Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders eye Battle against Hoyas
November 29, 2022 | Men's Basketball
Hawaii was nice. Lubbock is our paradise.
Back at home after a week in Maui, Texas Tech hosts Georgetown at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in a Big 12-BIG EAST Battle matchup at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (4-2) come into the game with a 3-0 record on their home court this season and own a 24-game home winning streak - but are also unranked for the first time this season after taking a pair of losses on the island. Georgetown (4-3) is playing in Lubbock for the first time in its program's history and in a true road game for the first time this season.
Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams is currently 21-0 at home leading the program and talked with the media on Tuesday to preview the game.
"It's great to be back home but we're going have to be ready to play against Georgetown," Adams said. "They are a very explosive and talented team with a great coach. They have a great reputation as a program. When you think about Georgetown, they are a team that brings a lot of respect. Hopefully we'll be ready for them. They push the ball and are great in transition. They are a very aggressive team and hang their hat on shot blocking where they're fifth in the country. They have a lot of talent."
Tech was 6-0 last season before falling at Providence College on December 1, 2021 in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle. Georgetown lost to TCU in its Big 12-BIG EAST Battle matchup last season. The Red Raiders went on to a 27-10 overall record and to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Hoyas went 6-25 overall, 0-19 in BIG EAST action and were 0-11 on the road last season after they had won the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament Championship and advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
"It's going to be fun to compete against them," said Tech senior De'Vion Harmon in the players press conference alongside Jaylon Tyson on Tuesday. "They have a good team. It'll be a fun battle and we're ready to compete. It'll be two teams competing as hard as they can to win a ball game. They are a unique team with really good guards along with bigs who can block shots. If we can rebound, we will have a chance to win the game."
Tech has not lost a home game since February 9, 2021 – falling to No. 14 West Virginia by 11. The last non-conference loss came in one of these cross-conference matchups in a 76-74 overtime loss to No. 15 Kentucky on January 25, 2020 that snapped a 54-game streak. The Red Raiders have since run off 18 straight home wins over non-conference opponents after that loss that was part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
Along with being 21-0 at home, Adams has not lost back-to-back games as the Red Raider head coach. Each loss last season was followed by a win, following his mindset of moving forward and focusing on what you control today. After returning from Hawaii, the team practice each day last weekend to fix mistakes that were made and started preparing for the Hoyas who are led by Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. Above everything, Adams has been looking for his team to respond and grow from the losses to No. 7 Creighton and No. 25 Ohio State. He wants them to be motivated by dropping out of the polls but more so to come together more as a team.Â
"Our guys love the game and are working hard every day," Adams said. "This is a team with guys who have a passion for basketball. They want to get better. One of our challenges is that they try to do too much on their own sometime. We want to make easy plays and not force things. We are seeing growth and improvement. Maui gave us experience. It wasn't the outcome we wanted but it is an opportunity to grow."
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
Jaylon Tyson on Maui: "We learned a lot about ourselves. We learned that we can compete with the top teams. We were in there with Creighton and almost came back against Ohio State. That's two Top 25 teams right there. I feel like it's all about us right now. Getting better at rebounding and getting tougher. More communication and be more together."
De'Vion Harmon on Maui: "We got to play against the best teams in the country and learn what we're about. Come back now and watch film to get better. It's an everyday process. We are going to keep chipping away and enjoying the process of getting better."
Tyson on growth: "We are out of the Top 25 now. There's hunger there to get back."
Harmon on growth: "I've been through a lot in my basketball career. For me, it's about being positive. Being a light. We have to fix things like rebounding and things on offense and defense obviously, but it's about looking forward. There are things we can grow from. We have Georgetown next and that's what I do. I look forward."
Adams on Georgetown: "They run some really good sets with explosive guards. They'll run a lot of sets to get 3-point shots. I think what they really do best is get defensive rebounds. We have to make sure we're back."
Back at home after a week in Maui, Texas Tech hosts Georgetown at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in a Big 12-BIG EAST Battle matchup at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (4-2) come into the game with a 3-0 record on their home court this season and own a 24-game home winning streak - but are also unranked for the first time this season after taking a pair of losses on the island. Georgetown (4-3) is playing in Lubbock for the first time in its program's history and in a true road game for the first time this season.
Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams is currently 21-0 at home leading the program and talked with the media on Tuesday to preview the game.
"It's great to be back home but we're going have to be ready to play against Georgetown," Adams said. "They are a very explosive and talented team with a great coach. They have a great reputation as a program. When you think about Georgetown, they are a team that brings a lot of respect. Hopefully we'll be ready for them. They push the ball and are great in transition. They are a very aggressive team and hang their hat on shot blocking where they're fifth in the country. They have a lot of talent."
Tech was 6-0 last season before falling at Providence College on December 1, 2021 in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle. Georgetown lost to TCU in its Big 12-BIG EAST Battle matchup last season. The Red Raiders went on to a 27-10 overall record and to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Hoyas went 6-25 overall, 0-19 in BIG EAST action and were 0-11 on the road last season after they had won the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament Championship and advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
"It's going to be fun to compete against them," said Tech senior De'Vion Harmon in the players press conference alongside Jaylon Tyson on Tuesday. "They have a good team. It'll be a fun battle and we're ready to compete. It'll be two teams competing as hard as they can to win a ball game. They are a unique team with really good guards along with bigs who can block shots. If we can rebound, we will have a chance to win the game."
Tech has not lost a home game since February 9, 2021 – falling to No. 14 West Virginia by 11. The last non-conference loss came in one of these cross-conference matchups in a 76-74 overtime loss to No. 15 Kentucky on January 25, 2020 that snapped a 54-game streak. The Red Raiders have since run off 18 straight home wins over non-conference opponents after that loss that was part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
Along with being 21-0 at home, Adams has not lost back-to-back games as the Red Raider head coach. Each loss last season was followed by a win, following his mindset of moving forward and focusing on what you control today. After returning from Hawaii, the team practice each day last weekend to fix mistakes that were made and started preparing for the Hoyas who are led by Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. Above everything, Adams has been looking for his team to respond and grow from the losses to No. 7 Creighton and No. 25 Ohio State. He wants them to be motivated by dropping out of the polls but more so to come together more as a team.Â
"Our guys love the game and are working hard every day," Adams said. "This is a team with guys who have a passion for basketball. They want to get better. One of our challenges is that they try to do too much on their own sometime. We want to make easy plays and not force things. We are seeing growth and improvement. Maui gave us experience. It wasn't the outcome we wanted but it is an opportunity to grow."
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
Jaylon Tyson on Maui: "We learned a lot about ourselves. We learned that we can compete with the top teams. We were in there with Creighton and almost came back against Ohio State. That's two Top 25 teams right there. I feel like it's all about us right now. Getting better at rebounding and getting tougher. More communication and be more together."
De'Vion Harmon on Maui: "We got to play against the best teams in the country and learn what we're about. Come back now and watch film to get better. It's an everyday process. We are going to keep chipping away and enjoying the process of getting better."
Tyson on growth: "We are out of the Top 25 now. There's hunger there to get back."
Harmon on growth: "I've been through a lot in my basketball career. For me, it's about being positive. Being a light. We have to fix things like rebounding and things on offense and defense obviously, but it's about looking forward. There are things we can grow from. We have Georgetown next and that's what I do. I look forward."
Adams on Georgetown: "They run some really good sets with explosive guards. They'll run a lot of sets to get 3-point shots. I think what they really do best is get defensive rebounds. We have to make sure we're back."
Players Mentioned
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