Texas Tech basketball: 3 statistical goals for Red Raiders vs. Michigan State

Shoot at least 40% from 3-point range

A key component of the Texas Tech basketball team’s offensive turnaround this season has been the 3-point shot.  Since the start of their 9-game winning streak to close the regular season, Tech shot over 40% from behind the arc six times.  In those games, Tech averaged 78.5 points per game.

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That’s not to suggest that the Red Raiders can’t beat Michigan State if they do not shoot in the 40% range.  After all, they are yet to do so in the NCAA Tournament, coming closest in the Elite 8 when they shot 39% from deep.

But being as Michigan State will look to clog the paint with their big men, Tech will likely have to score more from the outside.  It will be important for the Red Raiders to knock down open 3’s because if they do, MSU will have decide whether or not to continue leaving the bulk of its defenders in the lane.

And while Davide Moretti, Matt Mooney and Brandone Francis all come to mind as the team’s primary 3-point shooters, Jarrett Culver will have to shoot better from deep than he has in recent weeks.  Only once since the end of the regular season has Culver made at least half of his looks from deep and that came in round one of the tournament when he was 3-5 against Northern Kentucky.

I expect Michigan State to ry to force Culver into either shooting from deep or driving to the rim.  They likely do not fear his 3-point shot as much as they do is mid-range game and they feel like their size inside can keep him from getting clean looks at the rim.

Therefore, Culver should have plenty of opportunities to drain shots from long-range.  And like the rest of his teammates, he must knock down enough to pull the Spartans out of their defensive game plan.