With March Madness here, Grant McCasland and the Texas Tech Red Raiders have a great opportunity to get out of a horrible slump and prove that this is still a team that can make a run in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
That said, things won’t be easy for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are getting the distinct pleasure of playing the Akron Zips. And while that is likely something a lot of folks are excited to see, Akron is pretty impressive in a few different categories.
Texas Tech is an incredibly talented team, but Akron is playing some really impressive basketball this season. This season, Akron has managed to hold an average scoring margin of nearly +15 points per game. They’re pretty dang impressive. This isn’t just a team that the Red Raiders can overlook.
Texas Tech might have its hands full with Akron and these stats should be kinda concerning for the Red Raiders
As Texas Tech tries to make a run in March while dealing with the absence of JT Toppin, they’re getting to face off against a team that is averaging 88.4 points per game (which is a bit better than Tech’s 80.4 points per game). On top of that, Akron is making 50.3 percent of its shots (Tech is making 46.7 percent of its shots).
And that’s not just because Texas Tech shoots a bunch from three. Akron is also pretty proficient from behind the three point line.
The Zips make 10.9 threes per game (and they’re shooting at a 37.9 percent from behind the three point line). Texas Tech is certainly better in this category, but it’s not a drastic difference. The Red Raiders make 11.5 threes per game and have a 39.3 percent three point shooting percentage.
And when it gets into rebounding, that’s where things really get concerning. Akron is grabbing 38.1 rebounds per game while Texas Tech is getting 36.9 rebounds per game. While that’s not necessarily the most alarming difference on the surface, when you add in the context that Texas Tech’s leading rebounder in Toppin is out for this game, it gets a little worrisome.
The Red Raiders should be able to move the ball effectively and they can spread the scoring around with multiple shooters, but this game might be a little concerning at times if the Zips play to their full potential.