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Texas Tech basketball: What Red Raiders must do to beat Duke

By Matthew Conner

DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski (L) of the Duke Blue Devils directs his team against the Hartford Hawks in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 5, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski (L) of the Duke Blue Devils directs his team against the Hartford Hawks in the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 5, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

The Texas Tech basketball team is set to take on No. 2 Duke tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York.  Here is what Chris Beard’s team must do in order to pull off the upset.

Tonight, the most anticipated non-conference Texas Tech basketball game in over a decade finally arrives.  The No. 12 and undefeated Red Raiders will take on No. 2 Duke in New York City on national television in what will be a true measuring stick game.

Though Tech is nationally ranked and one of only nine remaining unbeaten teams, we still do not know exactly how good this team is.  That is because the three major teams Chris Beard’s team has knocked off thus far (USC, Nebraska and Memphis) have not proven to be as good as many thought they may be.

The Trojans are in a free-fall having lost four-consecutive games to drop to 5-6.  A 102-93 overtime loss to Santa Clara this week has put USC basketball fans in panic mode as their team that was expected to be a factor in the Pac 12 is struggling to salvage its season before Christmas even arrives.

Nebraska has fared better since losing to Texas Tech going 5-1 and climbing back into the polls this week at No. 25.  The Huskers have wins over Clemson, Oklahoma State and Illinois but have already dropped a conference game to Minnesota.  When Tech took down their former Big 12 rival in Kansas City last month, many were building Nebraska up as a potential Sweet 16 team.  But two losses in the first two moths of the season have taken some of the shine off of the Corn Huskers.

Meanwhile, Memphis continues to flounder in mediocrity at 6-5.  The Tigers have gone 3-1 since falling to the Red Raiders in Miami but all three wins were against non-Power 5 schools.  At least Memphis has remained relevant, though not because of their play.  Head coach Penny Hardaway recently called out Tennessee’s Rick Barnes after the two teams squared off Saturday putting the Tigers in the headlines for what some would say is all the wrong reasons.

But Duke is a different animal.  Featuring a trio of true freshmen stars in Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish, the Blue Devils are once again the toast of college basketball.  That trio is averaging 58.6 points per game and all three are certain to be first round NBA Draft picks next summer.

Scoring 93.6 points per game, the Devils rank second in the nation offensively.  They are the only team in the nation with a greater scoring margin over their opponents than Texas Tech beating their foes by 29.4 points per game (which is amazing considering the fact that they have a loss on their record and have already played three top-15 teams).

And Madison Square Garden will not be a neutral site for this game.  Duke plays annualy in the Big Apple and as the darlings of ESPN and the national media, their footprint in the North East is significant.

Still, this is a game that Texas Tech can win.  Duke has plenty of star-power but time and time again we have all seen individual talent succumb to gritty and well-coached teams like the Red Raiders.  So let’s take a look at what Tech must do in order to stay perfect on the season and score one of the biggest wins in program history.

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