Grant McCasland and the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball team have an interesting challenge up ahead of them on Tuesday evening. After taking care of business in the first game following JT Toppin’s season-ending ACL injury as the Red Raiders pummeled the Kansas State Wildcats, Texas Tech is now being tasked with taking on the Cincinnati Bearcats.
And that’s not particularly a huge deal. At least not on the surface, but the Bearcats are coming to Lubbock, Texas right after visiting the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas. And in front of a bunch of Kansas Jayhawks basketball fans, Cincinnati managed to get a 16-point win over one of the best teams in the Big 12.
So, how will Texas Tech do when facing that sort of test? The Bearcats haven’t lost a game in a couple weeks, winning four in a row and they’ve looked really impressive at specific moments during that winning streak.
As the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders welcome Cincinnati to town, the Bearcats are bringing a four-game win streak with them
Here’s what you need to know to watch Texas Tech host a Cincinnati team that has hit a hot streak and is looking to take down another ranked Big 12 foe after beating the Kansas Jayhawks just a few days ago.
- Who: No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (20-7 overall, 10-4 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (15-12 overall, 7-7 Big 12)
- When: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24
- Where: Lubbock, Texas
- Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
- TV channel: ESPN2
Playing this game without Toppin makes it a little tricky. Texas Tech got proof of concept of being able to go out and win a game against a Big 12 team when they met up with the Kansas State Wildcats, but K-State is one of the worst teams in the conference this season. Cincinnati isn’t one of the best, but they’re on an interesting hot streak and I don’t love that.