Texas Tech basketball: Numbers to know as Tech heads to Stillwater

Texas Tech has handed out 92 more assists this year than Oklahoma State

This game matches the Big 12’s leading team in terms of assists (Tech) vs. the team that has the fewest assists in the conference thus far.  For the year, the Red Raiders have averaged 15.7 assists per game while OSU has managed just 11.9.  That’s a difference of 92 for the season.

That matters because it shows the difference in the way the two teams play on offense and it illustrates how Tech needs to attack in this game.  The Cowboys are a heavy jump-shooting team with numerous players that like to generate their own offense off the dribble.  Meanwhile, Tech and the motion offense work best when the ball is being shared like answers to a stolen test.

In the first meeting between these teams this season, an 85-50 Red Raider win, Tech had 20 assists while OSU had just six.  That means that 36.3% of Tech’s baskets were assisted while only 11.5% of the Cowboys’ buckets were.

Once again, Tech needs to try to have a similar edge in that aspect of the game.  That’s because assists are a sign of a healthy offensive attack.

Of course, assists mean the ball is moving around the court.  But they also can’t exist without made baskets meaning that the more assists a team racks up, the more buckets it is pouring in.

Conversely, when a team is woefully low in that stat, as Oklahoma State was in Lubbock last month, it means that the opposition’s defense is making life difficult.  In the January 4th game, Tech shot 54.5% while OSU hit at just a 28.8% clip.

So as this game unfolds today, keep an eye on the assist totals for each team.  This is an area where Tech should have an edge and if they don’t, we will likely be in for a more stressful afternoon than we are hoping for.