PREVIEW: Baylor

Saturday, February 16

Lubbock, Texas

1 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Baylor

February 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball

GAME NOTES LIVE STATS RADIO WATCH RANKINGS PRESS CONFERENCE

No. 15 Red Raiders vs. Baylor | 1 p.m., Saturday | TV: ESPN | Lubbock, Texas | United Supermarkets Arena

LUBBOCK, Texas – Back at home and on a three-game conference winning streak with a 23.7 scoring margin advantage in those wins, No. 15 Texas Tech will host Baylor at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena in the 13th round of the Big 12 Conference fight. The game is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

The Red Raiders (20-5, 8-4 Big 12) earned a 78-50 win at Oklahoma State on Wednesday to secure the 13th 20-win season in program history, while Baylor (16-8, 7-4 Big 12) took a 59-53 win in Waco over Oklahoma to end a two-game skid. Tech continues to lead the nation by limiting teams to 36.2 percent shooting and will look to avenge a 73-62 loss at Baylor back on Jan. 19. The Red Raiders are 5-2 since that loss, including impressive wins over West Virginia (81-50), Oklahoma (66-54) and then the 28-point win over the Cowboys to come into Saturday's game with a three-game winning streak. Baylor, which is currently No. 32 in the NCAA NET Rankings, will be looking to sweep the season series against TTU for the first time since 2015.

Texas Tech is 13-1 at home this season and 46-5 under head coach Chris Beard who is in his third season leading the program. Beard is now 65-29 as the program's head coach coming into Saturday's game against the Bears who are led by Scott Drew.

PROMOS: There will be a student tailgate from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Texas Tech Rugby Field where students will receive free food and drinks. There will also be an opportunity to win $1,000 courtesy of Wells Fargo. In addition, Texas Tech students will receive a voucher for free Nachos Grande at the game and former Red Raider legend Jason Sasser will be signing autographs and taking pictures with fans at the East Concourse outside Club Red.

SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech and Baylor will be meeting for the 138th time with the Red Raiders owning a 79-58 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 won in 2016… Texas Tech is 45-19 at home against the Bears after earning a 77-53 win at the USA last season with Keenan Evans leading the team with 18 points and Jarrett Culver adding 13 on a 5-for-7 shooting performance. The series began with Texas Tech winning 38-28 back on Jan. 2, 1937 in Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT: The Red Raiders will return to action next week against Kansas in their only game next week on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the United Supermarkets Arena. TTU's schedule will have two more home games after the Jayhawks with Oklahoma State coming to Lubbock on Feb. 27 before the home finale on Mach 4 against Texas.

POLLS/STAT RANKINGS: After three straight double-digit conference wins, Texas Tech has risen to No. 15 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll and is at No. 10 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings. TTU, which is 4-1 in its last four conference games, was ranked No. 18 last week and has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the Week 10 and 11 AP Top-25 this season. The team has now been ranked in 12 straight polls after starting the season unranked.

Along with the national polls, Texas Tech continues to lead the nation in defense by limiting opponents to 36.2 percent shooting and is third by holding teams to 57.0 points per game and fifth in 3-point defense (27.2%). The Red Raiders are second in the Big 12 with 4.9 blocks per game (23rd nationally) and with 7.4 steals per game. Tech has 186 total steals this season which leads the conference and is 72nd nationally while its 3.1 turnover margin is second. Individually, Tariq Owens leads the Big 12 and is 10th in the country with 61 blocked shots and Matt Mooney is second in the conference with 1.76 steals per game. Jarrett Culver is currently third in the Big 12 in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and fifth with 91 total assists. Owens' 61 blocks are currently the fourth most in a season by a Red Raider behind only Tony Battie who set the single-season record with 71 blocks in the 1996-97 season, Brodney Kennard who had 69 blocks in 1999-2000 and Battie who is third on the list with 68 blocks in the 1995-96 campaign.

Tennessee (22-1) is the top-ranked team in the nation for the fourth straight week, followed by Duke (21-2), Gonzaga (23-2), Virginia (20-2) and Kentucky (20-3) to round out this week's top-5. Kansas comes in one spot ahead of the Red Raiders at No. 14 with an 18-6 overall record after falling 74-67 at Kansas State last Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas before earning an 84-72 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday in Lawrence. The Wildcats returned to the national rankings at No. 18 after their win over KU during the week and then a 70-63 victory at Baylor on Saturday. Iowa State (18-6) is at No. 23 this week to give the Big 12 four ranked teams in the poll. Virginia currently leads the nation by holding opponents to 54.1 points per game, while Michigan is just ahead of Tech by limiting its opponents 57.1 points per game.

PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver leads the Red Raiders with 17.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game after going for 19 points on Wednesday at Oklahoma State after scoring 13 in the road-win at Oklahoma last Saturday. A sophomore from Lubbock, he 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the first matchup against Baylor. Culver, who is third in the Big 12 in scoring behind only KU's Dedric Lawson (19.6) and Iowa State's Marial Shayok (19.3), had his first double-double of the season by going for 23 points and 13 rebounds in the first matchup against Oklahoma and his second double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and 20 points against Iowa State. He also had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas on Jan. 12. Culver has led the team in scoring in 17 of 25 games and is currently averaging 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists through 12 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 24 of 25 games and is shooting 50.3 percent from the field overall and 45.3 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 Bears having scored 857 career points in 62 games as a Red Raider.

Davide Moretti dished out a career-high seven assists and scored nine points (3-for-4 3-pointers) in the win over Oklahoma State and led the Red Raiders with 14 points at Oklahoma last Saturday after hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Over the past five Big 12 games, Moretti has gone 12-for-22 on 3-pointers and is 13-for-13 at the free-throw line. He scored 11 points and had four assists last Monday in the win over WVU after also leading the Red Raiders with 14 points against Kansas where he hit three 3-pointers and was 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. Moretti recorded a career-high 21 points against Arkansas three weeks ago after going 6-for-9 from the field with three 3-pointers and followed it with seven assists against TCU. He's currently shooting 47.4 percent on 3-pointers in conference play and is 43-for-100 from beyond the arc this season. In his career-high scoring performance, he would add six points from the free-throw line and also had two assists against the Razorbacks. Moretti has scored in double figures in 10 of 12 Big 12 games this season and now has 394 points through 62 games in his career and is currently averaging 12.0 points and 2.4 assists in conference play. Moretti has started all 25 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 10.6 points and 2.5 assists per game in his second season with the program. He has registered 17-point performances 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 against MVSU and has scored in double figures in 13 games this season and 15 in his career. He currently leads TTU with 43 3-pointers and is shooting 43.0 percent from beyond the arc.

After losing five seniors off last season's NCAA Elite Eight team, Texas Tech remained 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. Mooney was on fire against the Cowboys where he went 5-for-5 on 3-pointers and scored 15 points. He now has three games in his collegiate career with five 3-pointers and has 28 this season for the Red Raiders. Mooney scored 11 points and had four steals for the second straight game in the win over the Sooners before his 3-point barrage in Stillwater. His conference season has been highlighted by scoring a season-high 22 points against Texas where he was 8-for-10 from the field with three 3-pointers before his 18 points in a 7-for-12 performance against the Horned Frogs. He opened Big 12 play with 14 points in both games against KSU and WVU before scoring seven in the first matchup against OU. Through 12 conference games, he is now averaging 11.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.4 assists per game in Big 12 play. 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 44.1 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in 14 games and leads the team with 44 steals after having 11 in the past four games. Mooney transferred to Tech having recorded 1,480 points, 166 steals and 228 assists at Air Force and South Dakota. He now has 1,747 points, 210 steals and 301 assists in his collegiate career.

Owens is coming off a game against OSU where he had 11 points, a team-high seven rebounds and also added two blocked shots. He recorded eight points and six rebounds in the first game against Baylor before he had four blocks and six rebounds on Saturday in Norman. Owens secured his second double-double of the season two weeks ago by scoring 12 points and adding 10 rebounds at Kansas. An Odenton, Maryland native, he had one of his best offensive games of the season after scoring 17 points against TCU where he was 7-for-9 from the field, including going 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. He passed Andy Ellis who had 55 blocks in the 2001-02 season with his four blocks last Saturday in the single-season record category. Tony Battie has the single-season record with 71 blocks in the 1996-97 season. Owens, who has had at least one block in all 25 games this season, came off the bench for the only time this season at Kansas State and responded by recording 12 points with two 3-pointers and six rebounds. He has scored in double figures in four of the last six Big 12 games and is currently averaging 8.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots through 11 conference games. He has 29 blocks in Big 12 play and is fifth in the conference with a 56.9 shooting percentage. Owens, who led the BIG EAST in blocks the past two seasons while playing at St. John's, 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. 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. Owens transferred to Tech after playing his freshman season at Tennessee and then two years at St. John's. He came to Lubbock with 179 blocked shots and now has 240 in his career.

Odiase had eight points and three rebounds against the Cowboys after coming off back-to-back double-digit rebounding performances by securing 11 rebounds in the win at OU after having 10 rebounds and a season-high nine points against West Virginia. He now has 522 career rebounds and 42 rebounds in the past six games. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 53.8 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. Along with his career rebounding total, he has scored 570 points as a Red Raider.

Francis is coming off a week where he scored season-high 16 points against West Virginia after going 7-for-10 from the field and then had 11 points with three 3-pointers at Oklahoma. A reserve in 24 of 25 games this season where he is averaging 23.4 minutes per game, Francis was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers against the Sooners after he went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in the game against WVU. He had scored his previous season-high against Baylor by going 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line in the game. 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 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game and is fourth on the team with 26 3-pointers this season after hitting one in Stillwater. Francis has also 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 335 points in 62 games in his career for the Red Raiders.

Kyler Edwards recorded a career-high six assists and added eight points in the win over OU after having four assists against WVU. He would add five points and two steals in the win at OSU on Wednesday. Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.0 points and 1.4 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 before going 3-for-3 from the field for eight points in Norman. A guard 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 40.8 percent from the field with 18 3-pointers. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew is averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game after scoring eight points against OSU and 10 points against WVU on a 3-for-3 shooting performance from the field. A transfer from South Plains College, 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. Corprew had six rebounds at OU and now has 32 through the 12 Big 12 games. Avery Benson came off the bench against WVU and recorded a career-high three steals in 11 minutes, while Parker Hicks scored a career-high with five points against the Mountaineers. Hicks was 2-for-4 from the field, including hitting one of the eight 3-pointers by the Red Raiders in the 31-point win. On Monday, the Tech basketball program announced that freshman Khavon Moore will not play in any remaining games this season and will seek a medical hardship.

COVERING TECH: The Red Raiders and Bears will be featured on ESPN with Clay Matvick and Tim Welsh 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.

A monster three-game stretch at home begins Saturday.

Let's see how many people we can pack inside the USA, shall we?#4To1

??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/McA4MNaq9H
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 14, 2019

BAYLOR REPORT (BaylorBears.com for team info): The Bears snapped a two-game losing streak on Monday with their 59-53 win over Oklahoma led by Devonte Bandoo's 19 points and Jared Butler scoring 11 points with three 3-pointers. The Bears made 10 3-pointers in the game and limited the Sooners to three 3-pointers. Makai Mason leads the Bears this season with 15.6 points per game, while Bandoo is averaging 7.7 points per game. Mario Kegler is at 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game after going for nine points and seven rebounds. Jared Butler led BU with 19 points in the win over the Red Raiders in Waco, while Mason had 16 with four 3-pointers. Butler is coming off an 11-point performance against OU and is averaging 8.7 points per game. Mark Vital leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game after going for seven points and seven rebounds on Monday.

Baylor is scoring 72.2 points per game this season and own a 7.9 scoring margin advantage this season. The Bears have won seven of their last 10 games and are currently 3-2 on the road in Big 12 play with wins at West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. BU is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and has made 138 3-pointers.

The Bears will return to action next week when they play at Iowa State on Tuesday and then host West Virginia on Saturday in Waco.

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.

"We're just playing good basketball."

Yup. #4To1

??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/8MBxxAJpcq
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 15, 2019

?? Latest NET Rankings! ??

1. Gonzaga
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Tennessee
5. Houston
6. Kentucky
7. Michigan St.
8. Michigan
9. North Carolina
10. Texas Tech

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