Texas Tech basketball: Numbers to know ahead of rematch with TCU

Tech shot just eight free throws in Fort Worth

There should be no question of the importance of the free-throw line to this year’s Red Raiders after what we saw Saturday.  Shooting 22 free throws in total and 21 in the second half, Tech held a 17-7 advantage over UT at the line.

To see how this team struggles when not getting to the line, we have only to look at the first game against the Horned Frogs.  That night, the Red Raiders earned just eight free throws, making six.  Meanwhile, TCU shot 21.  And though they were awful at the line, making only 52.4%, they held a five-point edge over Tech.

TCU is the worst free-throw shooting team in the Big 12 at 61.9%.  They also get to the line less than any team in the league other than UT.

In other words, there will be no excuse for the Red Raiders tonight if they do not have a serious surplus at the line.  Playing at home, coming off a game that they won because of free throws, and playing a team that is a heavy jump-shooting collective, this sets up as a perfect opportunity for Tech to dominate the game one point at a time.

In the five games since the first meeting, Tech has averaged 22.4 trips to the line while having an edge in attempts in three of those games.  What’s more, both Texas and OU failed to shoot more than 8 free throws against Tech in the last two games the Red Raiders have played.  Look for Tech to make a killing tonight at the line and that will make a huge difference over what we saw in the first game.