Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech basketball: What Red Raider fans need to know about Louisville

By Matthew Conner

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Head coach Chris Mack of the Louisville Cardinals looks on during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Head coach Chris Mack of the Louisville Cardinals looks on during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Jordan Nwora #33 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Jordan Nwora #33 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Junior forward Jordan Nwora could be the best player in the ACC

Surprise, surprise…it looks like the Red Raiders are set to take on a player that is a leading candidate to be his conference’s player of the year once again this season.  After taking on Iowa’s big man Luka Garza and DePaul’s Paul Reed, Tech now has to figure out how to deal with Jordan Nwora.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior is averaging 21.6 points per game, 14th-most in the country.  What’s more, he’s the nation’s most efficient offensive player according to the KenPom.com rankings.

The Buffalo, New York native has gone for at least 20 points in six of his nine games this year.  What makes him so tough to handle is that he is an all-around player.

With the size and athleticism to dominate in the paint, he can score off the dribble as well as shoot from outside.  Thus far, he’s been a 46% 3-point shooter having knocked down an average of 2.5 shots from deep per game.   In fact, 35.5% of his offense is coming via the 3-point arc.

Expect this to be a huge test for freshman Terrence Shannon Jr.  The 6-foot-7 Chicago native is coming off a career-high 24 points against DePaul but now it’s time for him to show that he can be a one-on-one defensive force against one of the best players in the nation as his college basketball education continues at a rapid pace.

Forward T.J. Holyfield will be busy dealing with Louisville’s post players so Shannon will get first crack at Nwora.  The book on Louisville’s star says that he isn’t an elite athlete nor does he lack optimal strength, two qualities that Shannon has already proven to possess.

Guarding Nwora is going to be a team effort though.  He is very comfortable shooting off the catch and he is a cagy finisher around the rim.  Thus, Tech has to chase him off the 3-point line and follow that up with resistance in the lane to force him to make contested pull-up jumpers from the mid-range.

If the Red Raider defense can play well against this talented of a player, it will speak volumes about how well the team is beginning to pick up Beard’s defensive system.  Tonight, pay close attention not only to Nwora’s scoring but note how efficient he is because if he has to take a ton of shots to get his points, it will bode well for the Red Raiders.

Home/Texas Tech Basketball