Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (0-0, 0-0)
Bad Guys: UTEP Miners (0-0, 0-0)
When to Watch: Thursday, November 1st @ 6:30 p.m.
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: No television availability.
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: None
Advanced Stats
KenPom Rank: Texas Tech – 26; UTEP – 275
T-Rank: Texas Tech – 26 | UTEP – 285
Haslemetric Rank: Not yet
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Davide Moretti (6-3/175) | 3.5 / 1.1* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Matt Mooney (6-3/200) | 18.7 / 3.1* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Jarrett Culver (6-5/195) | 11.2 / 4.8 |
| POWER FORWARD | Brandone Francis (6-5/215) | 5.1 / 1.9 |
| CENTER | Norense Odiase (6-9/245) | 3.8 / 4.5 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Tariq Owens (6-10/205) | 8.4 / 5.9 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Deshawn Corprew (6-5/210) | – |
| EIGHTH MAN | Khavon Moore (6-7/215) | – |
| NINTH MAN | Malik Ondigo (6-10/215) | 1.1 / 0.8 |
| TENTH MAN | Kyler Edwards (6-3/200) | – |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Josh Mballa (6-7/215) | – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Evan Gilyard (5-10/155) | – |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Kobe Magee (6-1/150) | – |
| SMALL FORWARD | Nigel Hawkins (6-4/185) | – |
| POWER FORWARD | Paul Thomas (6-8/210) | – |
| CENTER | Kaosi Ezeagu (6-10/240) | – |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | – | – |
| SEVENTH MAN | – | – |
| EIGHTH MAN | – | – |
| NINTH MAN | – | – |
| TENTH MAN | – | – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Well, the advanced stats say that this should be an absolute blowout, but UTEP has changed coaches, Tim Floyd is out and Rodney Terry is in. Terry was the head coach at Fresno St. and since those stats may be more meaningful in terms what Terry may emphasize. According to KenPom, Fresno St. was 128th in AdjO and 93rd in AdjD. For T-Rank, the Bulldogs were slightly better defensively than offensively, 93rd to 74th. Projecting this forward, I don’t have a clue. It’s really early and there’s a lot we just don’t know.
2. How They Match Up. I’m going to be honest, there’s a lot of turnover with UTEP so it is incredibly difficult to tell you who is even going to start, much less play for the Miners. I tried to cobble together a starting lineup for each team, but to be honest, this is the best I can do. As far as Texas Tech’s lineup, this is a guess at best and it is something that I’m really excited to see how this plays out. I honestly think that the starting lineup is going to be something that will surprise us (although truthfully, there are only so many options).
3. Scouting. These guys are definitely UTEP’s best players. Thomas is probably the best player, from scoring to rebounding, he’s probably the guy. Gilyard is obviously a waterbug type of player, not very big, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Gilyard shoot and get into double-figures. For Texas Tech, well, we’re about to find out a lot about this team. We know about Culver, Moretti, Odiase, Francis and Ondigo. That’s all of the guys that return, just five guys. There’s a lot we don’t know.
4. Reading Material.
– A-J Media’s Carlos Silva, Jr. previews the reason for this exhibition game:
“I’ve been to Santa Fe before, I know people from that area,” Beard said. “So when it hit, it really hit home.
“This game gives us the opportunity to hopefully raise some real money for the people still in need there. Again, super-appreciative of anybody in advance that comes to the game, pays the $10. All that money will go directly, not a lot of fluff man, their monies going down there straight to the people who need it.”
5. Official Site. The official site looks at the Miners:
“It’ll be the first time to see the team play against a really good UTEP team that is projected to have a good season,” Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. “They have some really good players. This gives us a unique opportunity to play in front of our fans against a Division I opponent and help a great cause.”