Texas Tech has fared well against elite offenses this year

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during a practice session ahead of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 27, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

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Duke

If there is one game that should give Tech fans confidence headed into today’s Elite 8 showdown, it would be December’s meeting with Duke at Madison Square Garden. Duke currently ranks No. 5 in the nation in scoring at 83.4 p.p.g. but when they faced Tech in December, they were the top scoring team in the nation.

That did not matter to Chris Beard’s team, which held the Blue Devils to 69 points. Duke shot 38.3% from the field and made only 3-20 shots from 3-point range on their way to their second-lowest sowing output of the year.

And the work Tech did on Duke’s trio of freshmen stars was impressive. Tech held Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett to a combined 17-46 (36.9%) from the field and 1-14 from deep.

What’s more, the Red Raiders goaded Duke into 19 turnovers, nearly six more than their season average. Today’s game against Gonzaga will be similar in that the Bulldogs have their own group of highly athletic stars that want to get out and run just like Duke. If Tech was able to keep the Blue Devil offense in check, there’s reason to believe it can hold its own against Gonzaga as well.

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