RED RAIDER PREVIEW: vs. Bears

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 15 Texas Tech is back on its home court to host No. 2 Baylor at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena following a pair of road wins to extend a three-game winning streak.

The Red Raiders (11-3, 4-2 Big 12) are coming off a 79-77 win at No. 4 Texas on Wednesday where Mac McClung hit the game-winning basket with three seconds to play, while the Bears (11-0, 4-0 Big 12) are playing for the first time since last Saturday's win at TCU after their game against No. 13 West Virginia that was scheduled for Tuesday was postponed.

Tech earned its first win at a top-5 team in program history with the win at Texas and now has the opportunity to knock off top-5 opponents in back-to-back games for the first time also. The Red Raiders earned a win over Baylor on Feb. 13, 2017 when the Bears where ranked No. 4 nationally and have two home wins over teams that were ranked No. 2 with victories over SMU (1/26/1985) and West Virginia (1/13/2018). Tech was 0-2 against BU last season with the Bears ranked No. 4 in both matchups.

STAT WATCH: The Red Raiders lead the nation with 368 trips to the free-throw line and are second with 263 makes after going 22-for-28 against the Longhorns. Tech is also fifth nationally with a plus-7.2 turnover margin advantage and ninth by limiting opponents to just 59.4 points per game. Nationally the team is 13th by forcing 18.07 turnovers per game, while Baylor leads the conference with 19.27 turnovers forced. Tech is also 20th with 59 blocks which is second in the Big 12 behind only Kansas' 60 blocks. The Red Raiders are limiting opponents to 39.2 percent shooting which is second in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally. The Bears lead the nation with a 27.8 scoring margin advantage and top the Big 12 by scoring 89.0 points per game. BU will be going up against a Tech defense that has allowed over 70 points only three times through 14 games. Individually, McClung leads the Big 12 with 221 total points and 62 made free throws. Marcus Santos-Silva is second in the conference with 18 blocked shots and is fourth with 2.64 offensive rebounds per game. Kyler Edwards has made 26 3-pointers which is the third most in the Big 12, while McClung enters the game against Baylor fifth in the conference with 15.2 points per game following a season-high 22 against Texas.

MEDIA: The game will be televised on ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Dick Vitale on the call, while on the radio Geoff Haxton and Chris Level will broadcast on the Texas Tech Sports Network and locally on Double T 97.3.

UP NEXT: Texas Tech will return to the road to take on TCU at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Fort Worth before hosting Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 23 at the USA.

RED RAIDER REPORT: McClung scored a season-high 22 points with the final two being the game-winner with three seconds remaining on the clock on Wednesday at Texas. A junior guard in his first season at Tech after transferring from Georgetown, McClung has now scored 20-plus in five games and in double figures in 11. He leads the Red Raiders with 15.8 points per game and with 19.0 per Big 12 game after going 6-for-14 from the field, 2-for-3 on 3-pointers and 8-for-10 at the free-throw line against the Longhorns. McClung had a previous season-high of 21 points against Kansas and Oklahoma State and was coming off an 18-point performance at Iowa State last Saturday where he was 8-for-10 from the field. He's currently shooting 46.3 percent from the field in Big 12 play and leads Tech by going 62-for-77 at the line (80.5 percent). McClung enters this weekend having scored 931 points in 64 games in his career, including a career-high 38-point performance against Little Rock while playing for the Hoyas. Along with his scoring, McClung is averaging 2.6 assists per game this season with a season-high six assists against Corpus and two in Austin. McClung has led Tech in scoring in seven of 14 games this season, starting with 20 in the opener against Northwestern State.

Edwards is averaging 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and leads Tech with 2.9 assists per game to begin his junior season. A guard from Arlington, Edwards played a key reserve role as a freshman on the 2019 Final Four team and started all 31 games as a sophomore. Now an upperclassman leader on the team, Edwards has proven to be one of the most versatile players in the conference. He matched a season-high with 19 points last Saturday at Iowa State where he hit three 3-pointers and also had three assists and four rebounds. He's led the team in scoring three times, including scoring 19 for the first time this season against Abilene Christian. Edwards has played in 83 games at Tech, including scoring 12 points with three 3-pointers in the 2019 National Championship final against Virginia. He scored a career-high 24 points last season as a sophomore at Kansas State and had a career-high 11 rebounds this year against Grambling and seven assists against Northwestern State in non-conference play. His 11 rebounds against Grambling also saw him score 13 points for his first career double-double. Edwards has scored 707 points, grabbed 283 rebounds and dished out 177 assists after going for seven points, six rebounds and one assists at Texas. He came up with a steal with 36 seconds remaining off an in-bound play from Texas and found Shannon for a layup to tie the game at 77-77. He has an assist in every game this season and in 22 straight games.

Shannon is coming off a game at Texas where he finished with 14 points and seven rebounds to give him four straight games of scoring in double figures and grabbing at least five rebounds. A sophomore from Chicago, Shannon is averaging 13.6 points for the season and 16.8 points in Big 12 play. He scored a season-high 22 points in the win over Kansas State where he hit five shots and was 11-for-12 at the free-throw line. A starter in the first 10 games, Shannon has come in as a reserve the past three but maintains starter minutes with 31.5 minutes per game in Big 12 play. He has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games played this season and led the team in scoring and rebounding three times. Shannon had a career-high six assists in the road win at Iowa State last Saturday in Ames and had two against the Longhorns to go along with his 14 points. Shannon began Big 12 play with 20 points against Kansas and 21 at Oklahoma. He has 461 points, 185 rebounds and 43 steals through 42 games of his collegiate career. Shannon leads Tech with 17 steals this season, including a season-high three against Kansas State. He is on the Julius Ervin Award Watch List and comes into Saturday's game shooting 48.7 percent from the field and is 49-for-61 at the free-throw line (80.3 percent) after going 5 of 6 at Texas.

McCullar is averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the past two games and has led the team in rebounding in three straight games. A sophomore from San Antonio, McCullar is coming off a game at Texas where he scored a career-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds after recording his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Iowa State. After missing the first nine games of the season due to an injury in preseason practice, McCullar has stormed back where he is now averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game through five games played this season. McCullar scored his career-high 16 points in Austin on Wednesday night after going 6-for-7 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. He came into the game 0-for-7 on 3-pointers this season before knocking down two against the Longhorns. A redshirt during the historic 2019 Final Four team, McCullar played in 29 games last season with six starts in his first season of play. He's a 50.6 percent shooter and has 232 points and 126 rebounds through 34 career games coming into the game against Baylor. McCullar missed the games against Kansas and at Oklahoma to begin Big 12 play. In four games against conference opponents he's averaging 11.5 points and leads Tech with 7.5 rebounds per game.

Santos-Silva is coming off his seventh game in double-figure scoring after going for 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field and making 4 of 5 at the free-throw line in the two-point win over the Longhorns. Tech's lone senior, Santos-Silva leads the team with two double-doubles and with 84 rebounds (6.0 per) through 14 games. A grad transfer from VCU, he is shooting 62.2 percent from the field this season with 12 games shooting 50 percent or higher. He is second in the Big 12 with 18 blocks after having two more at Texas and is now averaging 1.3 per game, including a career-high four blocks in games against Abilene Christian and Oklahoma State. Santos-Silva scored a season-high 18 points at Oklahoma where he was 9-for-13 from the field and also had seven rebounds. He had double-doubles with 13 rebounds and 10 points against NSU and 12 points and 10 rebounds against Sam Houston to begin the season. For his career, Santos-Silva has recorded 953 points, 704 rebounds and 110 blocks through 111 games played. At VCU, he had a career-high performance with 26 points and 22 rebounds against Rhode Island on March 15, 2019 and also scored 26 at George Mason last January. Santos-Silva is averaging 9.5 points per game in conference play going into the matchup against Baylor.

Peavy has started 13 of 14 games to begin his freshman season where he is averaging 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds. A 6-foot-7 versatile guard, Peavy scored a season-high 14 points in the opener against NSU and also scored 12 points against Houston and Corpus Christi. He began his experience in Big 12 play by going for eight points and six rebounds against Kansas and scored a conference-high nine points in the win over Kansas State. The TABC Class 6A Player of the Year and state champion at Duncanville High School, Peavy played for his dad, David, and was teammates with Jahmi'us Ramsey. Peavy had four points at Texas. Burton is also in his first season at Tech, transferring in after two seasons at Wichita State. A North Carolina native, Burton has started four games this season and is averaging 4.7 points and 1.6 assists per game. He has played in 81 career games and has accumulated 250 assists and 596 points. Burton scored a season-high 10 points against Grambling and had nine points last Saturday in the road win at Iowa State where he was 4-for-8 from the field. At Wichita State, Burton had a career-high 11 assists last season in a game at Oklahoma State.

Smith has played in all 14 games this season, averaging 2.9 points and 0.8 blocks per game. He had a career-high three blocks in the win over Troy and scored a career-high seven points in the games against Northwestern State and Troy. Benson has played in 62 games in his career and is the only Red Raider on the current roster with a 2018 Elite 8 and 2019 Final Four ring. A fourth-year player in the program, Benson scored a season-high six points against Incarnate Word with two 3-pointers and had a career-high 10 points in last year's win over No. 1 Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic in New York. He's currently 4-for-6 on 3-pointers this season. Nadolny is in his second season at Tech and is averaging 1.7 points per game this season with a high of six against Corpus Christi. He's played in 34 games in his career and scored a career-best nine points as freshman against Houston Baptist. A sophomore from France, Nadolny had two points and two rebounds at Iowa State in two minutes of play. Agbo and Goldin are talented freshmen who could make an impact at any moment. A San Diego native, Agbo is considered one of the two 3-point shooters on the team. He's currently averaging 1.7 points per game with a season-high of five coming in the opener against NSU. Goldin is the tallest player on the roster at 7-foot-1 and has appeared in six games this season. He scored a career-high six points in the win over Grambling where he also had four rebounds and then had five against UIW.

SECURING POSSESSION: Beard stresses a 10-or-less turnover game is one of the keys to victory in every game the Red Raiders play which the team has accomplished seven times this season after only having seven in the win at Texas. The Red Raiders are currently averaging only 10.9 turnovers per game which is the 13th best nationally and second in the Big 12. In Big 12 play, Tech also only seven against Kansas and then nine in the win over Kansas State and 10 at Iowa State. Tech had only one turnover at halftime against the Cyclones last Saturday to get out to a 24-point lead. The season highlight in the turnover category came against Corpus Christi where the team had only four which is a low in the Beard era. The four-turnover game was followed by only seven against KU and Incarnate Word in back-to-back games. During his five seasons, Tech has committed 10 or less turnovers 58 times under Beard. The program's low turnover output was highlighted at the 2019 Final Four with only seven in a win over Michigan State and eight in the overtime loss to Virginia in the National Championship game. Tech currently has a plus-7.2 turnover margin which is fifth nationally.

FORCING THE ISSUE: Texas Tech forced 30 turnovers against Grambling for the most since the 2009 season opener against South Dakota. In the past two games, the Red Raiders forced 15 turnovers at Texas and Iowa State. Tech has recorded 13 steals in two games this season, against Grambling and Northwestern State. The team had 11 steals at Iowa State with Santos-Silva, Peavy, McCullar and Shannon having two each. The 13 steals against Grambling and Northwestern State is the most steals in a game since a 15-steal game by the team against Rice on Dec. 16, 2017.

GAME-BY-GAME TURNOVERS (TTU-OPPONENT): TTU 10-NSU 19; TTU 12-SAM 18; TTU 18-HOU 14; TTU 13-TROY 22; TTU 13-GRAM 30; TTU 16-ACU 22; TTU 4-TAMUCC 20; TTU 7-KU 16; TTU 13-OU 16; TTU 7-UIW 20; TTU 14-OSU 13; TTU 9-KSU 14.; TTU 10-ISU 15; TTU 7-UT 15.

SHARING THE WEALTH: Texas Tech is averaging 13.4 assists per game after having 15 at Iowa State on 33 field goals and 11 on 24 made baskets against KSU. Tech had only seven assists on 25 makes at Texas. The team has seven games with 15 or more assists. Tech had a season-high 25 assists in the opener against Northwestern State. Edwards has the individual high this season with seven in that game against NSU. McClung and Shannon led Tech with two assists each against the Longhorns.

STIFLING STARTS: The Texas Tech defense has been strong throughout the first 13 games, but especially solid in the first half where it has outscored its first 13 opponents by a combined 518-383 margin. The Longhorns were an anomaly, outscoring the Red Raiders by a 48-38 margin before Tech made its second-half comeback for the win. Only eight of the first 13 opponents have scored over 20 points through the opening 20 minutes of games. ACU was limited to only 14 points in the opening 20 minutes and Sam Houston was at 15. The 14 points scored by ACU at the break was the lowest since Northwestern State was held to 10 points at halftime in 2018. TTU led 54-30 at halftime over Iowa State in its win last Saturday in Ames.

ROAD STREAK: Texas Tech has opened Big 12 play with three road wins over Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas. It is the first time since the 1995-96 season that the team has opened with three straight road victories. The Red Raiders won four straight Big 12 road games to end the 2018-19 regular season for the longest road streak since that 1995-96 season.

OUR LEADER: Beard is in his fifth season as the Texas Tech head coach where he has led the program to a 105-47 record, including an 8-2 mark in the NCAA Tournament. Beard was named the 2019 Associated Press National Coach of the Year and earned Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019. An assistant coach at Texas Tech under Bob and Pat Knight, Beard has amassed an impressive 13-52 record as a Division I head coach that started with one season at Little Rock where he was 30-5. He also has head coaching stops at Fort Scott Community College, Seminole State, McMurry and Angelo State in his collegiate career. Beard is the 17th head coach in Texas Tech history and reached 100 wins on Dec. 12, 2020 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He is the fastest Tech coach to reach that milestone following James Dickey (148 games), Bob Knight (150), Gerald Myers (152) and Polk Robison (170). Beard is now 200-77 as an NCAA head coach.

BEARD AT HOME (70-11, 29-10 Big 12)
2016-17: 16-3, 6-3 Big 12
2017-18: 17-1, 8-1 Big 12
2018-19: 17-1, 8-1 Big 12
2019-20: 13-4, 6-3 Big 12
2020-21: 7-2, 1-2 Big 12

THE STAFF: Beard is assisted this season by associate head coach Mark Adams, assistant coaches Ulric Maligi and Bob Donewald, Casey Perrin (Chief of Staff), Sean Sutton (Advisor/Player Development), John Reilly (Strength & Conditioning) and associate athletic trainer Mike Neal. Adams is entering his fifth season on Beard's staff and also assisted him at Little Rock. A 1979 graduate of Texas Tech, Adams is a former head coach at Clarendon College, Wayland Baptist, West Texas A&M, Texas-Pan American and Howard College. He earned 2019 TABC Assistant Coach of the Year and is a member of multiple hall of fames, most recently being inducted into the NJCAA's Men's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class for 2020. Donewald is in his second season on the staff, but his first as an assistant. He has extensive experience in professional basketball and worked last season as the program's director of player development. Maligi is also in his second season on the staff and is widely respected as one of the top emerging assistants in the nation. He led the charge in the recruitment of this year's signing class which was the highest ranked in program history. Reilly, a Killeen, Texas native who competed on the BYU Track & Field team, is also in his fifth season having led the strength and conditioning each year for Beard. Neal is in his second season, coming over from Little Rock where he played basketball and was the team's athletic trainer during Beard's year leading the program.

UNCOMFORTABLE – BEARD EXPLAINS: "Being comfortable gets you beat every single time. You see it all the time in sports. You win a big game and the next time there's a letdown and a loss. We've all seen that. Life is the same way. You can have a great day at work and you could take the edge off. It takes a special person, we use the word 'elite', to remain uncomfortable. Coach Knight would talk a lot about when things were going good that we need to shake the tree from time to time. Everybody expects the best and have focus during times of adversity, but only the elite people can push themselves each day to stay uncomfortable. I think being uncomfortable is where growth comes from. Uncomfortable is what you have to be to compete in the Big 12. Our guys have embraced this. Each season we try to have a theme and with this year's group, we just feel that if we can stay uncomfortable we'll be where we need to be. We like our talent. We like our culture. If this team can keep pushing and not get too high or too low by staying uncomfortable right there in the middle, we think we have a great chance to grow."

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Players Mentioned

Kyler Edwards

Mac McClung

Jahmi'us Ramsey

Marcus Santos-Silva

Texas Tech University Athletics