Today we will find out if the Texas Tech basketball team is ready to compete with the heaviest of hitters in college basketball as the Red Raiders travel to Houston to face the No. 6 team in the country. This will be the most difficult test of the season for head coach Grant McCasland and his team.
Houston has won 31 consecutive home games, the longest home winning streak in the country. What's more, the Cougars have won 18 Big 12 games in a row dating back to last season. That's the second-longest streak in the conference's history.
Currently in the midst of a 13-game overall winning streak, Houston is playing elite defense. In fact, the Cougars could be the best defensive team in the nation.
Allowing only 86.7 points per 100 possessions, Houston is No. 1 nationally in the KenPom.com defensive efficiency rating. That's a statistic that Tech led the nation in back in 2018-19 when the Red Raiders made it to the National Championship Game so it isn't hard for people in scarlet and black to understand its importance.
What Houston prides itself on is taking away the opposition's best offensive weapons. In their last game, the Cougars held the Big 12's leading scorer, Javon Small of West Virginia, to eight points, 11 below his season average.
Remember UCF guard Keyshawn Hall who had 22 points against Tech in Lubbock on New Year's Eve and who averages 18 points per game? He managed only six against the Cougars. Could Tech's leading guard, Chance McMillian be in for a similar day this evening?
In all, Houston allows on average just 55.6 points per game. That's the fewest in the country. Seven of the nine Big 12 teams the Cougars have faced thus far have failed to crack 60 points. What's more, both of the teams that did top that mark (Kansas and UCF) managed to do so while playing at home, not in Houston.
On offense, the Cougars are just mediocre. They score 76 points per game but because of their defense, they still have an average scoring margin of +21 points this year.
LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, a pair of dangerous guards, lead the Cougars in scoring at 13.7 and 12.9 points per game respectively. Each shoots over 40% from 3-point range and over 90% at the free-throw line.
Inside, 6-foot-8 235-pound bull J'Wan Roberts controls the action. He averages 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and his matchup with Tech's leading scorer, JT Toppin, will be fascinating to watch given the contrasting styles of the two players.
To pull off the upset today, the Red Raiders will have to play their best game of the season and they may have to do so without star forward Darrion Williams who missed Wednesday's game against TCU with an ankle injury. If Williams doesn't give it a go this evening in Space City, it will be tough to envision the Red Raiders having enough size and scoring to compete with the Cougars.
However, at some point, Houston is going to lose again. Perhaps today will be the day that the Cougars put forth a lackluster effort or maybe it will be the day that Tech's role players like guards Elijah Hawkins, Kerwin Walton, Kevin Overton, and Christian Anderson have one of those games where they are unconscious from deep as a group and the Red Raiders will be able to stun the nation.
That's the beauty of sports in that we never know what will happen. That's why Tech fans will be tuning in to see how this game unfolds. So here's a look at all the game info ahead of this huge opportunity for McCasland and his team.
Texas Tech vs. Houston broadcast information
TIP: 5 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN2
TV CALL: Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), King McClure (analyst)
RADIO: TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK
RADIO CALL: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Texas Tech vs. Houston series history
The all-time series dates back to 1961 with Texas Tech winning 69-61 in an NCAA Tournament game played in Lawerence, Kansas. The Cougars lead the series by a 31-27 margin, including winning four straight and owning an 18-5 advantage in games played on their campus.
Texas Tech vs. Houston odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.com.
Favorite | Moneyline | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|
Houston -9.5 | Texas Tech +390 | 126.5 |
Texas Tech vs. Houston game notes
Notes courtesy of TexasTech.com.
- The Red Raiders (16-4, 7-2 Big 12) are on a five-game winning streak and have a 4-0 road record while the Cougars (17-3, 9-0 Big 12) carry a 13-game winning streak of their own and are the only unbeaten team remaining in Big 12 play.
- A win over Houston would give Texas Tech its best 10-game start to a Big 12 season in program history while also its first ranked win of the season after previous losses to Texas A&M and Iowa State in the only other games against ranked opponents.
- The Red Raiders are coming off a 71-57 win over TCU and are currently second in the Big 12 by shooting 49.0 percent from the field, 76.6 percent at the free-throw line, 38.0 percent from 3-point range and with a 1.59 assist-to-turnover ratio. The team is currently third in the conference by scoring 81.4 points per game and has won 12 of its 16 games by double-figure margins. That offensive firepower will be tested on Saturday with the Cougars leading the nation by limiting opponents to only 55.3 points per game.