Saturday, November 27
Lubbock, Texas
3 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Lamar
PREVIEW: Tech, Lamar set for Saturday showdown
November 25, 2021 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals at Red Raiders | 3 p.m., Saturday | TV: ESPN+
LUBBOCK, Texas – A post-Thanksgiving basketball matchup between Texas Tech and Lamar is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena before the Red Raiders spend the next two weeks on the road with a pair of games against Providence College and No. 15 Tennessee.
The Red Raiders (5-0) are coming off a 96-40 win over Omaha on Tuesday night, while Lamar (1-5) lost 79-73 at UTSA on Wednesday afternoon in San Antonio. Tech's 56-point win was the fifth largest margin of victory in program history and takes the team's scoring margin of victory to 30.8 through five games which leads the Big 12 and is sixth nationally. TTU is currently 4-0 at home this season and on a 10-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents.
Terrence Shannon, Jr. led the Red Raiders with 18 points with three 3-pointers in the win over Omaha, while Davion Warren went for 14 and Adonis Arms added 10 in a game where all 12 players who were suited up scored. Tech finished the game shooting 58.7 percent from the field and held UNO to only 26.6 percent. Daniel Batcho led the Red Raiders with 10 rebounds and six assists in 16 minutes of action and Mylik Wilson had four assists, three steals and no turnovers to take his season total to 21 assists and only two turnovers through five games.
The 5-0 start is the 13th time in 97 seasons that the Red Raiders have opened a campaign with five straight wins and head coach Mark Adams is the first coach in program history to begin his tenure with five straight victories. Tech's longest winning streak to start a season is 12-0 which came back in the 1929-30 season and most recently a 10-0 start in the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke in a year that ended on the final night of the college basketball season at the Final Four.
The Red Raiders come into the matchup against Lamar having won 10 straight non-conference home games and are 64-1 in those games since a win over Saint Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013 which began a 54-game streak that ended with a 76-74 overtime loss to No. 15 Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020. Tech is 3-1 all-time in the series against Lamar with Nick Okorie going off for 19 points and D'walyn Roberts recording 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Red Raiders to a 77-54 win over Lamar on Nov. 21, 2009 in the last matchup between the two programs.
Tech out-rebounded Omaha by a 45-26 margin in the win on Tuesday and is currently leading the nation with 17.6 offensive rebounds per game and is second nationally with a 17.4 rebounding margin through its five games. The Red Raiders are averaging 42.2 rebounds per game while opponents are at 24.8. Last season, Tech averaged 34.9 rebounds per game.
The 56-point win was the largest since a 62-point win over South Carolina State on Dec. 17, 2014 and behind margins of 64 (UNC-Ashville – 2004), 65 (Houston Baptist – 1992) and the all-time margin of 72 against Nicholls State in a 107-35 in on Dec. 7, 2002. Tech's last 50-plus margin came in the 2018-19 season opener with an 87-37 win over Incarnate Word.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Texas Tech Sports Network. Chris Sylvester and Chris Level will have the television call, while Geoff Haxton and Clark Lammert are on the radio side of the coverage. Fans can follow the team through social media @TexasTechMBB.
UP NEXT: Texas Tech will play its first true road game of the season against Providence College on Wednesday, Dec. 1 in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle in Rhode Island. Tech is 0-1 against Providence College with the only other matchup coming in Hawaii in 1977. The Red Raiders will then play No. 15 Tennessee at the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 7 in New York before coming back home to host Arkansas State on Dec. 14 at the USA.
RANKINGS: Texas Tech is receiving votes in the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches Poll, but remains unranked this season after spending the entire 2020-21 season in the rankings for the first time in program history. TTU was as high as No. 7 last season and finished the year at No. 21. While not in the polls, the Red Raiders are currently No. 13 in the Kenpom.com ranking and No. 8 in the site's adjusted defensive efficiency ranking. Over the past four years Tech has ranked in the KENPOM.COM: Adjusted defensive efficiency… No. 17 (2021), No. 9 (2020), No. 1 (2019).
STAT RANKINGS: It's early and games played/opponents vary throughout the NCAA, but let's have some fun with national stat rankings. With a 5-0 record, TTU is tied for the nation's best won-lost percentage along with 36 other teams. Tech leads the nation with 17.6 offensive rebounds per game and is second with a 17.4 rebounding advantage. Offensively, Tech leads the Big 12 and is 13th nationally by scoring 88.2 points per game. Mylik Wilson leads the nation with a 10.5 assist-to-turnover ratio with 21 assists and only two turnovers, while Bryson Williams is 21st nationally with a 65.9 shooting percentage and Marcus Santos-Silva is second in the Big 12 with 3.2 offensive rebounds per game.
RED RAIDER REPORT: Shannon returned to the lineup last weekend and is averaging 17.0 points and 3.0 assists per game after his 18-point performance against Omaha. A junior from Chicago, Shannon is in his third season with the Red Raiders and returned after going through the NBA Draft process but electing to play his junior season at Tech. He has scored 678 points through 59 career games and came into this season on the watch lists for the Wooden, Naismith and West awards. Shannon was also named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team after earning All-Big 12 Third Team honors last season. After going for 16 against UIW and then 18 against Omaha, he's now scored in double figures in 38 games in his career and has led Tech in scoring 10 games.
Williams is averaging 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in his first season at Tech. A super senior from Fresno, California, Williams played two seasons at Fresno State and then two at UTEP before transferring to Tech this summer. He scored a season-high 22 points in the opener against North Florida and had nine rebounds in the wins over Grambling and Omaha. Williams has played in 126 collegiate games and has 1,698 points, 778 rebounds and 85 blocks on his resume. He's scored in double figures in 83 games coming into the matchup against Lamar.
Wilson had four assists and no turnovers in the win over Omaha to take his assist-to-turnover ratio to 10.5 which leads the nation. A junior who is in his first season at Tech after playing two years at Louisiana, Wilson has 21 assists, 11 steals and only two turnovers through five games. He also scored a season-high eight points in the win over Omaha and has now scored 693 points and has 189 assists through 60 games in his collegiate career. Wilson has started four of five games for the Red Raiders and is averaging 4.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Warren has scored in double-figures in four of five games after going for 14 points in the win over Omaha and is now averaging 14.2 points per game this season. A super senior from Buffalo, New York, Warren averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior at Hampton last season which was the 13th best in the nation. He is coming off a game against UNO where he was 4-for-4 at the free-throw line and is currently 12-for-13 (92.3 percent) for the season after also going 7-for-7 at the line in his season-high 19-point performance against Grambling. Along with his scoring, Warren is averaging 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals through five games. Arms is now at 7.8 points per game after scoring in double figures the past two games with 12 against UIW and 10 in the win over Omaha. A super senior who played at Winthrop last season, Arms has hit two three 3-pointers in each of the last three games and is shooting 7-for-15 on 3-pointers (46.7 percent) and is also averaging 2.6 assists per game with a season-high five against PVAMU. A Milwaukee native, Arms is at his fourth college after beginning his career at Mesa Community College, Northwest Nazarene and Winthrop where he played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
McCullar missed Tuesday's game against Omaha with a non-COVID illness after leading Tech with 17 points against UIW in South Padre where he set a new single-game high by knocking down four 3-pointers (4 of 6). McCullar is second for the Red Raiders with 6.3 rebounds per game this season with a season-high of nine against Grambling where he also established a new career-high with 24 points. In his fourth season at Tech, McCullar is the only player who was on the Final Four team where he was a redshirt who joined mid-year after graduating high school early. He has now played in 53 games (29 starts) and has 443 points and 243 career points. McCullar, who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention last season, is averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. Â
Marcus Santos-Silva leads Tech with 16 offensive rebounds this season and is averaging 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in his second year with the program. A Taunton, Mass. native, Santos-Silva transferred to Tech after three years at VCU and finished last season averaging 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a Red Raider. He scored a season-high 13 points against North Florida in the opener and is coming off going for nine points and seven rebounds against Omaha. Santos-Silva already has two games with four offensive rebounds and has had three or more offensive rebounds in four of the five games. He comes into Saturday's game with 828 rebounds and 1,103 points in his career.
Batcho is averaging 9.0 rebounds over the past two games after having eight against UIW last weekend in South Padre and then securing 10 in the win over Omaha. He is the first Red Raider to have a double-digit rebounding performance this season. A freshman from France, Batcho began his career at Arizona last season but redshirted with an injury. He's currently averaging 3.2 points and 5.0 rebounds this season. Along with his rebounding, he had a career-high six assists against Omaha in only 16 minutes of play. He had only one assist through the first four games before leading the team with six in that win.
Kevin Obanor comes into Saturday's game against Lamar averaging 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season. A senior who played three seasons at Oral Roberts, Obanor is in his first year at Tech and has posted 1,348 points and 705 rebounds through 91 collegiate games. He scored a season-high 17 points in the opener against North Florida and has two games with six rebounds. Obanor is coming off a season at ORU where he had 15 double-doubles and has 30 double-doubles in his career – including having three in the 2021 NCAA Tournament to help ORU reach the Sweet 16.
Sardaar Calhoun had a season-high eight points in the win over Omaha after going 3-for-4 from the field with two 3-pointers, while Chibuzo Agbo scored a career-high seven points in the win. Agbo, who is in his second season at Tech, had a previous high of six points coming against Arkansas last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and then again with six points against PVAMU. He was 3-for-4 from the field with a 3-pointer against Omaha. KJ Allen also had a season-high with six points against Omaha after going 3-for-3 from the field. A sophomore from Los Angeles, Allen is in his first season at Tech after playing at East Los Angeles College during the 2019-20 season. His team was unable to play last year because of COVID. At ELAC, Allen averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in his freshman season that was documented on Netflix's series Last Chance U: Basketball. Calhoun is also in his first season at Tech after playing last year at Florida State where he had a career-high 16 points in a win over Miami. Calhoun and the Seminoles advanced to the 2021 Sweet 16 last season.
LAMAR CARDINALS (1-5): Lamar travels to Lubbock on a five-game losing streak after falling 79-73 at UTSA and 82-75 at Southern Mississippi in its last two games. The Cardinals began the season with a 67-50 win over Wiley at home in Beaumont but has since dropped games against Miami (Ohio), Georgia Tech, Stetson, USM and UTSA. Lamar is being held to 69.2 points per game and is shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent on 3-pointers. While Tech has owned the glass against its opponents, Lamar is down 212-217 against its opponents in the rebounding category. Jordyn Adams leads Lamar with 12.8 points per game, while Davion Buster is at 11.7 ppg., CJ Roberts has scored 10.8 and Kasen Harrison is averaging 10.0 to give the Cardinals four double-figure scorers through six games on their schedule. Buster led Lamar with 22 points against UTSA where he was 5-for-10 on 3-pointers, while Roberts dropped 17 points against the Roadrunners where he was 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Lamar will play at Mississippi State on Thursday, Dec. 2 in Starkville, Mississippi after taking on the Red Raiders this weekend in Lubbock.
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The Red Raiders (5-0) are coming off a 96-40 win over Omaha on Tuesday night, while Lamar (1-5) lost 79-73 at UTSA on Wednesday afternoon in San Antonio. Tech's 56-point win was the fifth largest margin of victory in program history and takes the team's scoring margin of victory to 30.8 through five games which leads the Big 12 and is sixth nationally. TTU is currently 4-0 at home this season and on a 10-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents.
Terrence Shannon, Jr. led the Red Raiders with 18 points with three 3-pointers in the win over Omaha, while Davion Warren went for 14 and Adonis Arms added 10 in a game where all 12 players who were suited up scored. Tech finished the game shooting 58.7 percent from the field and held UNO to only 26.6 percent. Daniel Batcho led the Red Raiders with 10 rebounds and six assists in 16 minutes of action and Mylik Wilson had four assists, three steals and no turnovers to take his season total to 21 assists and only two turnovers through five games.
The 5-0 start is the 13th time in 97 seasons that the Red Raiders have opened a campaign with five straight wins and head coach Mark Adams is the first coach in program history to begin his tenure with five straight victories. Tech's longest winning streak to start a season is 12-0 which came back in the 1929-30 season and most recently a 10-0 start in the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke in a year that ended on the final night of the college basketball season at the Final Four.
The Red Raiders come into the matchup against Lamar having won 10 straight non-conference home games and are 64-1 in those games since a win over Saint Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013 which began a 54-game streak that ended with a 76-74 overtime loss to No. 15 Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020. Tech is 3-1 all-time in the series against Lamar with Nick Okorie going off for 19 points and D'walyn Roberts recording 15 points and nine rebounds to lead the Red Raiders to a 77-54 win over Lamar on Nov. 21, 2009 in the last matchup between the two programs.
Tech out-rebounded Omaha by a 45-26 margin in the win on Tuesday and is currently leading the nation with 17.6 offensive rebounds per game and is second nationally with a 17.4 rebounding margin through its five games. The Red Raiders are averaging 42.2 rebounds per game while opponents are at 24.8. Last season, Tech averaged 34.9 rebounds per game.
The 56-point win was the largest since a 62-point win over South Carolina State on Dec. 17, 2014 and behind margins of 64 (UNC-Ashville – 2004), 65 (Houston Baptist – 1992) and the all-time margin of 72 against Nicholls State in a 107-35 in on Dec. 7, 2002. Tech's last 50-plus margin came in the 2018-19 season opener with an 87-37 win over Incarnate Word.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Texas Tech Sports Network. Chris Sylvester and Chris Level will have the television call, while Geoff Haxton and Clark Lammert are on the radio side of the coverage. Fans can follow the team through social media @TexasTechMBB.
UP NEXT: Texas Tech will play its first true road game of the season against Providence College on Wednesday, Dec. 1 in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle in Rhode Island. Tech is 0-1 against Providence College with the only other matchup coming in Hawaii in 1977. The Red Raiders will then play No. 15 Tennessee at the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 7 in New York before coming back home to host Arkansas State on Dec. 14 at the USA.
RANKINGS: Texas Tech is receiving votes in the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches Poll, but remains unranked this season after spending the entire 2020-21 season in the rankings for the first time in program history. TTU was as high as No. 7 last season and finished the year at No. 21. While not in the polls, the Red Raiders are currently No. 13 in the Kenpom.com ranking and No. 8 in the site's adjusted defensive efficiency ranking. Over the past four years Tech has ranked in the KENPOM.COM: Adjusted defensive efficiency… No. 17 (2021), No. 9 (2020), No. 1 (2019).
STAT RANKINGS: It's early and games played/opponents vary throughout the NCAA, but let's have some fun with national stat rankings. With a 5-0 record, TTU is tied for the nation's best won-lost percentage along with 36 other teams. Tech leads the nation with 17.6 offensive rebounds per game and is second with a 17.4 rebounding advantage. Offensively, Tech leads the Big 12 and is 13th nationally by scoring 88.2 points per game. Mylik Wilson leads the nation with a 10.5 assist-to-turnover ratio with 21 assists and only two turnovers, while Bryson Williams is 21st nationally with a 65.9 shooting percentage and Marcus Santos-Silva is second in the Big 12 with 3.2 offensive rebounds per game.
RED RAIDER REPORT: Shannon returned to the lineup last weekend and is averaging 17.0 points and 3.0 assists per game after his 18-point performance against Omaha. A junior from Chicago, Shannon is in his third season with the Red Raiders and returned after going through the NBA Draft process but electing to play his junior season at Tech. He has scored 678 points through 59 career games and came into this season on the watch lists for the Wooden, Naismith and West awards. Shannon was also named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team after earning All-Big 12 Third Team honors last season. After going for 16 against UIW and then 18 against Omaha, he's now scored in double figures in 38 games in his career and has led Tech in scoring 10 games.
Williams is averaging 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in his first season at Tech. A super senior from Fresno, California, Williams played two seasons at Fresno State and then two at UTEP before transferring to Tech this summer. He scored a season-high 22 points in the opener against North Florida and had nine rebounds in the wins over Grambling and Omaha. Williams has played in 126 collegiate games and has 1,698 points, 778 rebounds and 85 blocks on his resume. He's scored in double figures in 83 games coming into the matchup against Lamar.
Wilson had four assists and no turnovers in the win over Omaha to take his assist-to-turnover ratio to 10.5 which leads the nation. A junior who is in his first season at Tech after playing two years at Louisiana, Wilson has 21 assists, 11 steals and only two turnovers through five games. He also scored a season-high eight points in the win over Omaha and has now scored 693 points and has 189 assists through 60 games in his collegiate career. Wilson has started four of five games for the Red Raiders and is averaging 4.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Warren has scored in double-figures in four of five games after going for 14 points in the win over Omaha and is now averaging 14.2 points per game this season. A super senior from Buffalo, New York, Warren averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior at Hampton last season which was the 13th best in the nation. He is coming off a game against UNO where he was 4-for-4 at the free-throw line and is currently 12-for-13 (92.3 percent) for the season after also going 7-for-7 at the line in his season-high 19-point performance against Grambling. Along with his scoring, Warren is averaging 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals through five games. Arms is now at 7.8 points per game after scoring in double figures the past two games with 12 against UIW and 10 in the win over Omaha. A super senior who played at Winthrop last season, Arms has hit two three 3-pointers in each of the last three games and is shooting 7-for-15 on 3-pointers (46.7 percent) and is also averaging 2.6 assists per game with a season-high five against PVAMU. A Milwaukee native, Arms is at his fourth college after beginning his career at Mesa Community College, Northwest Nazarene and Winthrop where he played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
McCullar missed Tuesday's game against Omaha with a non-COVID illness after leading Tech with 17 points against UIW in South Padre where he set a new single-game high by knocking down four 3-pointers (4 of 6). McCullar is second for the Red Raiders with 6.3 rebounds per game this season with a season-high of nine against Grambling where he also established a new career-high with 24 points. In his fourth season at Tech, McCullar is the only player who was on the Final Four team where he was a redshirt who joined mid-year after graduating high school early. He has now played in 53 games (29 starts) and has 443 points and 243 career points. McCullar, who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention last season, is averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. Â
Marcus Santos-Silva leads Tech with 16 offensive rebounds this season and is averaging 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in his second year with the program. A Taunton, Mass. native, Santos-Silva transferred to Tech after three years at VCU and finished last season averaging 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a Red Raider. He scored a season-high 13 points against North Florida in the opener and is coming off going for nine points and seven rebounds against Omaha. Santos-Silva already has two games with four offensive rebounds and has had three or more offensive rebounds in four of the five games. He comes into Saturday's game with 828 rebounds and 1,103 points in his career.
Batcho is averaging 9.0 rebounds over the past two games after having eight against UIW last weekend in South Padre and then securing 10 in the win over Omaha. He is the first Red Raider to have a double-digit rebounding performance this season. A freshman from France, Batcho began his career at Arizona last season but redshirted with an injury. He's currently averaging 3.2 points and 5.0 rebounds this season. Along with his rebounding, he had a career-high six assists against Omaha in only 16 minutes of play. He had only one assist through the first four games before leading the team with six in that win.
Kevin Obanor comes into Saturday's game against Lamar averaging 8.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season. A senior who played three seasons at Oral Roberts, Obanor is in his first year at Tech and has posted 1,348 points and 705 rebounds through 91 collegiate games. He scored a season-high 17 points in the opener against North Florida and has two games with six rebounds. Obanor is coming off a season at ORU where he had 15 double-doubles and has 30 double-doubles in his career – including having three in the 2021 NCAA Tournament to help ORU reach the Sweet 16.
Sardaar Calhoun had a season-high eight points in the win over Omaha after going 3-for-4 from the field with two 3-pointers, while Chibuzo Agbo scored a career-high seven points in the win. Agbo, who is in his second season at Tech, had a previous high of six points coming against Arkansas last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and then again with six points against PVAMU. He was 3-for-4 from the field with a 3-pointer against Omaha. KJ Allen also had a season-high with six points against Omaha after going 3-for-3 from the field. A sophomore from Los Angeles, Allen is in his first season at Tech after playing at East Los Angeles College during the 2019-20 season. His team was unable to play last year because of COVID. At ELAC, Allen averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in his freshman season that was documented on Netflix's series Last Chance U: Basketball. Calhoun is also in his first season at Tech after playing last year at Florida State where he had a career-high 16 points in a win over Miami. Calhoun and the Seminoles advanced to the 2021 Sweet 16 last season.
LAMAR CARDINALS (1-5): Lamar travels to Lubbock on a five-game losing streak after falling 79-73 at UTSA and 82-75 at Southern Mississippi in its last two games. The Cardinals began the season with a 67-50 win over Wiley at home in Beaumont but has since dropped games against Miami (Ohio), Georgia Tech, Stetson, USM and UTSA. Lamar is being held to 69.2 points per game and is shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent on 3-pointers. While Tech has owned the glass against its opponents, Lamar is down 212-217 against its opponents in the rebounding category. Jordyn Adams leads Lamar with 12.8 points per game, while Davion Buster is at 11.7 ppg., CJ Roberts has scored 10.8 and Kasen Harrison is averaging 10.0 to give the Cardinals four double-figure scorers through six games on their schedule. Buster led Lamar with 22 points against UTSA where he was 5-for-10 on 3-pointers, while Roberts dropped 17 points against the Roadrunners where he was 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Lamar will play at Mississippi State on Thursday, Dec. 2 in Starkville, Mississippi after taking on the Red Raiders this weekend in Lubbock.
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— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) November 25, 2021
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