Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-3, 4-2)
Bad Guys: Kansas State Wildcats (14-4, 4-2)
When to Watch: Saturday, January 22nd @ 6:00 p.m.
Where to Watch: Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kansas
How to Watch: ESPN2 | WatchESPN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Kansas State -1.5 to 2.5 (OddsShark)
Advanced Stats
| Texas Tech | Kansas State | |
|---|---|---|
| KenPom | 11 | 41 |
| KP AdjO | 110 | 177 |
| KP AdjD | 1 | 5 |
| T-Rank | 14 | 42 |
| T-Rank O | 140 | 196 |
| T-Rank D | 1 | 7 |
| Haslemetric | 13 | 67 |
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Davide Moretti (6-3/175) | 10.0 / 2.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Matt Mooney (6-3/200) | 10.7 / 2.8* |
| 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) | 4.1 / 4.8 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kyler Edwards (6-3/200) | 6.3 / 2.6 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Brandone Francis (6-5/215) | 5.8 / 2.5 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Deshawn Corprew (6-5/210) | 5.9 / 3.9 |
| NINTH MAN | Malik Ondigo (6-10/215) | 1.8 / 1.7 |
| 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 | Kamau Stokes (6-0/170) | 10.5 / 3.4* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Barry Brown, Jr. (6-3/195) | 15.4 / 4.1 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Xavier Sneed (6-5/220) | 10.4 / 5.5 |
| POWER FORWARD | Dean Wade (6-8/228) | 13.3 / 6.8 |
| CENTER | Makol Mawien (6-9/245) | 7.2 / 4.6 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Cartier Diarra (6-4/190) | 5.5 / 3.4 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Mike McGuirl (6-2/195) | 3.1 / 1.4 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Levi Stockard, III (6-8/240) | 1.8 / 1.7 |
| NINTH MAN | James Love, III (6-11/240) | 0.5 / 0.5 |
| TENTH MAN | Austin Trice (6-7/235) | 2.0 / 3.1 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. The stats for Kansas State may not be as accurate before they got healthy and those offensive stats have probably received an uptick in effectiveness with a fully healthy Stokes, which allows Brown to be more assertive offensively, and Wade adds an inside/outside combination that’s really tough to deal with. With that being said, Kansas State is very good defensively, and I’d guess that they are even better at home. And just in case you were curious, Kansas State is 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games, but are 2-5 against the spread at home. Meanwhile, Texas Tech is 1-6-1 against the spread in their last 8 games and 1-4 against the spread on the road.
2. Scouting. Having a healthy Wade makes a huge difference, Wade can shoot it from deep and he can bang inside and has the rebounding numbers to prove it. With a healthy Stokes (who played when Texas Tech and K-State first played against each other) and a healthy Wade, it moves everyone down a spot on the bench, which makes the team that much better. McGuirl isn’t expected to start and be a significant contributor, that’s now Stokes and that’s pretty significant. And Wade was the preseason Big 12 player of the year, so you get how this makes a huge difference.
3. How They Match Up. I actually think that Texas Tech matches up nicely with Kansas State, the biggest question for me is if Texas Tech will have an answer for Brown, who I think is the best player on the team, not Wade. He’s an offensive-minded player, who has been playing really well lately and has the green light to shoot pretty much whenever he wants. Brown is similar to Keenan Evans in a way in that he’s a big guard who can create different ways and who is going to be the Texas Tech defender that either forces him into bad shots or turn the ball over. Texas Tech didn’t have an answer for Baylor’s King McClure and they’ll need to have an answer for Brown. I should also add a couple more things. 1) Watching the press conference, Chris Beard is very short with his answers and the frustration of the team appears to be wearing on him. Usually, a bit more flowing with his answers, not too much yesterday. I can’t tell you how many times he said the word “consistency” because he seemed like he said it a lot. 2) Texas Tech has to be better from a turnover perspective. There are no two ways about it. This team already struggles offensively and to turn the ball over robs you of an opportunity of a shot. The offense struggles enough as it is, there’s no reason to add to it with turnovers. That starts with Culver and Mooney being better.
4. Reading Material. A-J Media’s Carlos Silva, Jr. – No. 14 Red Raiders prepared for revamped Kansas State squad:
“Biggest game of the season because it’s the next game on the schedule,” Beard said Monday. “Kansas State is a team we have a lot of respect for. Obviously, returning their starting five, really top seven, from an Elite Eight team. … We look forward to the next challenge on the schedule.”
The Red Raiders (15-3, 4-2), coming off losses last week to Iowa State and Baylor, are not panicking despite the outward noise that inherently becomes louder in defeat than victory.
The Wichita Eagle’s Kellis Robinett – K-State Wildcats look to keep pace in wide open Big 12 as Texas Tech looms:
“We got ourselves in the mix now,” Weber said. “Two weeks ago, we were way deep in a hole. To their credit, you feel good about where they have put themselves.”
K-State’s rapid charge up the standings, combined with some unexpected results elsewhere, should make for an entertaining conclusion to the Big 12 basketball season.
The conference race is a third of the way complete, and there is no obvious favorite.
Salina Journal’s Arne Green – Red-hot Wildcats poised for Red Raiders rematch:
But in a topsy-turvy season that has seen the Wildcats go from worst to first in the span of just four games, they’re now firmly back in Weber’s good graces. After knocking off TCU last Saturday, they left Bramlage Coliseum in a four-way tie for the Big 12 lead.
“We had to go through some adversity,” said Weber, whose Wildcats can further solidify their position at 6 tonight when they face No. 14-ranked Texas Tech at Bramlage. “We had to go through some tough times and figure it out.
″(The players) had to figure it out.”
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right there:
No. 14 Texas Tech and Kansas State will meet for the second time this season at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Red Raiders (15-3, 4-2 Big 12) are coming off a 73-62 loss at Baylor last Saturday, while Kansas State (14-4, 4-2 Big 12) has won four in a row since losing to the Red Raiders in Lubbock. KSU is 9-1 on its home court this season after a 65-55 win over TCU last Saturday. Texas Tech has lost two straight games for the only time this season after also falling 68-64 against Iowa State last Wednesday after starting conference play with wins over West Virginia, KSU, Oklahoma and Texas.