3 things Texas Tech basketball fans need to know about UCF

Texas Tech's struggling defense could get right against UCF's poor offense

The Red Raiders continue to struggle on defense this season. They are 88th in the KenPom.com adjusted defensive efficiency rating by allowing an average of 101.9 points per 100 possessions.

What's more, they are coming off of a game in which they let Baylor shoot 49% from the floor as a team. Prior to that, Cincy shot 44.6% against Tech and the game before that, TCU shot 43.1% against the Red Raiders.

The good news is that UCF is not a good offensive team. They rank 12th in the Big 12 in scoring at 71.8 points per game. That's ahead of only Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

What's more, at 41.6% shooting as a team, UCF is tied with WVU for last in the conference in field goal percentage. That's why the Red Raiders need to have a decent afternoon on defense against UCF. If Tech can't keep the Knights under wraps, it will be a sign that this team just simply isn't going to ever figure things out defensively.

The Knights win by playing defense, though. Even in their most recent win, they shot a modest 41.7% as a team but they held Oklahoma to 37%.

Keep an eye on the 3-point line when these teams meet. UCF shoots just 32.6% as a team from long distance. That's second-to-last in the Big 12.

However, Tech is second-to-last in the conference in 3-point field goal defense. Allowing opponents to shoot 34.3% from 3-point range, the Red Raiders rank ahead of only Texas when it comes to defending the arc.

UCF is going to try to turn this game into a slow, grind-it-out affair. They know they won't be able to keep pace with Tech if the Red Raiders can push the pace and make this a shootout. That will put extra stress on Tech's half-court offense, an area in which Tech is not elite.

The Knights aren't elite on offense either, though. So even if the Red Raiders can have just an average offensive day, they should be able to come out on top in this important game.