Texas Tech basketball: What the Red Raiders have to do to beat the Horns
For the Texas Tech basketball team to win in Austin this afternoon, accomplishing the following three tasks would be beneficial.
Today in Austin, two teams looking to build momentum are set to square off when the Red Raiders and the Longhorns meet. And despite last year’s 68-64 win inside the Erwin Center, Texas Tech fans still don’t feel all that confident when the good guys head to the 40 Acres.
That’s because these programs have met 23 times in Austin as Big 12 foes. Only once, have the Red Raiders come out on the right end of the score.
This year, UT and Tech both enter their meeting in the state capital with 2-2 records in their last four games. While Tech has alternated losses and wins starting with the defeat at the hands of Kentucky, the Longhorns have sandwiched a pair of wins against TCU and Iowa State in between a loss to LSU and a loss to Kansas.
At 14-8 overall, the Horns sit tied for 5th in the Big 12 with Oklahoma and TCU. But with a win today, they could draw even with the Red Raiders at 5-5 in conference play.
Offensively, Shaka Smart’s team has struggled this year. Averaging 65.8 points per game, the Horns are second-to-last in the Big 12 in scoring. What’s more, in their nine conference games, they are averaging just 61.5 p.p.g.
It’s been a balanced attack for UT though. There are four Longhorns scoring in double digits with a fifth, Jase Febres averaging 9.7 p.p.g.
Matt Coleman III leads the way with 12.7 p.p.g. A 41.9% shooter from 3-point range, 34.6% of his field goals have come from 3-point range.
The lefty relies on his dominant hand as heavily as any player in the Big 12 when trying to drive the basketball. Last year, Tech played shaded him heavily on his left hand to try to force him right and that’s likely going to be the case again today. He had 16 points in Lubbock but only eight when these programs met in Austin and keeping him from going off today will be a key. He had 20 points at Kansas in his last outing and has surpassed his season scoring average in three of his last four games.
Inside, UT has the athletic and active Jericho Sims. The 6-foot-9 junior is averaging 10.1 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game.
He is an explosive athlete who wants to finish with flare around the rim. He is often on the end of lobs that are initiated by Coleman and he’s got the leaping ability to make some spectacular plays in the air. He had 17 points at Kansas on Monday night and has a pair of 14-point games in the last two weeks as well. The head-to-head battle between he and T.J. Holyfield will be a huge component of this game.
Meanwhile, all college basketball fans have to be happy for the resurgence of guard Andrew Jones. Diagnosed with Leukemia in 2018, he is now back to full strength after battling cancer for the better part of the last two years.
Second on the team in scoring at 10.3 p.p.g., he is more than just an inspiration. He has hit 40 shots from behind the arc this year, 15 behind Febres for the team lead.
On the other end of the floor, UT is merely an average Big 12 team. Allowing 67.3 p.p.g., the Horns are 7th in the conference.
They are last in the league in terms of steals in conference play with just 4.3 per game. What’s more, in league play they have forced the third-fewest turnovers in the Big 12. But one defensive strength is their ability to block shots, which they have done better than any team but Kansas in Big 12 play (4.3 per game). In fact, both Sims and 6-foot-11 Kai Jones are averaging over a block per game.
With all of that in mind, let’s break down what the Red Raiders need to do in order to beat the Longhorns today. This is another game that would be a huge boost to the resume of Chris Beard and his team as we are now just five weeks from Selection Sunday and to claim it, here’s what Tech likely has to do.