PREVIEW: No. 25 Tech, No. 5 Gonzaga set for showdown in Arizona

LUBBOCK, Texas – The past two NCAA Championship runner-ups will meet up in Phoenix with No. 25 Texas Tech and No. 5 Gonzaga playing at 12 p.m. (CST) on Saturday in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at the Footprint Center. The event is a one-day quadruple-header at the home of the Phoenix Suns which will also feature USC vs. Georgia Tech, Grand Canyon vs. San Francisco, and Northern Arizona vs. San Diego.

The Red Raiders (8-1) are coming off a 75-62 win over Arkansas State, while the Bulldogs (8-2) took an 80-55 win over Merrimack last Thursday in their last game before having a home game against Washington canceled due to COVID protocols in the UW program. Tech fell in overtime to Virginia in the 2019 National Championship Final, while the Bulldogs lost to Baylor in last season's title game. The game will be broadcasted on CBS.

Kevin McCullar and Terrence Shannon, Jr. lead Tech this season with 14.3 points per game, while McCullar also leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game after going off for 21 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win over Arkansas State. Bryson Williams and Davion Warren give the Red Raiders four players averaging in double-figure scoring with Williams at 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds and Warren at 11.8 points after going for 11 on Tuesday. Adonis Arms is coming off a season-high 15 points and is at 7.1 points and Kevin Obanor is averaging 9.6 ppg. and 4.7 rpg. coming into the weekend.

Tech and Gonzaga are meeting for the fourth time overall with the Red Raiders owning a 3-0 all-time advantage after their 75-69 win in the Elite 8 on March 30, 3019 to advance to their first Final Four. The first matchups between the programs came in the 2005 NCAA Tournament's second round with Tech earning a 71-69 win in Tucson, Arizona to advance to its second Sweet 16 before a 73-63 win by the Red Raiders at the 2007 Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 23, 2007 in Anchorage.

Tech is currently 1-0 against ranked opponents this season with its 57-52 overtime win over No. 13 Tennessee at the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 7 in New York, while the Bulldogs are 2-2 in ranked vs. ranked matchups with wins over Texas and UCLA before losses to Duke and Alabama. The Red Raiders, who entered the national rankings for the first time this season on Monday, have 13 wins over top-5 opponents in program history after knocking off then-No. 4 Texas last season in Austin. Tech was ranked throughout the season last year for the first time in program history, reaching No. 7 and finishing at No. 21. The program is 20-32 all-time in ranked vs. ranked matchups.

The Red Raiders come into the matchup second in the nation with a 14.6 rebounding margin advantage through their nine games and are fifth nationally with 15.1 offensive rebounds per game and a 22.2 scoring margin advantage. The team is also in the top-20 at 19 in total rebounds per game with 42.1 after owning a 36-21 advantage over Arkansas State on Tuesday. Tech had a 54-47 rebounding advantage over Tennessee. The Bulldogs come into the matchup fourth in the nation with a 13.0 rebounding margin advantage and are eighth nationally by scoring 85.6 points per game.

Gonzaga leads the nation by shooting 53.0 percent from the field and will face a Red Raider defense which is holding teams to 38.5 percent shooting and 58.9 points per game. Tech is currently at No. 7 in Kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency, while Gonzaga is No. 2 in Kenpom adjusted offensive efficiency to set up a contrasting battle of play and program reputations. The Red Raiders have limited seven or its nine opponents under 65 points this season and the Bulldogs enter the game having scored 80 or more in nine of 10. Tarleton State is the only opponent to limit Gonzaga to under 80 with a 64-55 decision where the Bulldogs shot 4 of 19 on 3-pointers.

RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT: The Tech roster of 14 is made up of five returners, seven NCAA Division I transfers, one junior college transfer and one high school signee. An experienced team, the Red Raiders have four super seniors in Davion Warren, Bryson Williams, Marcus Santos-Silva and Adonis Arms and five players who are currently in graduate school in Kevin Obanor, Warren, Williams, Santos-Silva and Arms.

Kevin McCullar is averaging 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game after his 21-point performance against the Red Wolves. It was the second 20-plus point game of his career and three points shy of his career-high 24 points against Grambling earlier this season. He had 10 rebounds, five assists and eight points in the overtime win over Tennessee. A San Antonio native in his third season playing for the Red Raiders, McCullar was a redshirt during the program's run to the 2019 NCAA Championship final and is the only current player who was on that roster. McCullar scored his career-high 24 points in the win over Grambling in the second game this season where he was 9 of 18 from the field and has scored in double figures in five of seven games played his season. McCullar missed games against Omaha and Lamar with a non-COVID illness before returning to the starting lineup in Rhode Island. A 2021 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, McCullar has 482 points, 262 rebounds, 84 assists and 79 steals through 56 games in his career. He currently is averaging 1.4 steals per game with a season-high three against Prairie View A&M after leading the team last season with 34 steals. A junior on the roster, he still has three years of eligibility remaining.

Terrence Shannon, Jr. is scoring 14.3 points per game after recording his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Tennessee, but then having a season-low two points against Arkansas State. His 12 rebounds against the Volunteers were a career-high and it was his second career double-double after he had a 23/10 performance last season at LSU. He was coming off 17 points at Providence College where he was 6-for-11 from the field with two 3-pointers. A junior from Chicago, Shannon is in his third season at Tech after electing to return following going through the NBA Draft process over the summer. Shannon did not play in the first three games this season for the Red Raiders as a review of that process was being completed before he returned to play in the fourth game of the year against Incarnate Word. Shannon has scored in double figures in five of six games he's played in this season and in 41 games through 63 in his career. He also scored 18 points in the team's 56-point win over Omaha and is currently shooting 11-for-30 (36.7 percent) on 3-pointers with two or more in each of the five games he's played in. Shannon has scored 730 points in his career with a high of 24 points as a freshman at DePaul. He earned 2021 All-Big 12 Third Team honors and is on the Preseason All-Big 12 team and watch lists for the Naismith, Wooden and West awards.

Bryson Williams is averaging 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game after going for 12 points and four rebounds against Arkansas State. A Fresno, California native, Williams played two seasons at Fresno State and two at UTEP before transferring to Tech over the summer to utilize a fifth season of eligibility. He currently has scored 1,737 points and has 791 rebounds through 130 games played in his college career. Williams scored a season-high 22 points in the opener against North Florida by going 9-for-11 from the field and has two games with nine rebounds (Grambling, Omaha) on his resume this season but was limited to a season-low four points and two rebounds at Providence College and seven points and three rebounds against Tennessee. He is currently fourth in the Big 12 by shooting 57.7 percent from the field where he is 45 of 78. An All-C-USA selection the past two seasons, he has made 695 baskets in his career.

Mylik Wilson missed the game against Arkansas State due to injury and is currently listed as day-to-day. He leads Tech with 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game this season where he is also adding 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds. A transfer from Louisiana, Wilson has started five of eight games he played in and is 11th nationally with a 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio with 26 assists and only seven turnovers. Wilson had a season-high seven assists in the season-opening win over North Florida and has four or more assists in four games this season. Wilson is a junior with three years of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons at Louisiana. He currently has 194 assists, 702 points and 324 rebounds through 63 games played in his collegiate career.

Obanor approached his first double-double of the season with 10 points and seven rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee but is coming off a game against Arkansas State where he had just two points and four rebounds. Obanor scored 12 points with two 3-pointers at Providence College after scoring a season-high 20 points in the home win over Lamar. A senior from Houston who is in his first season at Tech after three years at Oral Roberts, Obanor has scored 1,392 points and has 726 rebounds through 95 games of his collegiate career. He is coming off a junior season where he had 15 double-doubles and averaged 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game at ORU where he recorded double-doubles in three NCAA Tournament games en route to the Sweet 16. Obanor has hit three 3-pointers in three of nine games this season and is currently 16-for-45 on 3-pointers (35.6 percent). He is averaging 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game coming into the matchup against Gonzaga.

Davion Warren is averaging 11.9 points per game through eight games as a Red Raider after going for 21.2 points per game as a senior at Hampton University last season. He's coming off a game against the Volunteers where he had 10 points and two steals. A Buffalo, New York native, Warren ranked 14th nationally in scoring last season and is the fourth leading returner. He scored a season-high 19 points in the win over Grambling in the second game of the season and has scored in double figures in five of eight games. Warren is currently 21 of 27 on free throws (77.8 percent) which ranks sixth in the Big 12. After beginning his career with two seasons at Olney Central College, Warren played two seasons at Hampton where he earned his bachelor's degree. He currently has 972 points through 67 games at the NCAA level.

Marcus Santos-Silva is in his second season at Tech after playing three years at VCU. A super senior from Taunton, Massachusetts, he has produced 1,122 points and 847 rebounds through 135 games in his collegiate career. Santos-Silva is averaging 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Red Raiders this season with a high of 12 rebounds in the win over Lamar and 13 points in the opener against North Florida. He's coming off a game against Arkansas State where he had six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of play. Santos-Silva has 26 games in his career with double-digit rebounds after his 12-rebound performance against Lamar. He is sixth in the Big 12 with 2.67 offensive rebounds per game with a season-high five offensive rebounds in the win over Lamar. He had two or more offensive rebounds in each of the first seven games this season and 340 offensive rebounds in his career. Arms has been a consistent player off the bench for Adams throughout the first nine games where he is averaging 7.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game after scoring a season-high 15 points on a 5-for-6 shooting performance. A Milwaukee native, Arms is at his fourth college after also playing at Mesa Community College, Northwest Nazarene and Winthrop. He had a season-high seven rebounds at Providence College and also scored six points in the game. He was held scoreless for the only time this season against Tennessee before bouncing back for his 15 this week. Arms had scored a previous season-high 12 points in the win over Incarnate Word and has four games with two or more 3-pointers after going 2-for-3 on Tuesday. He played in the NCAA Tournament last season with Winthrop, scoring 10 points in a loss to Villanova in the opening round.

Tech's bench is deep with Daniel Batcho, Chibuzo Agbo, Clarence Nadolny, KJ Allen and Sardaar Calhoun poised to make impacts. Batcho is a freshman from Paris France who transferred from Arizona where he redshirted last season before deciding to transfer. He secured a career-high 11 rebounds in the win over Tennessee where he also scored four points and had two blocked shots and is now coming off going for five points and three rebounds against Arkansas State. Batcho had 10 rebounds and also scored six points in the win over Omaha after producing eight rebounds and eight points against Incarnate Word. The tallest Red Raider at 6-foot-11, Batcho is averaging 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 per game. Tech's only true freshman, Ethan Duncan, will redshirt this season after suffering an off-season shoulder injury that required surgery.

OUR LEADER: Mark Adams is in his first season as the head coach at Texas Tech after working as the associate head coach for the program for five seasons. His 6-0 start was the best beginning to a season for a first-year head coach at Tech. Adams, who is the 18th head coach in program history, has won 561 games as a head coach and is in 26th season in a head coaching role with previous head coach experience at Howard College (2004-13), UTRGV (1992-97), West Texas A&M (1987-92), Wayland Baptist (1983-87) and Clarendon College (1981-82). Adams was named Tech's 18th head coach in program history on April 6, 2021 having already amassed a 554-244 overall record in the lead role. He led Howard College to the 2010 NJCAA National Championship and Wayland Baptist to the 1985 NAIA National Championship Finals with a runner-up finish. Adams coached Jae Crowder at Howard College. As an assistant under Chris Beard, Adams helped Little Rock to the NCAA Tournament before unprecedented success at Texas Tech where the Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite Eight and 2019 NCAA National Championship Final. Tech advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament which is the first time the program has made three straight tournament appearances. Adams has been inducted to the Hall of Fame at Wayland Baptist, West Texas A&M, Howard College and the NJCAA. His defense was the top-ranked unit in Kenpom in adjusted defense. Adams has surrounded himself by an experienced staff that includes head coaching experience in Corey Williams (Stetson), Barret Peery (Portland State) and Sean Sutton (Oklahoma State).

GONZAGA BULLDOG REPORT: Gonzaga opened its season with six straight wins, including an 86-74 win over Texas in its second game and an 83-63 victory over UCLA before falling to Duke and Alabama for its losses. The Bulldogs are led by Texas native Drew Timme who is averaging 18.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Julian Strawther is at 14.0 ppg. and freshman Chet Holmgren leads the team with 8.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game to go along with 13.5 ppg. Rasir Bolton, who was at Iowa State last season, is averaging 10.8 points per game including going for 16 points against the Longhorns. A Richardson, Texas native, Timme earned all-America honors as a sophomore and has already amassed 1,093 points through 74 games in his career. Holmgren is currently third in the nation in blocked shots per game and is fifth with 39 total blocks.

The Bulldogs are led by Mark Few who is in his 23rd season where he has a 638-127 overall record. Gonzaga went 31-1 last season and reached the NCAA National Championship Final where it fell 86-70 to Baylor. The Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference with a 15-0 record, had a 24-0 regular season and won the WCC Tournament with wins over Saint Mary's and BYU. The run to the final Monday night of the basketball season came with NCAA Tournament wins over Norfolk State, Oklahoma, Creighton, USC and UCLA.

UP NEXT: Texas Tech returns from Arizona to begin a three-game home stand. The Red Raiders will host Eastern Washington at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 22 at the United Supermarkets Arena before playing Alabama State at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Tech is currently on a 12-game non-conference home winning streak going into the pair of games that will lead into the start of Big 12 play with the Red Raiders hosting Oklahoma State on Jan. 1, 2022. The three games will all be on ESPN+.

PREVIEW: No. 25 Tech, No. 5 Gonzaga set for showdown in Arizona

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Players Mentioned

Chibuzo Agbo

KJ Allen

Adonis Arms

Daniel Batcho

Sardaar Calhoun

Ethan Duncan

Kevin McCullar

Clarence Nadolny

Kevin Obanor

Marcus Santos-Silva

Davion Warren

Bryson Williams

Mylik Wilson