PREVIEW: No. 12 Kansas

Saturday, February 23

Lubbock, Texas

7 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

No. 12 Kansas

February 21, 2019 | Men's Basketball

GAME NOTES PRESS CONFERENCE: Chris Beard PRESS CONFERENCE: Owens/Mooney FIRESIDE CHAT WATCH ESPN Radio TTSN RADIO LIVE STATS RANKINGS

No. 14 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Kansas | 7 p.m. Saturday | TV: ESPN / RADIO: ESPN Radio & TTSN | United Supermarkets Arena

LUBBOCK, Texas – A nationally-ranked showdown is set for primetime on Saturday night in Lubbock with No. 14 Texas Tech hosting No. 12 Kansas at 7 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) are 14-1 on their home court this season, while the Jayhawks (20-6, 9-4 Big 12) have won three in a row and secured a win in the first matchup between the two teams earlier this month in Lawrence. The game is sponsored by Propetro.

Both teams have had a week away from competition with the Red Raiders earning an 86-61 win over Baylor and the Jayhawks picking up a 78-53 victory over West Virginia last Saturday. The two teams are currently second in the Big 12 standings, one game back of Kansas State which is at 10-3 in conference play going into its matchup against Oklahoma State on Saturday in Manhattan, Kansas.

The Red Raiders have outscored their last four conference opponents by a 24.0 scoring margin and lead the nation by limiting opponents to 36.1 percent shooting for the season. TTU, which is the top Big 12 team with a No. 10 NCAA NET Ranking and is at No. 9 in the Pomeroy Ratings, is also second in the country by holding teams to 57.2 points per game and is fourth with opponents being limited to 27.6 percent shooting on 3-pointers. In Big 12 Conference stats, the Red Raiders lead with 7.4 steals per game, turnover margin (3.3), forced turnovers (16.35 per) and are second in blocked shots per game (4.9) and free-throw percentage (71.5). Offensively, Tech is shooting 46.6 as a team which ranks third in the Big 12 and the team is fourth in the conference with 13.9 assists per game.

"I think we prepare for these moments all year long with our process," Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. "We always say the biggest game on the schedule is the next game where we can't get too high or too low. That's the first thing, just trust in the process that we try to execute every day. Our seniors have the pulse in the locker room. As a coach you can only talk so much to set the stage, but that culture is executed every day by those seniors. I have a lot of faith in our four guys. Thirdly, we like to live in the reality. This is Kansas. This is a 7 p.m. national television game. This is why you come to Texas Tech to play games like this. It's a fine line between getting yourself ready and living in the moment. You have to be yourself."

TTU was ranked No. 15 last week in the AP Top-25 and USA TODAY Coaches Polls before moving up one spot on Monday 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 13 straight polls after starting the season unranked following advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight last season.

Individually, Texas Tech senior Tariq Owens is 11th in the nation with 63 total blocks and 15th with 2.42 blocks per game. His 63 blocks are currently fourth all-time at Tech for a single season, 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. Jarrett Culver is third in the Big 12 with 17.7 points per game and is sixth with 3.7 assists per game after he went for 18 points and four assists in the win over the Bears. Matt Mooney ranks second in the conference with 1.77 steals per contest with 11 in the past four games.

PROMOS: Winter is here. Texas Tech has declared a White Out and will be giving away 3,000 Game of Thrones inspired shirts to students along with 6,000 white Double-T hats courtesy of Propetro and 500 Alliance Federal Credit Union Rally Towels.

MAINTAINING POSSESSION: Texas Tech has a plus-5.5 turnover margin advantage during the course of its four-game winning streak. The Red Raiders have forced 73 turnovers by their opponents during those games and have only lost 51 possessions. For the season, TTU has a plus-3.3 turnover margin advantage which leads the Big 12 and is 33rd nationally.

3-POINT BARRAGE: Texas Tech has hit a season-high 12 3-pointers in the past two games at Oklahoma State and against Baylor after making 10 at Oklahoma. The Red Raiders are 24-for-54 in the past two games, 34 of 76 in the past three and are 42-for-98 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc in the past five. Opponents have hit only 21 3-pointers during the past four games at a 33.3 percentage. Tech now has six games this season with 10 or more 3s with three straight.

HOME DOMINANCE: Texas Tech is 14-1 at home this season and is 47-5 at home under Beard the past three seasons. In Big 12 play, the Red Raiders are 5-1 on their home court this season and 19-5 during the Beard era. Tech is currently 90-75 in conference play and 245-90 all-time at the United Supermarkets Arena since the first game on Nov. 19, 1999.

ONE-LINERS: Matt Mooney is averaging 11 points per game and has 11 assists and 11 steals in the past four games… Davide Moretti is 13-for-26 on 3-pointers and leads the team with 15 assists in the past five games… Jarrett Culver averaged 18.5 points per game last week where he went 5-for-11 on 3-pointers during the two wins… Tariq Owens has at least one block in all 26 games this season and has had nine blocked shots during the past four games… Norense Odiase leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game over the past four games, including securing 10 against West Virginia and 11 in the road win at Oklahoma.

ELITE DEFENSE: Texas Tech has allowed only two opponents to score over 70 points all season and no one has gone over 80 through 26 games against the Red Raiders. Opponents are averaging just 53.8 points per game during the past four games and have been limited to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent on 3-pointers.

FAST STARTS: Texas Tech has led at halftime by double-digits in five of its last six games: Baylor (+13), Oklahoma State (+19), Oklahoma (+11), West Virginia (+15) and TCU (+16). The only discrepancy during the past six is a 20-point halftime deficit at Kansas.

20-WIN MILESTONE: The Red Raiders reached the 20-win milestone with their win over Oklahoma State and have now recorded 20 wins in a season 13 times in program history. The team went 27-10 last season and has now had back-to-back 20-win years for the first time since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 under head coach Bob Knight.

PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver comes into Saturday's game having scored 875 points in his career and leads the Red Raiders with 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season. A sophomore from Lubbock, he is coming off scoring 18 points and adding eight rebounds in the win over Baylor after going for 19 points at Oklahoma State. Culver, who is third in the Big 12 in scoring behind only Iowa State's Marial Shayok (19.3) and KU's Dedric Lawson (19.2), 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. Against Baylor, Culver matched a career-high by making seven free throws and also had four assists. Culver has led the team in scoring in 18 of 26 games and is currently averaging 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists through 13 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 25 of 26 games and is shooting 49.8 percent from the field overall and 44.7 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.

Davide Moretti hit four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points last Saturday against Baylor and is now 10-for-18 from beyond the arc in the past four games. Moretti, who is currently averaging 12.4 points and 2.4 assists in conference play, dished out a career-high seven assists and scored nine points (3-for-4 3-pointers) in the win over Oklahoma State last Wednesday after he led the Red Raiders with 14 points at Oklahoma. Over the past five Big 12 games, Moretti has gone 13-for-26 on 3-pointers and is 18-for-19 at the free-throw line. He scored 14 points against Kansas where he hit three 3-pointers and was 5-for-5 at the free-throw line in the first matchup. Moretti recorded a career-high 21 points against Arkansas four 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 47.7 percent on 3-pointers in conference play and is 47-for-108 from beyond the arc this season. Moretti has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 Big 12 games this season and now has 411 points through 63 games in his career. He has started all 26 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 10.9 points and 2.5 assists per game in his second season with the program. He has also 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 14 games this season and 16 in his career. He currently leads TTU with 47 3-pointers and is shooting 43.5 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.

Owens has scored 11 points and blocked two shots in the past two games against Baylor and Oklahoma State. He secured his second double-double of the season two weeks ago by scoring 12 points and adding 10 rebounds at Kansas in the first matchup against the Jayhawks. 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 is currently fourth on the Texas Tech single-season list with 63 blocks this season. 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 26 games this season, has scored in double figures in five of the last seven Big 12 games and is currently averaging 8.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots through 13 conference games. He has 31 blocks in Big 12 play and is fifth in the conference with a 56.7 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 242 in his career.

Mooney scored nine points against Baylor after going 5-for-5 on 3-pointers in a 15-point performance at Oklahoma State. He now has three games in his collegiate career with five 3-pointers and has 29 this season for the Red Raiders. 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 13 conference games, he is now averaging 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.2 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 43.7 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in 14 games and leads the team with 46 steals after having 13 in the past five games. Mooney transferred to Tech having recorded 1,480 points, 166 steals and 228 assists at Air Force and South Dakota. He now has 1,756 points, 212 steals and 302 assists in his collegiate career.

Odiase has made 99 career starts as a Red Raider and is currently averaging 6.6 rebounds per game in the last five contest after securing back-to-back double-digit rebounding performances with 11 rebounds at OU after having 10 against West Virginia. Odiase also had seven rebounds in the first game against the Jayhawks. He had a season-high nine points against the Mountaineers and has played in 114 career games coming into Saturday's contest against KU. The career resume boasts 524 rebounds, 570 points and 69 blocked shots in his career as a Red Raider that includes two trips the NCAA tournament. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 3.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in his senior season and is shooting 52.2 percent from the field. He had a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 13 after a 10-rebound 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 is currently averaging 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and is fourth on the team with 28 3-pointers this season after hitting two against Baylor. He was coming off a week where he scored a 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 25 of 26 games this season with an average of 23.5 minutes per game, Francis had three points and two rebounds in the first game against Kansas this season. He had scored his previous season-high 14 points at 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. Francis scored 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 342 points in 63 games in his career for the Red Raiders.

Kyler Edwards hit two 3-pointers and finished with seven points in the win over Baylor last Saturday after he recorded a career-high six assists and added eight points in the win over OU two games prior. Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.0 points and 1.4 assists per game in his freshman season. He 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. He is shooting 40.8 percent from the field with 18 3-pointers and has provided 10 assists in the past four games. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew is averaging 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game after scoring eight points against OSU and 10 points against WVU on a 3-for-3 shooting performance from the field. Corprew, who has made 10 of his last 14 shots from the field, was 3-for-3 at the free-throw line and finished with five points and three rebounds against Baylor. 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 has 10 rebounds in the past four games and now has 35 through the first 13 games Big 12 play. Avery Benson scored a career-high five points against Baylor after recording a career-high three steals in 11 minutes against WVU, 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. Last 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.

KEEPING TABS: Three members of last year's NCAA Elite 8 team are currently playing in the NBA G League with Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith on the Delaware Blue Coats and Zach Smith with the Greensboro Swarm. Zach Smith is currently averaging 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 points through 31 games played, while Evans is scoring 12.8 points per game along with contributing 3.3 assists. Evans has started 27 of 31 games this season after a four-year Texas Tech career where he scored 1,519 points.

SERIES HISTORY: Kansas leads the all-time series by a 35-5 margin over the Red Raiders after the 79-63 decision on Feb. 2 in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have won eight straight games in Lubbock where they are 14-4 all-time. The last Texas Tech win over KU at the United Supermarkets Arena came on March 4, 2009 with the Red Raiders earning an 84-65 victory. The Red Raiders beat Kansas last season 85-73 in Lawrence before the Jayhawks took a 74-72 decision in Lubbock. That win snapped a 16-game losing streak to Kansas. Saturday's game is the 41st all-time meeting between the two teams with the first matchup taking place on Dec. 7, 1959.

KANSAS JAYHAWKS (Click for KUAthletics.com Report): The Jayhawks had five players score in double-figures in last Saturday's 25-point win over WVU led by K.J. Lawson and Devon Dotson who had 15 points each. Dedric Lawson added 14 points and David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji had 10 each. KU shot 52.8 percent from the field with eight 3-pointers to secure its third straight win. The Jayhawks are currently second in the Big 12 with 76.9 points per game and a 47.2 shooting percentage with Lawson leading the league with 18.8 points per game in conference play. Dotson is 10th with 13.3 points per conference game and Legerald Vick was averaging 12.6 points per game before missing the last three. Lawson is also second in the conference with 9.6 rebounds per Big 12 game.

A junior from Memphis, Lawson is at 19.2 points per game for the season, including leading the Jayhawks with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the first matchup against the Red Raiders. Lawson was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in that game and also had two blocked shots. Dotson, a freshman from Charlotte, North Carolina, added 20 with three 3s for KU which made 13 3-pointers in a game where it led 46-26 at halftime. Dotson is averaging 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds with a team-high 26 assists in the past five games, while Agbaii is at 13.8 points in those games.

Kansas comes to Lubbock with a 2-6 road record, but also having won eight straight in Lubbock in the all-time series.

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.