

UP NEXT: Texas Tech will return to action next week with two games at the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational at the Orleans Arena. The Red Raiders will open against Iowa at 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving night before playing either San Diego State or Creighton on Friday night. The program has won their past two multi-team event after going to Kansas City last year to earn the Hall of Fame Classic title with wins over Southern Cal and Nebraska after claiming the 2017 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tournament title in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Red Raiders will be playing in Las Vegas for the first time since the 2014 Las Vegas Classic.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brandone Francis

Avery Benson

Chris Clarke

Jarrett Culver

Kyler Edwards

TJ Holyfield

Kevin McCullar

Matt Mooney

Davide Moretti

Clarence Nadolny

Norense Odiase

Tariq Owens

Jahmi'us Ramsey

Andrei Savrasov

Terrence Shannon, Jr.

Tyreek Smith

Russel Tchewa

Texas Tech University Athletics