Texas Tech basketball: How the Red Raiders matchup against KU

The Texas Tech basketball team is set to face off with Kansas looking for its second-consecutive win in Lawrence but as expected, it will not be easy.  Here’s how the Red Raiders and the Jayhawks match-up.

The Texas Tech basketball team is in Kansas this Saturday in the biggest Big 12 matchup of the weekend.  But both teams are in the midst of rough stretches.

Tech had lost three in a row before winning their last two games against Arkansas and TCU.  Meanwhile, Kansas comes in having lost three of their last four.  Both teams sit at 5-3 in conference play, a half-game behind current conference leaders Baylor and Kansas State.

The Raiders have been shooting the ball really well for the first time in 2019, topping 51% in their last two games and a crazy 19-40 (47.5%) on three-pointers.  They may have to keep the up today to keep pace with KU.

What to expect from the Jayhawks

Kansas has a perfect home record, scoring 80.7 points per game at Allen Fieldhouse .  They are led by junior forward Dedric Lawson scoring 19.2 ppg and grabbing 10.9 rebounds.  He’s undoubtedly an inside presence but has stepped outside and knocked down eleven of 39 attempts from deep thus far.

On the perimeter, sharpshooter Lagerald Vick is scoring 14.5 ppg primarily on three-pointers as about 60% of his attempts are from deep and he’s shooting an absurd 45.3%, third-best in the Big 12.

Freshman point guard Devon Dotson has been solid as well.  Scoring 10.9 ppg, he’s been a nice offensive weapon and he’s leading the team in assists with 3.4 per game.

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Kansas has played the last 12 games without third-leading scorer Udoka Azubuike who had season-ending wrist surgery in December.  Also, this week they learned sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa will remain suspended for the rest of this season and next as a result of his connection to the ongoing FBI investigation into illegal payments to recruits.

Make no mistake though, there’s still plenty of talent on this roster.  Kansas has reached the 80-point mark in nine games this year making this one of the toughest tests of the season for Chris Beard’s team.

When the Jayhawks struggle

If Tech can hold KU’s offense in check, it might spell trouble for the home team today.  Bill Self’s team is just 1-4 when they score 63 or less, a mark they have failed to eclipse in all but one of their five losses this year.  Unfortunately, that usually happens on the road where they are 1-5, and as we know, this one is in Lawrence.

The other big key is Lagerald Vick.  He’s 11-33 on three-pointers in their five losses.  That’s an average of just two makes per game on 33% shooting.  In their wins, Vick is shooting nearly 50% and knocks down about six three-pointers per game.

Tech leads the Big 12 and is third in the nation against the 3-point shot.  As is so often the case with the Red Raiders, this game could come down to which team exerts its will when KU launches from deep.

How do the Raiders match up?

We know the Raiders can defend, it’s their calling card. No one has scored more than 73 points all season.  I would imagine they will key in on Vick and make sure he has a tough time getting his shots off and when he does there will definitely be a hand in his face.  Opponents have only shot 26% on three-pointers against Tech all season and they should be more than prepared for Kansas on that front.

Kansas’ defense is not great, second to last in the conference, giving up 70.3 points per game – almost exactly what Tech scores each game.  Jarrett Culver should have plenty of opportunities to score and as a result his final numbers should be pretty strong considering the high pace of play in this one as Kansas will look to push the pace.

So what happens on Saturday?

Tech is 4-3 on the road and their defense is slightly worse away from Lubbock.  Furthermore, Kansas has played a lot of close games and has been excellent at home all season.  The Jayhawks also just need this win more after losing three of four.  I don’t think they let this one slip away.  The Jayhawks win a close one on Saturday in what should be another great test for the Red Raiders.