Texas Tech basketball: Players to watch tonight vs. Abilene Christian

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Mar 7, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot on the sidelines during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Tonight, the Texas Tech basketball team faces Abilene Christian and the following Red Raiders are players we will be keeping a close eye on.

The Texas Tech basketball team has just two games remaining before the start of Big 12 play. Thus, tonight’s game against Abilene Christian in Lubbock is going to be less like your average non-conference game and more like a dress rehearsal.

That’s due in large part to the fact that the Wildcats are a solid team for being from a low-major conference. In fact, they are a team that many expect to give the Red Raiders a respectable test.

So far, ACU is undefeated on the season. Of course, this will be their first game against a Power 5 team. But still, they’ve been impressive in their five wins as each has come by at least 12 points.

One factor the Cats have working in their favor is the fact that they are an experienced team. In fact, five of their top six scorers are upperclassmen.

Leading the way is 7-foot senior Kolton Kohl who is putting up 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Thus, it will be interesting to see how the Red Raiders defend him given that Tech does not start any player over 6-foot-7.

But guarding the post won’t be all the Red Raiders have to worry about in this contest. That’s because Abilene Christian is a stout 3-point shooting team.

Hitting just over 40% of their 3-pointers on the year, the Wildcats are not afraid to let it fly from long distance. Averaging over 20 attempts from behind the arc this year, they have had games of 33, 27, and 23 long-range shots.

Still, this is yet another non-conference game that Tech is expected to win rather easily. In fact, the ESPN.com matchup predictor gives Chris Beard and his team a 92.5% shot at coming out on top.

But regardless of the opponent, this game is going to be incredibly important for the Red Raiders because, in just a week, Kansas will come calling and the games will take on even more significance. So let’s take a look at three Red Raiders who we will be keeping an eye on because their continued development will be critical as we near Big 12 play.

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