Texas Tech basketball vs. UTRGV: Game preview and broadcast info

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: Head Coach Lew Hill of the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros tries to talk to the referee during a semifinal game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 79-72. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: Head Coach Lew Hill of the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros tries to talk to the referee during a semifinal game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 79-72. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /
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Today, the Texas Tech basketball team takes on UT Rio Grande Valley and here’s what fans need to know about the matchup.

Chris Beard didn’t look too happy following his team’s last game.  Unusually short with the media and lacking his usual gregariousness following the Texas Tech basketball team’s 71-65 win over Southern Miss on Monday in Lubbock, Beard wore an expression in his post-game press conference that suggested his team was not in for a fun week of practice.

Today, we get to see how well the Red Raiders respond after their most uninspiring performance of the year.  The opponent is 4-7 UT Rio Grande Valley.

In his fourth season as head coach in Brownsville, Lew Hill is looking for his second-straight winning campaign after leading his team to a 20-17 mark last year.  Overall, the New York native is 49-64 with the Vaqueros.

The former player at Wichita State has some Big 12 experience.  From 1998-2004, he was an assistant at Texas A&M and from 2011-16 he was on Lon Kreuger’s staff at Oklahoma.  Now, he will return to the conference for a pair of games as he takes his team to Norman on Monday, December 30th, their next contest after today’s tilt in Lubbock.

The Vaqueros are 0-6 against Texas Tech all time, including a 71-46 loss last year in Lubbock.  In that game, the Red Raiders who remain on the roster this year were rather quiet.

Davide Moretti was in the starting lineup but had just five points on 1-3 shooting.  Off the bench, Kyler Edwards scored 7 points while Avery Benson was held scoreless.

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Of course, more is expected of all three today.  If the Red Raiders are going to move to 8-3, they will need their veterans, especially Edwards and Moretti, to be better than they were on Monday.

That tandem combined to shoot an awful 8-28 overall and 4-18 from 3-point range the last time we saw them.  Hopefully, they rediscover their form today as there are just two tuneups left before conference play.

UTRGV has three players scoring in double-digits, led by former Red Raider Jordan Jackson, who is averaging 14.9 p.p.g.  The 6-foot-3 senior from Houston is the son of Texas Tech legend Sherryl Swoopes and played for the Red Raiders as a true freshman in 2015-16.

For the year, the Vaqueros are scoring 71.5 p.p.g, nearly six points less than Tech is scoring.  On the other end of the floor, they give up 67.6 points, three more than Tech surrenders.

Rebounding figures to be an area of strength for Tech in this game.  That’s because the Red Raiders average nearly six more boards per game than UTRGV.

Also, keep an eye on turnovers because the Vaqueros average 12.8 per game.  That’s going to be an area where the home team is going to want to hold a decided edge.

The Red Raiders will look to continue their home dominance as they have won 12-straight games in Lubbock.  This year, Tech is 5-0 inside the U.S.A. and is beating teams by an average of 22.2 points.

This isn’t a game about the opponent.  Rather, this is all about the No. 24 Red Raiders.

Tech is an overwhelmingly more talented team.  Thus, the onus is on Beard’s squad to put together a better showing than they did on Monday when the head coach said that his team was outplayed on its home floor.  So long as the Red Raiders play up to their standards on both ends of the floor, this is a game that will not be as interesting as was the last game we saw them play.

Broadcast Info:

TELEVISION

•FSSW+ John Harris • Play-by-Play, Chris Level • Analyst

RADIO

• Double T 97.3 FM • Tune-In Radio App Geoff Haxton • Play-by-Play Clark, Lammert • Analyst