Get up, Texas Tech fans! The Red Raiders play today! This afternoon (or, rather, starting this morning and then carrying over into the afternoon), the Texas Tech men’s basketball team will meet up with the UCF Knights down in Orlando.
Both the Red Raiders and the Knights have 16-4 overall records, but Texas Tech is currently riding a five game winning streak and looks to be the more complete team. And here’s to hoping that the Red Raiders don’t overlook what UCF is capable of in this matchup.
Let’s go over what you need to know as Texas Tech and UCF get set to face one another.
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs UCF Knights essentials: What you need to know about Texas Tech’s road game
In quick rundown form, here’s a brief overview of what you need to know to be able to watch the Red Raiders meet up with the Knights in Orlando this weekend:
- No. 11 Texas Tech (16-4 overall, 6-1 Big 12) at UCF (16-4 overall, 5-3 Big 12)
- Saturday, Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. CT
- Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida
- ESPN2
What do the Big 12 standings look like ahead of Texas Tech’s matchup with UCF?
The unbeaten Arizona Wildcats still stand at the top of the Big 12 men’s basketball standings at 21-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big 12. Both the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Houston Cougars are sitting in second place with a tie at 6-1 in conference play. Further down in the Big 12 standings sits UCF at No. 7 in the conference with a 5-3 Big 12 record.
By the numbers: How do the Red Raiders and Knights compare to one another?
Quite frankly, these two teams are more similar than I expected them to be when it comes to overall, total output from the two of them. Texas Tech is scoring 84.2 points per game while UCF is scoring 84 points per game. Texas Tech is making 39.2 percent of its three point attempts while UCF isn’t far behind at 38 percent.
Will Texas Tech keep its winning streak alive as the Red Raiders face the Knights?
Texas Tech enters this game with five straight wins after handling the Colorado Buffaloes, Utah Utes, BYU Cougars, Baylor Bears, and the Houston Cougars. That’s a lot of success in a short period of time and includes solid wins over two highly ranked teams in BYU and Houston.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how this particular game plays out for the Red Raiders. There’s a lot of potential for TTU to have a great season and a road trip like this can’t include a stumble if that potential is going to be reached.