Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-4, 4-3)
Bad Guys: Arkansas Razorbacks (11-7, 2-2)
When to Watch: Saturday, January 26th @ 5:00 p.m.
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN2 | WatchESPN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Texas Tech -10 (OddsShark)
Advanced Stats
| Texas Tech | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| KenPom | 15 | 65 |
| KP AdjO | 139 | 100 |
| KP AdjD | 1 | 49 |
| T-Rank | 16 | 66 |
| T-Rank O | 158 | 98 |
| T-Rank D | 2 | 61 |
| Haslemetric | 21 | 84 |
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 | Jalen Harris (6-2/166) | 8.4 / 6.4* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Isaiah Joe (6-5/167) | 14.9 / 2.7 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Mason Jones (6-5/207) | 13.9 / 4.8 |
| POWER FORWARD | Adrio Bailey (6-6/220) | 6.3 / 3.4 |
| CENTER | Daniel Gafford (6-11/233) | 16.3 / 9.4 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Reggie Chaney (6-8/222) | 6.2 / 4.2 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Desi Sills (6-2/196) | 4.4 / 1.2 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Keyshawn Embery-Simpson (6-3/202) | 4.6 / 1.2 |
| NINTH MAN | Gabe Osabuohien (6-8/221) | 3.1 / 3.1 |
| TENTH MAN | Jordan Phillips (6-7/209) | 1.4 / 0.7 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Well, Arkansas is not a top 5 defense so you get a break a bit from top 10 defenses. That’s not to say that the Razorbacks are bad defensively, they are actually very good at forcing turnovers and good at limiting opponents’ field goal percentages. What Arkansas is terrible at is allowing offensive boards, 303rd in the nation and they are absolutely terrible at allowing free throws, 294th. That’s terrible. So, here is your opportunity to get to the line Red Raiders and crash the boards (which they will likely not do).
2. Scouting. The freshman Joe is the Razorbacks’ best player, really efficient offensively, shoots well, scores, doesn’t turn the ball over, and is good defensively in getting steals on opponents. The center Gafford is also a load both offensively and on the defensive boards. Gafford will also block some shots at a high rate and does get to the line. Really, he’s the best one at getting to the line for Arkansas. Other than those two, it’s slim pickings in terms of what they add either offensively or defensively. Harris can distribute the ball, but he’s not a good shooter. Chaney is good defensively blocking shots and shooting the ball, but he’s pretty terrible at the line.
3. How They Match Up. I don’t think we’ll see 40 minutes of hell. As an aside, growing up, I absolutely loved the idea of 40 minutes of hell and I loved watching Arkansas basketball with Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, Oliver Miller, etc. Those were some fun teams. I don’t think that Mike Anderson implements the same type of line-to-line defense, but Arkansas does like to force turnovers. Be calm and collected getting the ball up the floor. Easier said than done. Statistically, Texas Tech should have a significant advantage defensively, but the offense needs to catch up and that’s not just Culver, but really from the top down, Owens, Corprew, Moretty, Mooney, Edwards, and Francis all need to be better. Not by leaps and bounds, but incrementally they need to be better. The site above, T-Rank, is my favorite stats site for basketball and the numbers are predicting a 10 point win for Texas Tech with an 85% chance of winning. I’d love for that to happen. Oh, and is it no surprise that the spread is Texas Tech -10?
4. Reading Material. A-J Media’s Carlos Silva, Jr. – Mooney looking to end recent offensive slide as No. 14 Red Raiders host Arkansas:
“Just stick to the process. I know I’ve been really struggling shooting the ball,” said Mooney, who saw his points per game average drop from 11.2 to 10.2 in the last three contests. “But shooters gotta stay confident. Once I see the ball go through the net, I’ll be OK. My teammates and coaches are still confident in me. And I never lose my confidence in myself.”
Mooney, along with the No. 14 Red Raiders, will look to get back on track in a 5 p.m. Saturday home contest against Arkansas as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
WholeHogSports’ Scottie Bordelon – Analysis: Scouting Texas Tech basketball:
Something of a rarity in college basketball nowadays, Texas Tech draws its identity from when it doesn’t have the basketball. Beard, quickly, has not only built a nationally competitive program, but one that has grown to that point by defending at an elite level.
“It’s kind of what we hang our hat on,” Beard said. “It’s what we recruit, it’s what we coach, it’s what we practice every day. We’re a defensive program. We think that gives you a chance to compete and win games in March. Very similar to our team at Little Rock when were in the great state of Arkansas a few years ago.”
WholeHogSports’ Dudley E Dawson – Hannahs doing well, chasing his dream:
Hannahs became the Hustle’s all-time leading scorer with 843 points on Wednesday when he had 16 points as Memphis (17-12) downed the Delaware Blue Goats.
“I am just out there playing hard, trying to get wins and get called up to the NBA,” Hannahs said. “That is the whole game plan. I have been shooting the ball well this year and I am just trying to get up ‘The Show.’”
In college, Hannahs played his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Red Raiders before transferring to Arkansas. After a redshirt season, he played two years with the Razorbacks and led the team in scoring as a senior with 14.9 points per game.
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
One of Texas Tech’s most historic matchups will be renewed on Saturday when the Red Raiders host Arkansas at 5 p.m. at the United Supermarkets Arena for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The Red Raiders (15-4) are on a 46-game non-conference home winning streak and are 10-1 at home this season, while the Razorbacks (11-7) are 9-3 in non-conference play coming into the game. TTU is coming off a 58-45 loss at Kansas State on Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas, while Arkansas earned a 72-60 win over Missouri on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak. Former foes in the Southwest Conference, Texas Tech and Arkansas met for the first time in 1942 are tied at 39-39 in the all-time series with the Razorbacks earning a 75-68 overtime win on Jan. 30, 2016 in the last matchup. TTU is 23-11 all-time in Lubbock against Arkansas.