PREVIEW: Oklahoma State

Wednesday, February 27

Lubbock, Texas

6 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Oklahoma State

February 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball

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No. 11 Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State | 6 p.m., Wednesday | TV: ESPNU / RADIO: TTSN | United Supermarkets Arena

LUBBOCK, Texas – Round 15 of 18 in the Big 12 Conference fight for No. 11 Texas Tech brings Oklahoma State to town for a 6 p.m. showdown with the Red Raiders on a five-game winning streak and a 15-1 record at the United Supermarkets Arena this season.

The Red Raiders (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) are coming off a 91-62 win over No. 15 Kansas last Saturday to improve to 6-1 at home in conference play, while Oklahoma State (10-17, 3-11 Big 12) lost 85-46 to Kansas State in its last game after a 68-61 home win over TCU. Texas Tech earned a 78-50 win over the Cowboys in the first matchup between the two teams on Feb. 13 in Stillwater, Oklahoma with Jarrett Culver leading the team with 19 points, Matt Mooney going 5-for-5 on 3-pointers and Davide Moretti recording a career-high eight assists.

With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Red Raiders will travel to TCU this weekend to play the Horned Frogs on Saturday before a quick turnaround to host Texas at 8 p.m. on ESPN's Big Monday in their home finale. The Red Raiders, who are 5-1 in February going into their final game of the month, have averaged 14,221 fans per conference game this season and have a 16.1 scoring margin of victory in those seven games.

Texas Tech has reached double-digit wins in Big 12 play for the fifth time and are one win away from matching the program record of 11 Big 12 wins from last year. The program also had 10 Big 12 wins in 1996-97, 2001-02, 2004-05 before establishing a new program-best with the 11 wins last season. The Red Raiders are currently second in the conference standings behind Kansas State (11-4 Big 12) and ahead of Kansas (10-5 Big 12), Baylor (9-5 Big 12) and Iowa State (9-6 Big 12). The Wildcats will host Baylor at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Manhattan, Kansas before playing at TCU and hosting Oklahoma next week.

3-POINT BARRAGE: Texas Tech matched a program record with 16 3-pointers in the win over the Jayhawks after making 12 in the two games at Oklahoma State and against Baylor. The 3-point explosion started by making 10 at Oklahoma. The Red Raiders are 28-for-55 in the past two games, 40 of 80 in the past three and are 58-for-124 (46.8 percent) from beyond the arc in the past five. Tech now has seven games this season with 10 or more 3s with four straight.

HOME DOMINANCE: Texas Tech is 15-1 at home this season and is 48-5 at home under Chris Beard the past three seasons. In Big 12 play, the Red Raiders are 6-1 on their home court this season and 20-5 during the Beard era. Tech is currently 91-75 in conference play and 246-90 all-time at the United Supermarkets Arena since the first game on Nov. 19, 1999.

ONE-LINERS: Matt Mooney had six assist in the win over KU and now has five games with six assists this season … Davide Moretti is 13-for-22 on 3-pointers and leads the team with 19 assists in the past five games… Jarrett Culver matched his Big 12 high with 26 points in the win against Kansas and also had four assists and zero turnovers… Tariq Owens has at least one block in all 26 games this season and has had 10 blocked shots during the past five games… Norense Odiase leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game over the past five games, including matching a career-high with 13 against KU after 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 27 games against the Red Raiders. Opponents are averaging just 55.4 points per game during the past five games and have been limited to 35.8 percent shooting from the field and 31.3 percent on 3-pointers.

FAST STARTS: Texas Tech has led at halftime by double-digits in five of its last seven games: Kansas (+25), Baylor (+13), Oklahoma State (+19), Oklahoma (+11), West Virginia (+15) and TCU (+16). The only discrepancy during the past seven 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.

MAINTAINING POSSESSION: Texas Tech has a plus-5.4 turnover margin advantage during the course of its five-game winning streak. The Red Raiders have forced 86 turnovers by their opponents during those games and have only lost 59 possessions. For the season, TTU has a plus-3.4 turnover margin advantage which leads the Big 12 and is 25th nationally. Tech committed only eight turnovers against KU with starters Jarrett Culver, Tariq Owens and Norense Odiase not having one throughout the game.

POLLS/RANKINGS: Texas Tech moved up to No. 11 in the Associated Press Top-25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll on Monday after its win over to Kansas. The Red Raiders are No. 10 in the NCAA NET Rankings and also are at No. 10 in the ESPN Power Rankings and No. 16 in Andy Katz' Power 36 with four games remaining in the regular season. Tech has now been ranked 14 straight weeks after entering the season unranked. The team made its AP Top-25 debut in Week 4 at No. 20 and has been as high as No. 8 in Week 10 and 11. Along with national polls, Texas Tech is second in the nation by holding opponents to 57.3 points per game and a 36.5 shooting percentage this season. During the five-game winning streak the Red Raiders have beat West Virginia (81-50), Oklahoma (66-54), Oklahoma State (78-50), Baylor (86-61) and Kansas (91-62) to improve their scoring margin to 14.9 for the season which is 10th nationally. Tech is fourth nationally by limiting opponents to 28.2 percent shooting on 3-pointers, 24th with 16.22 turnovers forced per game and 25th with a plus-3.4 turnover margin. The team is second in the Big 12 with 4.8 blocks per game, a 71.1 free-throw percentage, 7.3 steals per game, 129 blocks, 198 steals and a 36.9 shooting percentage on 3-pointers. Individually, Tariq Owens is 16th nationally with 64 blocked shots after having one against Kansas to extend his streak of having at least one block in every game this season. Owens is a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist and is second in the conference with 2.37 blocked shots per game. His 64 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 18.0 points per game and fifth with 99 assists, while Matt Mooney is currently second in the conference with 1.74 steals per game (47 total).

PLAYER NOTES: Jarrett Culver was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season after going for 26 points against Kansas. He comes into Wednesday's game having scored 901 points in his career and leads the Red Raiders with 18.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season. A sophomore from Lubbock, he scored 18 points and adding eight rebounds in the win over Baylor after going for 19 points in the first matchup against Oklahoma State. Culver, who is third in the Big 12 in scoring behind only KU's Dedric Lawson (19.0) and Iowa State's Marial Shayok (18.6), 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. Culver has led the team in scoring in 19 of 27 games and is currently averaging 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and has 43 assists through 14 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 26 of 27 games and is shooting 49.7 percent from the field overall and 45.0 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 was 3-for-4 and scored 11 points against KU after making four 3-pointers and finishing with 17 points last Saturday against Baylor. He is now 13-for-22 from beyond the arc in the past five games. Moretti, who is currently averaging 12.3 points and 2.6 assists in conference play, dished out a career-high seven assists and scored nine points (3-for-4 3-pointers) in the win at Oklahoma State after he led the Red Raiders with 14 points at Oklahoma. Over the past five Big 12 games, Moretti has gone 13-for-22 on 3-pointers and is 15-for-16 at the free-throw line. 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 50.5 percent on 3-pointers in conference play and is 50-for-112 from beyond the arc this season. Moretti has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 Big 12 games this season and now has 422 points through 64 games in his career. He has started all 27 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 2.6 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 his 50 3-pointers and is shooting 44.6 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 was advanced to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award Semifinalist Watch List. Mooney and Owens were on the original list, making TTU the only team with two members on the list of 15.

Owens scored 10 points against KU after having 11 points and two blocked 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 in the first matchup 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 is currently fourth on the Texas Tech single-season list with 64 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 27 games this season, has scored in double figures in six of the last eight Big 12 games and is currently averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots through 14 conference games. He has 32 blocks in Big 12 play and is fifth in the conference with a 59.3 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 243 in his career.

Mooney knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points against Kansas. Mooney was 5-for-5 with 15 points in the first matchup against Oklahoma State. He now has three games in his collegiate career with five 3-pointers and has 32 3-pointers 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 14 conference games, he is now averaging 11.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.5 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 44.3 percent from the field this season, has scored in double figures in 15 games and leads the team with 47 steals after having 14 in the past six games. Mooney transferred to Tech having recorded 1,480 points, 166 steals and 228 assists at Air Force and South Dakota. He now has 1,769 points, 213 steals and 308 assists in his collegiate career.

Odiase has made 100 career starts as a Red Raider and is currently averaging 7.8 rebounds per game in the last five contest after matching a career-high with 13 against KU after having back-to-back double-digit rebounding performances with 11 rebounds at OU after having 10 against West Virginia. He had a season-high nine points against the Mountaineers and has played in 115 career games coming into Saturday's contest against KU. The career resume boasts 537 rebounds, 578 points and 70 blocked shots in his career as a Red Raider that includes two trips the NCAA tournament. A Fort Worth native, Odiase is averaging 4.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his senior season and is shooting 53.5 percent from the field. He had his first 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 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game and is fourth on the team with 31 3-pointers this season after knocking down three 3-pointers against KU. 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 26 of 27 games this season with an average of 23.4 minutes per game, Francis had one 3-pointer at Oklahoma State and currently has a streak of seven straight games with a 3-pointer. 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 351 points in 64 games in his career for the Red Raiders.

Kyler Edwards is coming off scoring eight points in the win over KU where he was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers after he hit two 3-pointers and finished with seven points in the win over Baylor last Saturday. He recorded a career-high six assists and added eight points in the win over OU two games prior and is shooting 34.4 on 3-pointers in conference play. Edwards leads the TTU reserves with 6.1 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 20 3-pointers and has provided 11 assists in the past five games. Texas Tech sophomore Deshawn Corprew was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers against KU and is averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game after scoring six against the Jayhawks Corprew, who has made 12 of his last 16 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 14 rebounds in the past four games and now has 39 through the first 14 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.

SERIES HISTORY: The Red Raiders are looking for their first series sweep of Oklahoma State since the 2016 season and only the third in the all-time series. TTU earned the 78-50 win in Stillwater to take the all-time series to 44-21 in favor of OSU, but the Red Raiders own a 13-10 advantage in Lubbock. The series dates back to 1937 when the two programs played their first game against each other, a 38-19 win by OSU in Oklahoma State.

Texas Tech solidified its position as a contender in the Big 12 title race.@TexasTechMBB's Jarrett Culver & Tariq Owens sat down with @TheAndyKatz after demolishing Kansas on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/GolchE2RgV
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 25, 2019

OKLAHOMA STATE REPORT: The Cowboys travel to Lubbock with a 3-11 record in conference play after their 85-46 loss at Kansas State last Saturday and having dropped six of seven. Yor Anei led Oklahoma State with 12 points in Manhattan, while Isaac Likekele had 10. Lindy Waters, who is averaging 11.4 points per game this season, was limited to only two points after going 1-for-3 from the field in 19 minutes and Cameron McGriff also only had two points and four rebounds. McGriff leads the Cowboys with 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in conference play this season, while Thomas Dziagwa is scoring 11.1 points and 2.4 rebounds against Big 12 opponents. Dziagwa leads the team with 13.6 points per game in the past five games, while McGriff is averaging 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during that stretch. McGriff recorded a double-double against the Red Raiders with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Waters had 12 points in the matchup.

Oklahoma State will return to action this weekend when it hosts No. 15 Kansas at the Gallagher-Iba Arena before finishing off its regular season against Baylor and West Virginia next week.

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 home stretch starts now.

We're in the fight, and we only have two more opportunities to play at the USA, with one being tomorrow night.

Show up and show out. Continue to be one of the nation's best home court advantages. #4To1

??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/LAUEZlEDJR
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 26, 2019