Texas Tech basketball: Numbers to know ahead of showdown with No. 1 KU

Texas Tech had two more offensive rebounds than Kansas in Lawrence

Another interesting aspect of Tech’s 78-75 near upset of then-No. 3 KU in early February was that the Jayhawks didn’t dominate on the glass as so many Red Raider opponents have.  KU won the rebounding battle 36-33 but Tech won the battle on the offensive boards 8-6.

As a result, the Red Raiders lost the second-chance points game by the count of just 5-3.  That was a major reason that Tech was able to make things close despite falling behind by as many as 17 in the first half.

Interestingly, it was freshman Terrence Shannon Jr. who led the team with 11 rebounds that day, including two on the offensive glass.  That’s been an area of this game that has frustrated Beard at times this year as the 6-foot-7 forward has not always been the most willing or aggressive rebounder despite being Tech’s most athletic player.

That showing remains Shannon’s only double-digit effort on the boards this year.  Will he be willing to repeat that this afternoon?  For Tech to win, he had better be.

Holyfield was also effective on the glass that afternoon with eight boards.  But interestingly, Tech’s best rebounder was a non-factor.

Chris Clarke played only 5:50 that day and pulled in only one rebound as he was limited by an ankle sprain suffered one game prior, against West Virginia.  If he is able to give Tech a greater presence on the boards today, he could tip the overall balance of this game.

In all, Kansas is a good but not great rebounding team despite elite size on the roster.  They are second in rebounding margin in the Big 12 by averaging 6.5 more boards than their opponent.  But Tech kept that battle very close in Lawrence and if it swings in the Red Raiders’ favor today, an upset could be in store.