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Texas Tech basketball: 5 teams that hopefully won’t end up in Red Raiders’ region

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Norense Odiase #32 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the basketball during the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Kansas 91-62. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Norense Odiase #32 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the basketball during the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Kansas 91-62. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Virginia’s defense is every bit as good as Texas Tech’s

The only team in the nation that can play defense at a level equal to the Red Raiders is Virginia, which spent several weeks at No.1 in the nation this year and enters the NCAA Tournament at 29-3.  And a year after being the first No. 1 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament to lose to a No. 16 seed, the Cavilers enter the Big Dance with plenty of motivation.

If Tech and Virginia square off, it will be one of the few times this season that the Red Raiders do not have a decided advantage on the defensive end of the floor.  The only other times that Tech met a team as tenacious on defense was in the two games against Kansas State.

Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the nation in opponent scoring, allowing 55.1 points per game.  Tech ranks 4th in that category at 59.3 per game after leading the nation for most of the year. (Kansas State actually checks in directly in front of the Red Raiders by allowing just 59.2.)

But the biggest difference between Virginia and Kansas State is that the Cavilers are a much more skilled offensive team.  That is what truly makes UVA a different animal this season.

While Tony Bennett’s team is just No. 169 in the nation in points per game, its offensive output has jumped from 67.1 per game last year to 71.8 this year.  And the Cavs are especially skilled when shooting the deep ball.

As a team, they shoot 40.9 from behind the arc (4th-best in the nation) and each of their top four scorers shoot at least 39.7% (three of them shoot over 40%).  And it all starts with one of the best shooters in the nation.

Junior guard Kyle Guy is knocking down 46.3% of his 3-pointers thus far.  He leads UVA in scoring at 15.6 p.p.g. and has averaged 3.3 long-distance makes per game.

And in the wake of Tech’s loss to West Virginia, we know that rebounding can be an issue for the Red Raiders.  Virginia could also be a problem in that area because the Cavs have grabbed 53.8% of the rebounds in their games thus far, which is good for 22nd overall in the country.

Should Tech and UVA meet in the tournament, it will be perhaps the most physical game we have seen all year and the first team to 60 points may well be the victor.  It is fair to wonder if the Red Raider offense, which has been much better since the beginning of February, would be able to put enough points on the board to beat the Cavilers.  I would rather not find out unless that game takes place in Minneapolis.

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