Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-2, 4-1)
Bad Guys: Baylor Bears (10-6, 2-2)
When to Watch: Saturday, January 19th @ 5:00 p.m.
Where to Watch: Ferrell Center | Waco, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN2 | WatchESPN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Texas Tech -4 (OddsShark)
Advanced Stats
| Texas Tech | Baylor | |
|---|---|---|
| KenPom | 8 | 53 |
| KP AdjO | 110 | 82 |
| KP AdjD | 1 | 42 |
| T-Rank | 9 | 69 |
| T-Rank O | 137 | 120 |
| T-Rank D | 1 | 55 |
| Haslemetric | 13 | 63 |
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Davide Moretti (6-3/175) | 9.8 / 2.2* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Matt Mooney (6-3/200) | 11.2 / 2.9* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Jarrett Culver (6-5/195) | 18.8 / 3.9* |
| POWER FORWARD | Tariq Owens (6-10/205) | 8.1 / 5.1 |
| CENTER | Norense Odiase (6-9/245) | 4.3 / 4.9 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kyler Edwards (6-3/200) | 6.5 / 2.6 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Brandone Francis (6-5/215) | 5.3 / 2.5 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Deshawn Corprew (6-5/210) | 6.1 / 4.1 |
| NINTH MAN | Malik Ondigo (6-10/215) | 1.9 / 1.8 |
| TENTH MAN | Josh Mballa (6-7/215) | 0.8 / 0.4 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Khavon Moore (6-7/215) | 0.0 / 0.0 |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Makai Mason (6-1/185) | 14.6 / 2.8* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jared Butler (6-3/185) | 7.6 / 2.2 |
| SMALL FORWARD | King McClure (6-3/215) | 11.0 / 5.5 |
| POWER FORWARD | Mark Vital (6-5/230) | 6.2 / 7.7 |
| CENTER | Mario Kegler (6-7/230) | 7.6 / 6.1 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Flo Thamba (6-10/245) | 2.1 / 2.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Devonte Bandoo (6-3/195) | 6.7 / 1.6 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Freddie Gillespie (6-8/240) | 2.1 / 2.6 |
| NINTH MAN | Matthew Mayer (6-9/200) | 5.9 / 2.2 |
| TENTH MAN | Darius Allen (6-4/205) | 3.4 / 1.7 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Statistically, Baylor is an okay team, they are good, probably top quarter, in defense. Baylor is quite good, top 25 in holding opponents in 2-point percentage and teams shoot free throws at a really low rate against Baylor (maybe that has something to do with the Ferrell Center?). Baylor also has a terrific block percentage, but that may have something to do with Tristan Clark, but he’s out for the year. And Clark was the Bears’ best player by far. However, Baylor is not a really good offensive team except for where they crash the boards, which can make up for poor shooting. Baylor doesn’t shoot well from the three-point line (generally), 287th overall, and they don’t shoot free throws well, 273rd overall, and are a high turnover team, 20.5 per game and 269th overall.
2. Scouting. Yes, Clark was Baylor’s best player and offensively, the Bears don’t really have one guy that does one thing terrifically. Vital, Thamba and Gillespie are all big on the offensive glass. Mason, Bandoo, and Mayer are probably their next best players. This portion is a bit weak, but as stated, the Bears typically aren’t a great shooting team or offensive team. That’s really a departure from the Baylor that I’ve known over the past few years who have typically had some really nice offensive players.
3. How They Match Up. Baylor is a bit wonky in terms of looking for one thing that they do that leads to losses. They’ve typically not shot well from the three-point line, but sometimes they can overcome that (see the Arizona win where they shot 4 of 19 . . . but they were elite on the offensive boards). Then the Bears lose to SFA by 1 and they shoot 4 of 24 from the three-point line and can’t do anything. I’d say that games where Baylor has a high turnover rate and doesn’t crash the glass, they’ll most likely lose, so those two things are probably the keys to the game. Keep Baylor off the offensive glass and high-pressure defense. This isn’t to say that Baylor can’t shot at all because they can have a game where they make almost everything, in fact, last time out against Oklahoma State on the road the Bears made 15 of 25 from the three-point line, but that’s pretty atypical. Texas Tech will need to have a terrific defensive game and keep those small guards off the boards.
4. Reading Material. A-J Media’s Carlos Silva, Jr. – No. 8 Red Raiders look to bounce back at Baylor following first Big 12 loss:
Texas Tech, which struggled to find offense in the first half and missed crucial free throws in the second half in a loss to the Cyclones, was forced to turn the page as they prepared to face off against a scrappy Baylor squad at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center in Waco.
″(Wednesday) night, as disappointing as it is to not protect your home court, you know, life goes on,” Beard said Thursday during his weekly Big 12 media teleconference. “This league is about perseverance and staying the course. (Wednesday) night we found ourselves in another close game, we just didn’t make enough plays to come out (with a win). Give Iowa State a lot of credit.”
Waco Tribune’s John Werner – McClure thankful for every day he sees the court:
As the 3-pointers kept raining, King McClure realized he was having the night of his life.
By the time Baylor had completed Monday night’s 73-69 road win over Oklahoma State, McClure had drained seven 3-pointers and scored 29 points, both career highs during his four college seasons.
But if McClure had gone scoreless and contributed to the win in other ways, he would have still walked off the floor with the same exuberance, the same optimistic attitude.
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right there:
Back in Central Texas for the second straight weekend, No. 8 Texas Tech will play Baylor at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Waco at the Ferrell Center.
The Red Raiders (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) are coming off a 68-64 loss to Iowa State at home on Wednesday that snapped a five-game winning streak, while the Bears (10-6, 2-2 Big 12) secured a 73-69 win over Oklahoma State on Monday in Stillwater. TTU is 2-0 on the road this season in Big 12 play after knocking off Texas last Saturday in Austin. BU is 7-3 at home and currently 1-1 against ranked opponents this season with a 73-70 win over then-No. 20 Iowa State and a 73-68 loss to No. 7 Kansas with both games at home.