PREVIEW: No. 19 Tech set to battle top-ranked Baylor

LUBBOCK, Texas – A three-game week for No. 19-ranked Texas Tech begins at No. 1 Baylor on Tuesday in a Big 12 battle at the Ferrell Center in Waco.

The Red Raiders (11-3, 1-1 Big 12) are coming off a 75-67 home win over No. 6 Kansas, while the Bears (15-0, 3-0 Big 12) extended an overall 21-game winning streak by earning a 76-64 victory at TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth. Tech owns an 80-62 all-time advantage in the historic series that dates back to 1937, but Baylor has won four in a row overall and five straight in Waco. TTU snapped a four-game losing streak to KU with its win on Saturday.

The Bears are currently 9-0 on their home court this season coming into the first match against the Red Raiders who are 0-2 in true road games.

Tech has a quick turnaround after its trip to Waco, hosting Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. on Thursday before playing at Kansas State on Saturday to complete the three-game, five-day stretch. Tech and OSU are playing on Thursday in a game that was originally scheduled for New Year's Day but was moved due to COVID protocol issues within the Cowboy program.

QUICK FACTS
Matchup: Texas Tech (11-3, 1-1 Big 12) at Baylor (15-0, 3-0 Big 12)
Venue: Ferrell Center (10,347)
Tip: 6 p.m., Tuesday
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
Radio (Texas Tech Sports Network): 97.3 Double T FM
Radio Talent: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Radio Channels: Ch. 199
Series History: Tech leads 80-62 (Baylor leads 38-29 in Waco)

POLLS: Texas Tech is up six spots to No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 after four straight weeks at No. 25. Along with Baylor and Tech, the Big 12 is represented by Kansas which fell back to No. 9 after its loss to TTU, No. 15 Iowa State and No. 22 Texas. No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Southern Cal round out the top-5 while Houston is up a spot to No. 11. Oklahoma and West Virginia continue to receive votes but are just outside the Top 25 in the Week 10 poll. Tech's ranking at No. 19 makes it five straight weeks in the poll after first entering on December 13 following a win over then-No. 13 Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic.

TECH VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Tech is now 2-2 against ranked opponents this season after knocking off No. 6 Kansas and a 57-52 overtime win over then-No. 13 Tennessee at the Jimmy V Classic. The losses came at No. 11 Iowa State to open Big 12 play after a 69-55 loss to No. 5 Gonzaga in the Jerry Colangelo Classic. As a program, Tech is 63-217 all-time against ranked opponents after going 16-24 in the previous five seasons. The Red Raiders were 3-8 in the 2020-21 season against ranked teams with two wins over Texas (No. 4 and No. 14) and a home win over Oklahoma which was at No. 9.

RED RAIDERS vs. TOP-10 OPPONENTS
Tech has now beat a top-10 opponent in eight straight seasons and has 26 wins over top-10 teams in program history. The Red Raiders have 12 wins over top-10 teams since the 2015 season. Tech comes into the matchup 1-7 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents with a 70-57 win over Louisville on Dec. 10, 2019 in the Jimmy V Classic being the only win. The program went 2-4 against top-10 opponents last season with a 79-77 road win over Texas in Austin on Jan. 13, 2021 before knocking off No. 9 Oklahoma with a 57-52 win in Lubbock on Feb. 1, 2021. The Red Raiders dropped their conference opener last season to No. 5 Kansas at home and fell twice to Baylor before No. 10 Arkansas topped them in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT
The Tech roster of 14 is made up of five returners, six NCAA Division I transfers, one junior college transfer, a walk-on who joined at midterm 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. The team's top two returners and scorers, Shannon and McCullar have missed the start of Big 12 play due to injury. Both will be game time decisions at Baylor.

Williams matched his season-high with 22 points in the win over Kansas where he also led Tech with eight rebounds. He is now averaging 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game after beginning Big 12 play with 10 points and three rebounds at Iowa 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 1,794 points and 813 rebounds through 135 games played in his college career. Williams scored a season-high 22 points for the first time 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. An All-C-USA selection the past two seasons, he has made 718 baskets in his career and is currently shooting 53.5 percent from the field. Williams has averaged 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in his collegiate career coming into the matchup against the Bears. Last season at UTEP, Williams recorded a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds against Kansas in a 67-62 loss on March 4, 2021. He has now scored in double figures in 88 games in his career with nine this season. Williams has approached a double-double on multiple occasions this season but is still looking for his first. He has 15 double-doubles in his career.

Obanor went for seven rebounds and seven points against Kansas and is now averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game after also recording a season-high 10 rebounds at Iowa State to start Big 12 play. A senior from Houston who is in his first season at Tech after three years at Oral Roberts, Obanor has scored 1,426 points and has 759 rebounds through 100 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 at least one 3-pointer in 10 of 14 game this season and is currently 20-for-62 on 3-pointers (32.3 percent) after going 1-for-4 against KU. Obanor, Warren and Williams have started all 14 games for the Red Raiders this season.

Santos-Silva had a strong performance against KU where he provided toughness along with seven points, four rebounds and two assists. A super senior from Taunton, Massachusetts who played three seasons at VCU, he has produced 1,144 points and 860 rebounds through 140 games in his collegiate career. Santos-Silva is averaging 5.4 points and 3.9 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 had five rebounds, three assists and scored four points against Iowa State. His fastbreak dunk gave Tech a 42-40 lead with two minutes remaining against the Cyclones. Santos-Silva has 26 games in his career with double-digit rebounds after his 12-rebound performance against Lamar and has seven games with four or more rebounds this season. He currently has 346 offensive rebounds in his career and is 10th in the Big 12 with 2.17 offensive rebounds per game. Santos-Silva started all 29 games for Tech last season and has played a reserve role in all 14 this season.

Mylik Wilson had missed the past five games after minor knee surgery but returned to lead Tech with five assists in the win over Kansas. He also added five points and four rebounds in his Big 12 debut – playing 23 minutes in his return. He leads Tech with a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio with 31 assists and only nine turnovers. He is also adding 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in nine games played. A transfer from Louisiana, Wilson has started five of nine games he played in. Wilson had a season-high seven assists in the season-opening win over North Florida and has four or more assists in five games this season. Wilson is a junior with three years of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons at Louisiana. He currently has 199 assists, 707 points and 328 rebounds through 64 games played in his collegiate career.

Nadolny scored a career-high 17 points and also led Tech with three steal in the win over Kansas. A junior who has now played in 58 career games, he made his first career start last Wednesday at Iowa State and also started against Kansas. At Iowa State he finished with a career-high four steals and matched his previous career-high with nine points. A junior from France, he was coming off a career-high five assists in the win over Alabama State where he also had a previous season-high eight points. Nadolny is currently averaging 4.6 points, 1.4 steals and 1.5 assists per game through 11 games played this season. He missed the opening three games of the season due to an offseason injury that required minor surgery. Nadolny was 5-for-5 at the free-throw line against KU and 6-for-13 from the field to get to double-digits for the first time and his career-high performance.

Warren led Tech in scoring for the first time this season with 15 points in the win over Alabama State and then again with 12 points at Iowa State. After going for seven points against KU, he is now averaging 11.0 points per game through 14 games as a Red Raider where he has started all 14. Warren has scored in double figures 51 times in 73 career games at the NCAA level. Warren leads the Red Raiders and is ninth in the Big 12 with 22 steals this season with two or more steals in nine games this season after having two against the Jayhawks. He averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior at Hampton University last season and has now scored 1,749 career points at all levels. A Buffalo, New York native, Warren ranked 14th nationally in scoring last season and was the fourth leading returner coming into this season. 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 eight of 14 games. Warren is currently 31 of 39 on free throws (79.5 percent) and has made 216 free throws in his career. 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 is shooting 45.5 percent from the field this season and also has 24 assists with two against KU.

Arms was a consistent player off the bench for Adams throughout the first nine games before making starts in the past five games – beginning against Gonzaga where he scored 14 points. He tied for the team lead in scoring in the games against Gonzaga and EWU and is coming off a game against Kansas where he had eight points and four assists. He matched McCullar with 14 points in the game against Gonzaga for the team lead, including hitting a season-high three 3-pointers. Arms is now averaging 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with a season-high 15 points against Arkansas State. A Milwaukee native, Arms is at his fourth college after also playing at Mesa Community College, Northwest Nazarene and Winthrop. He had a previous season-high seven rebounds at Providence College before his eight at Iowa State to open Big 12 play. He was held scoreless for the only time this season against Tennessee before bouncing back for his season-high of 15 against Arkansas State on a 5 of 6 shooting performance. Arms played in the NCAA Tournament last season with Winthrop, scoring 10 points in a loss to Villanova in the opening round.

McCullar has missed the first two Big 12 games against Iowa State and Kansas with an injury and will be a game-time decision against Baylor. He is averaging 13.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game after going for 11 points and a career-high seven assists in the win over Alabama State. McCullar recorded the first double-double of his season and third of his career after going for 14 points and 10 rebounds against Gonzaga. McCullar is currently ninth in the Big 12 in rebounding. He comes into Big 12 play after also going off for 21 points against Arkansas State on Dec. 14 and 11 points and seven rebounds last Wednesday against Alabama State. 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. His seven assists last Tuesday surpassed five assists he had in games against North Florida, Tennessee and Eastern Washington for his previous high. Along with his strong performance against nationally-ranked Gonzaga, he had 10 rebounds, five assists and eight points in the overtime win over No. 13 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 517 points, 279 rebounds, 97 assists and 85 steals through 59 games in his career. He currently is averaging 1.6 steals per game matching a season-high with three against Alabama State. He led the team last season with 34 steals. A junior on the roster, he still has three years of eligibility remaining.

Shannon has missed the past five games against Kansas, Iowa State, Alabama State, Eastern Washington and Gonzaga with an injury and is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday's game against Kansas. He is scoring a team-best 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 in limited minutes in his last action on the court. 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.

At full strength, Tech's bench is strong with Daniel Batcho, Chibuzo Agbo and KJ Allen 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 nine rebounds and eight points against Alabama 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 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 points per game after having two points and one rebound against Kansas. Agbo and Allen did not play against Kansas.

Tech's only true freshman, Ethan Duncan, is redshirting this season after suffering an off-season shoulder injury that required surgery. Austin Timperman made his debut against EWU after becoming eligible at midterm. A walk-on from The Woodlands, Timperman transferred to Tech as a student last year after being in UTSA's team during the 2019-20 season where he played in six games.

BAYLOR BEARS REPORT
The Bears come into their 16th game of the season with four players averaging in double figures and the team at 82.8 points per game on offense and limiting opponents to 59.6 points per game. James Akinjo leads Baylor with 14.4 points per game, 92 assists and 33 steals. A transfer from Arizona, Akinjo is averaging 21.0 points through three Big 12 games after going for 20 points and eight assists in the win over TCU. Adam Flager led Baylor against the Horned Frogs with 22 points and three steals, while LJ Cryer gave Baylor 15 points off the bench in the win. Flager went 6-for-10 on 3-pointers in the game against TCU and Cryer hit four 3-pointers. BU was 13-for-27 from beyond the arc. Cryer is now averaging 13.0 points per game, while Flager is at 12.3 and Kendall Brown is scoring 11.4 per game. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua leads Baylor with 7.6 rebounds per game as a reserve, while Flo Thamba leads the team with 16 blocks and is also at 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds through 15 starts this season.

Baylor is on a 21-game winning streak that dates back to last season where it won the 2021 National Championship. The Bears are led by Scott Drew who is in his 19th season leading the program.

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).

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PREVIEW: No. 19 Tech set to battle top-ranked Baylor

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Players Mentioned

Chibuzo Agbo

KJ Allen

Adonis Arms

Daniel Batcho

Ethan Duncan

Kevin Obanor

Marcus Santos-Silva

Austin Timperman

Davion Warren

Bryson Williams

Mylik Wilson