RED RAIDER PREVIEW: Kansas State

Wednesday, February 19

Lubbock, Texas

8 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Kansas State

February 17, 2020 | Men's Basketball

GAME NOTES PRESS CONFERENCE ESPN2 RADIO BROADCAST LIVE STATS

Red Raiders vs. Kansas State | 8 p.m., Wednesday | Lubbock, Texas | TV: ESPN2 | Radio: TTSN

By: Wes Bloomquist

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will look to continue its home dominance and sweep the season series against Kansas State for the second time in three years when the Red Raiders host the Wildcats at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders (16-9, 7-5 Big 12) are No. 21 in the NCAA NET Rankings after a week where they earned an 88-42 win over TCU last Monday at home before having a three-game winning streak end with a 73-70 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday, while the Wildcats (9-16, 2-10 Big 12) are on a five-game losing streak after taking a 68-57 loss at TCU on Saturday. Texas Tech earned a 77-63 win over KSU on Jan. 14 in the first matchup between the two teams this season in Manhattan, Kansas after the two programs were the 2019 Big 12 Co-Champions with 14-4 conference records last season.

With a 72.9 winning percentage (188-70) as a NCAA coach, Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard has the ninth best percentage among active coaches and is 92-40 leading the Red Raiders. Beard, who graduated from Texas in 1995 and was an assistant coach at Texas Tech for Bob Knight and Pat Knight from 2001-11, has led the Red Raiders to a 12-2 record at home this season and to a 62-7 record at home over the past four years. He is 5-2 against Kansas State, including going 3-0 in Lubbock against the Wildcats. The Red Raiders are led in scoring by freshman Jahmi'us Ramsey (15.8 ppg.) who is third in the Big 12 and graduate transfer Chris Clarke who is at 6.76 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game along with a 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio which all rank in the top-10 within the Big 12. Davide Moretti is second on the NCAA active career leader list in free-throw percentage at 90.1 percent (201 of 223) and leads the Big 12 this season at 88.9 percent (16th nationally). Beard was named the 2019 AP National Coach of the Year and the 2018 and 2019 Big 12 Coach of the Year.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: The Red Raiders come into this week leading the Big 12 by shooting 36.0 percent on 3-pointers and with 15.8 assists and 16.52 turnovers forced per game along with ranking second in the conference with a 1.15 assist-to-turnover ratio, a 45.5 shooting percentage from the field, a 74.4 percentage at the free-throw line and a 2.8 turnover margin. Tech ranks 20th nationally in turnovers forced and 21st in assists per game while it is limiting opponents to 63.2 points per game which ranks 33rd nationally and fourth within the conference. Individually, Moretti ranks 16th nationally and leads the Big 12 by going 80 of 90 from the free-throw line while Clarke is second in the Big 12 at 5.0 assists per game, third with a 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio and is ninth in the Big 12 with 6.8 rebounds per game. Edwards ranks seventh in the Big 12 with a 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio and Holyfield is sixth with 1.48 blocked shots per game.

SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech has won four of the last five matchups against Kansas State but trails the all-time series by a 24-19 margin. The Wildcats are 7-12 all-time in Lubbock after taking a 63-57 loss last season on Jan. 5, 2019 at the USA. Tech has swept the Wildcats in the regular-season home-and-away Big 12 schedule once before in the 2018 conference calendar.

IN THE POLLS: The Red Raiders are at No. 21 in the NCAA NET Rankings but dropped out of the AP poll this week after returning to the national rankings last week at No. 24 following a two-week absence. Tech has now been ranked in 11 of 16 weeks and was ranked No. 13 in the preseason poll for the highest ranking in program history coming into a season. The Red Raiders, who have been as high as No. 11 this season, are 2-6 this season against teams currently ranked, including earning a 70-57 win over No. 11 Louisville (ranked No. 1 at time) and splitting with No. 17 West Virginia.

BIG 12 STANDINGS: Texas Tech enters this week third in the Big 12 standings with its 7-5 conference record which is behind No. 1 Baylor (12-0 Big 12) and No. 3 Kansas (11-1 Big 12). West Virginia and Oklahoma are currently fourth with 6-6 records followed by TCU (5-7), Texas (4-8), Iowa State (4-8), Oklahoma State (3-9) and Kansas State (2-10). The Red Raiders will play at Baylor on Monday, March 2 in Waco before closing out the regular-season by hosting Kansas on Saturday, March 7 at the USA.

ATTENDANCE: Along with winning on their home court, the Red Raider fans are establishing themselves as one of the top fan bases in the nation. The program has had four sellouts this season (Eastern Illinois, Bethune-Cookman, Baylor, Iowa State) and are averaging 13,862 per game which ranks 19th nationally, third in the Big 12 and is the best in the state of Texas.

PROGRAM MARKS: Texas Tech is coming off its winningest season in program history after going 31-7 and 14-4 in Big 12 play last year. The Red Raiders won the Big 12 regular-season championship before advancing to the Final Four and NCAA National Championship Final for the first time in program history. Tech is 8-2 in the NCAA Tournament over the past two years after making the 2018 NCAA Elite Eight and reaching the NCAA National Championship Final. The 8-2 mark is the best in the nation over that span and an appearance in the NCAA tournament this season would be the first time in program history that the Red Raiders have made the tournament three straight seasons.

GAME COVERAGE: The game between Texas Tech and Texas will be broadcasted on ESPN2 with Robert Ford and Tim Welsh and on the Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock with Geoff Haxton and Chris Level. Fans can also follow the game at @TexasTechMBB.

PLAYER NOTES: Texas Tech is led by junior Davide Moretti who has competed in 100 games (74 wins) with the Red Raiders, sophomore Kyler Edwards, a dynamic freshmen class and graduate transfers Chris Clarke and TJ Holyfield who bring experience to a team that lost four starters and the leading reserve off last year's historic team.

Ramsey leads the Big 12 by shooting 45.5 percent on 3-pointers, is third in scoring at 15.8 points per game and is fourth by shooting 46.0 percent from the field. A freshman from Arlington, Ramsey is coming off a game against Oklahoma State where he scored 14 points and was 3-for-6 on 3-pointers. He is currently 50-for-110 on 3-pointers this season and has made at least two in the past six games and in 13 games overall. A 6-foot-4 guard, he has scored in double-figures in 17 of 21 games played this season with a Big 12 high coming at Kansas where he scored 26 by going 5-for-8 on 3-pointers after scoring 21 against West Virginia by also connecting on 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc. Ramsey has hit five 3-pointers in four games this season and is coming off a career-high four assists against the Cowboys. He is a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week selection and was named an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection. Ramsey scored a career-high 27 points in a win over Long Island where he hit five 3-pointers for the first of four times this season and has already scored 20 or more points in six of 21 games played. He missed four games due to a left hamstring injury he suffered with 10 minutes remaining against Iowa, but has started 15 straight games since his return. In conference play, Ramsey is averaging 15.6 points per game and is at 17.6 points per game in the past five games where he is 14 of 23 (60.9 percent) on 3-pointers.

For a season, Texas Tech has only been led in scoring by two freshmen with Jordan Tolbert averaging 11.5 points per game in the 2011-12 season and Rick Bullock who had 13.8 ppg. in 1972-73.

A guard from Italy, Moretti is averaging 13.3 points per game following a week where he had 15 points at Oklahoma State on Saturday and 17 points against TCU last Monday where he was 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. In his third season at Tech, he has scored 899 career points with 154 made 3-pointers and going 201-for-223 from the line. He's averaging 13.3 points per game through 12 conference games this season with a career-high 25 points against West Virginia after dropping 15 against Kentucky in the final non-conference game on the schedule. Moretti has started 63 straight games for the Red Raiders after a sophomore season where he started all 38 and averaged 11.5 points per game, shot 49.8 percent from the field, 45.9 percent on 3-pointers and led the nation at 92.4 percent. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 23 of 25 games this season and in 75 of 100 games in his career. Moretti was named to the 2019 All-Big 12 Third Team and earned the NCAA Elite 90 Award last season before being selected to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List prior to the start of this season. Before his career-high 25-point performance in the home win West Virginia, Moretti had a career-best 23 points earlier this season against Creighton where he made three 3-pointers. His free-throw prowess is highlighted by him going 12-for-12 from the line last season against Oklahoma State, an 8-for-8 showing to help knock off Louisville and then 9-for-9 display against the Mountaineers. Moretti has led Tech in scoring seven times this season and 12 times in his career. In the first matchup against Kansas State, Moretti scored 14 points with three 3-pointers and going 5-for-6 from the line. He currently ranks ninth all-time in program history with the 154 3-pointers made in his career.

Edwards is averaging 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game after going for 12 points at Oklahoma State after scoring 14 at home against TCU in last week's games. A sophomore from Arlington, Edwards hit three 3-pointers at OSU after going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers against the Horned Frogs and has now made three or more 3-pointers in seven games this season including a career-high five earlier this season against Iowa State. He has started all 25 games this season after playing a reserve role in all 38 as a freshman where he averaged 5.5 points per game. This season, more than doubling that average, Edwards has scored in double figures in 15 games with a career-high 24 points in the first matchup at Kansas State where he went 9-for-14 from the field with three 3-pointers before going 5-for-6 on 3-pointers in the 22-point performance against the Cyclones. He earned Big 12 Player of the Week after the two-game stretch and is currently averaging 12.5 points per game through the first 11 conference games. He also had four assists last Saturday in Stillwater and has three or more assists in 16 games with a career high six at No. 3 Kansas and had a career-high nine rebounds at West Virginia. As a freshman, he scored a season-high 19 points after going 7-for-7 from the field with four 3-pointers against Northern Colorado and then had 12 points against Virginia in the NCAA National Championship Final. He's currently scored 20 or more points three times this season and is at 505 points for his career.

Holyfield is averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is sixth in the Big 12 with 1.5 blocked shots per game after having 19 in the past six games. A grad transfer from SFA, Holyfield has scored 1,310 points in his career where he has played and started in 126 games. He has recorded three or more blocks in seven games this season with four in games against Kansas and West Virginia before having three last week against OU and then the five at UT. Holyfield matched a season-high with 21 points two weeks ago against OU when he went 8-for-12 from the field and was 2 of 2 on 3-pointers after scoring 19 at Kansas with a season-high three 3-pointers. He leads the Red Raiders with a 53.7 shooting percentage and 37 blocked shots. Along with scoring 21 against OU, he also had 21 in a non-conference win over Houston Baptist and 20 against Bethune-Cookman. Those performances earned him Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 11, 2019. In Big 12 play, Holyfield is averaging 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Clarke is a grad transfer who played three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Texas Tech. He is averaging 6.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 5.6 points per game for the Red Raiders and comes into this weekend having scored 869 points, securing 686 rebounds and contributing 336 assists through 104 games in his career. A guard from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Clarke leads the Red Raiders with two double-doubles this season with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Iowa and then 14 points and 11 rebounds against Southern Miss. He recorded a career-high 11 assists in the win over Houston Baptist and is coming off a game against the Longhorns where he had eight points, four assists and four rebounds in the win. Clarke, who was named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Jan. 23 after averaging a double-double in wins over Southern Miss and UTRGV, has led Tech in rebounding 14 games this season with a high of 12 coming against Tennessee State and Louisville. He had eight rebounds, eight points and four assists in the first win over Kansas State.

Shannon is averaging 10.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game after being limited to three points in both games last week against TCU and OSU. A guard from Chicago, Shannon leads the Red Raiders with 83 free throws made (82.2 percent) and has scored in double figures in 13 of 23 games played. He scored a career-high 24 points in his hometown return at DePaul on Dec. 4 where he was 9-for-18 from the field, hit two 3-pointers and was 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. Shannon scored a conference-high 23 points in the home win over West Virginia after going 12-for-14 from the free-throw line and also making 5 of 8 shots from the field. He had a season-high 11 rebounds at Kansas and also had eight points against the Jayhawks. Shannon was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 16, 2019 after scoring 18 points against Southern Miss and 13 in the win over Louisville. He comes into the second matchup against Kansas State averaging 8.9 points per game in conference play. Shannon did not play in the first game against Wildcats due to injury.

Kevin McCullar and Avery Benson continue providing sparks from the bench for the Red Raiders with McCullar coming off a career-high 15 points at Oklahoma State where he was 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 at the free-throw line. A redshirt freshman from San Antonio, McCullar graduated high school early and enrolled at Texas Tech in the 2019 spring semester where he redshirted last season. He has played in a reserve role in 23 games this season and is averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Prior to his career-high 15 points in Stillwater, McCullar had scored 10 points in games against Kansas State, UTRGV, Long Island and TCU where he was 3-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. A 6-foot-6 guard, he had a career-high two blocked shots against the Longhorns two weeks ago in the nine-block game by the Red Raiders. McCullar missed both games against West Virginia and Kansas due to being in concussion protocol before returning to play 19 minutes against the Sooners on Feb. 4 where he scored six points and led the team with seven rebounds. He's currently shooting 50.0 percent from the field (42-for-84) and had a previous season-high five rebounds in the wins over Louisville and KSU before leading Tech in rebounding for the first time this season with seven against OU. Benson, who is in his third year at Texas Tech, is a redshirt sophomore from Arkansas who scored a career-high 10 points against Louisville by going 3-for-3 from the field with a 3-pointer. He had a career-high four assists performance where he also had three rebounds against TCU and followed the performance by scoring four points in 12 minutes at OSU. He has a Big 12 career-high of five points at WVU in the first matchup where he also provided four rebounds in 18 minutes. Benson played in 20 games last season and is currently 9 of 22 (42.9 percent) on 3-pointers and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line this year. Russel Tchewa matched his season-high with six points after going 3-for-4 from the field against TCU last Tuesday and also had three rebounds in nine minutes of play. A 7-foot center from Cameroon, Tchewa is averaging 1.7 points in 19 games played this season. Two players on the Tech roster have not played this season with Joel Ntambwe having his NCAA transfer request denied and Tyreek Smith missing all 18 games due to injury. Ntambwe averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game at UNLV as a freshman last season before deciding to transfer to Tech. He scored a career-high 31 points against Wyoming last year where he started all 31 games and recorded four double-doubles.

Texas Tech is currently 12-5 with the starting rotation of Holyfield, Moretti, Edwards, Shannon and Ramsey. The starting five of Holyfield, Clarke, Moretti, Edwards and Ramsey had started the four games before Shannon returned to the starting five against Kentucky in the final non-conference game.

TEXAS TECH 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 a 92-40 record coming into the game against the Wildcats. 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, Jr. 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 nine wins away from 100 at Tech, Beard is 188-70 as a collegiate head coach after prior leadership at Little Rock, Angelo State and McMurry.

KANSAS STATE REPORT: The Wildcats travel to Lubbock after dropping their last five games against West Virginia, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and TCU after their last win on Jan. 29 against Oklahoma. KSU, which leads the Big 12 with 8.52 steals per game, is 1-7 on the road this season and is being held to 64.6 points per game which ranks ninth in the conference. Xavier Sneed leads Kansas State by averaging 14.2 points per game and with 45 steals, while Cartier Diarra is scoring 13.1 points per game and leads the team with 112 assists which ranks fifth in the conference. Sneed, who scored 14 points in the first meeting against Tech, is sixth in the conference with 1.80 steals per game followed by Diarra who is seventh with 1.76 steals per game. Mako Mawien leads the team with 5.3 rebounds per game in a season where the Wildcats are averaging 33.3 rebounds per game, while Mike McGuirl is scoring 6.9 points per game and has also dished out 40 assists.

Sneed led KSU with 15 points at TCU last Saturday after going 6-for-12 from the field, while David Sloan added 11 points and three assists in a game where the Wildcats led 27-26 at halftime before being outscored by 12 in the second half. Diarra led KSU with 19 points in the first matchup against the Red Raiders but also committed six turnovers.

A NEW SHINE: Through 16 weeks, Texas Tech has already had four different players earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Week with Ramsey earning the award twice. The weekly award has gone to TJ Holyfield (Nov. 11), Jahmi'us Ramsey (Nov. 25/Feb. 3), Terrence Shannon, Jr. (Dec. 16) and Clarke (Dec. 23). The Red Raiders, who have 10 newcomers and three returners on the roster, are the only team in the conference to have three or more players receive a weekly award.

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, Jr. (Illinois). Ntambwe will redshirt this season after having his transfer waiver denied by the NCAA, while Smith has not played his season after suffering an injury during the preseason.

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. Burnett was named to the McDonald's All American Games on Jan. 23 to become the first player in Red Raider history to earn the honor. 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, who was named to the 2020 Naismith High School Award Watch List, 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 was tasked with following 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 signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 15 after playing with the Memphis Hustle in the G-League, while Owens established a new program single-season record with 92 blocked shots and was with Odiase on the Northern Arizona Suns (G-League) before signing a two-way contract on Jan. 15 with the Suns. 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.

KNOCKING OFF NO. 1: The Red Raiders earned their first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team with a 70-57 victory over No. 1 Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 10, 2019 at Madison Square Garden. Moretti led Tech with 18 points after going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, while Shannon had 13 points and Benson went 3-for-3 from the field and scored a career-high 10 points. Tech limited the Cardinals to only 34.0 percent shooting in the game and forced 18 turnovers.

OVERTIME GAMES: With back-to-back overtime losses against DePaul (65-60) and Creighton (83-76) and then the 76-74 overtime decision against Kentucky, Texas Tech is now 51-52 all-time in overtime contests and 4-6 under coach Beard. The Red Raiders were 1-1 in overtime last season with an 84-80 overtime win over Oklahoma in conference play before falling 85-77 in overtime to Virginia in the championship final. Tech has had back-to-back overtime games twice now under Beard after falling to West Virginia and Iowa State in the 2016-17 season on Feb. 18 and 20. The program has had four occasions of back-to-back overtime games with the only time that three straight games have gone to overtime coming in the 1984-85 season against Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico State.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Davide Moretti scored a career-high 25 points in the win over WVU after hitting four 3-pointers, while Terrence Shannon, Jr. went for 23 with a 12 of 14 performance from the line and Jahmi'us Ramsey went for 21 points with his third game of the season with five 3-pointers. The Red Raiders had three players score 20 or more points in a game for the first time since Jan. 11, 2017 against Kansas when Keenan Evans had 25, Niem Stevenson went for 22 and Zach Smith scored 21 in an 80-79 loss at the USA. The starting five of Ramsey, Moretti, Shannon and Edwards are all averaging in double-figures this season while Holyfield is at 9.2.

3-POINT DISPLAY: The Red Raiders hit a season-high 13 3-pointers against TCU where they finished the game 13-for-22 with five players hitting shots from beyond the arc. Moretti and Edwards both had four 3-pointers each in the game, while Ramsey and Savrasov hit two and Holyfield one. Tech was just three 3-pointers away from the program record of 16 that last year's team made against Kansas in a home victory over the Jayhawks.

UP NEXT: The Red Raiders will follow their home game against Kansas State with a two-game road trip, starting with a 5 p.m. game on Saturday at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa before taking on Oklahoma next Tuesday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.