Texas Tech basketball set to take on West Virginia in Big 12 Tournament

The Texas Tech big men must stay out of foul trouble

If there is any area in which the Mountaineers can cause a problem it is on the inside where Derek Culver is an emerging star in the Big 12.  And should Konate return, Tech’s big men will be facing a formidable challenge in the post.

Culver is averaging 11.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.  He had 12 and 8 against the Red Raiders in Morgantown and 23 and 12 in Lubbock.

Meanwhile, Konate has not faced the Red Raiders this year but last season, he had 16 points in the game in Lubbock.  Still, one must wonder how effective he will be in his fist game since early November (if he plays at all).

Therefore, Tariq Owens and Norense Odiase must stay out of foul trouble.  And we need to look no further than the game in Morgantown to see how fouls almost cost the Red Raiders.

In that game, both Red Raider big men fouled out (as did Kyler Edwards) forcing Tech to go to an all-guard lineup.  As a result, the Red Raiders were out-rebounded 41-31 and West Virginia shot 32 free throws (eight more than Tech).  Fortunately, WVU made only 18 of those attempts (56.3%) meaning they only outscored the Red Raiders by one point at the line.

Culver is averaging 6.4 free throw attempts per game this year.  In his two games against the Red Raiders, he’s averaging 16.5, thanks in large part to the fact that he attempted 24 by himself in Lubbock.

One of the keys tonight will be for Tariq Owens to avoid the needless fouls that have plagued him at times this year.  He and Odiase have to make certain that they stay in the game and do not allow an inexperienced WVU team to get easy opportunities for points at the line.