Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (17-4, 5-3)
Bad Guys: Kansas Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3)
When to Watch: Saturday, February 2nd @ 3:00 p.m.
Where to Watch: Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, Kansas
How to Watch: CBS | CBS Sports HQ
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Kansas -4 (OddsShark)
Advanced Stats
| Texas Tech | Kansas | |
|---|---|---|
| KenPom | 14 | 16 |
| KP AdjO | 99 | 30 |
| KP AdjD | 3 | 14 |
| T-Rank | 13 | 16 |
| T-Rank O | 98 | 33 |
| T-Rank D | 3 | 14 |
| Haslemetric | 17 | 20 |
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Davide Moretti (6-3/175) | 10.4 / 2.3* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Matt Mooney (6-3/200) | 10.7 / 2.9* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Jarrett Culver (6-5/195) | 18.5 / 3.9* |
| POWER FORWARD | Tariq Owens (6-10/205) | 8.4 / 5.1 |
| CENTER | Norense Odiase (6-9/245) | 3.8 / 4.8 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kyler Edwards (6-3/200) | 6.2 / 2.5 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Brandone Francis (6-5/215) | 5.4 / 2.3 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Deshawn Corprew (6-5/210) | 5.5 / 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 | Devon Dotson (6-2/185) | 10.7 / 3.4* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Lagerald Vick (6-5/190) | 14.5 / 3.9 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Quentin Grimes (6-5/210) | 8.2 / 2.3 |
| POWER FORWARD | Ochai Agbaji (6-5/210) | 8.6 / 4.0 |
| CENTER | Dedric Lawson (6-9/235) | 19.2 / 10.9 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Mitch Lightfoot (6-8/225) | 1.6 / 2.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | David McCormack (6-10/265) | 2.0 / 2.2 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Charlie Moore (5-11/180) | 3.1 / 1.0 |
| NINTH MAN | K.J. Lawson (6-8/225) | 2.5 / 1.9 |
| TENTH MAN | Chris Teahan (6-4/195) | 0.0 / 0.0 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Kansas is good at all of the things that they’ve always been good at, which is a top 15 defense and a very good offense. There’s been a lot of hand-wringing for Kansas fans and that’s understandable, they’ve dropped their last two. Kentucky and Texas present match-ups that aren’t really in their favor in that they have post players who can score inside, where Kansas is not a big team, their best players are wings and Lawson. So a game against Iowa State or Baylor probably suits Kansas much better. They just don’t have any size. The Jayhawks’ do struggle offensively on a couple of ends, namely that they don’t get to the line very much (or at least not consistently) and they’re not a great offensive rebounding team, which makes sense given their relatively small lineup. So the key here is probably very similar to playing Baylor in that if you allow Kansas to hit shots from the outside, it’s going to be a long game and a disappointing outcome.
2. Scouting. Before we get going too far, wing Marcus Garrett apparently twisted an ankle at yesterday’s practice and center Silvio De Sousa was ruled ineligible for all of this season and next season. The Garrett situation has a greater impact on this game because De Sousa hasn’t played a game this year and although Garrett’s stats aren’t eye-popping, he’s an integral part of the team, perhaps the team’s best defender. Lawson is legitimate and going to be one of those players you love to hate because he’s really good, a terrific scorer down low and a terrific rebounder, who doesn’t turn the ball over despite having the ball in his hands a ton. Lawson is a future pro, but he’s not an elite athlete and although he’s not projected to go in the first round in a lot of publications, he’s got moves and knows how to play and I think that’s going to translate in the NBA. Vick is the other player that’s a bit up-and-down in that he can be great, but he can also be benched (which is what happened). Vick shoots well, as does Agbaji, who is a freshman that Bill Self wanted to redshirt this year.
3. How They Match Up. Because Texas Tech doesn’t really have any low-post scorers, other than Culver, I think that this sets up to be not the best match-up for Texas Tech. Kansas has wing players in spades and they’re still really good defensively. Texas Tech will need to have the offense that showed up against TCU also show up against Kansas. Low turnovers for Texas Tech is imperative because that is, without question, the Red Raiders’ biggest problem offensively. The Red Raiders just give away too many possessions.
4. Reading Material. A-J Media’s Carlos Silva, Jr. – No. 16 Red Raiders looking to down No. 11 Kansas on the road again:
“I called Justin Gray (Thursday morning), but unfortunately he’s playing professional basketball in England right now,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said Thursday during a Big 12 media teleconference call. “Wanted to know if he could come back and help us in Lawrence again, this year. But that’s not possible.
“At the end of the day, basketball, a big, big part of this game is making shots. … The big thing with us is to try to get shots. Try to eliminate our stale possessions, eliminate our bad-shot selections, eliminate turnovers. Give ourselves a chance to try to get a quality shot. To beat teams like Kansas, you’re going to have to make shots.”
KUSports’ Matt Tait – Jayhawks already trying to implement changes to their offense:
Freshmen guards Devon Dotson and Ochai Agbaji on Friday briefly explained the things the Jayhawks have emphasized during the film sessions and practice time since the Texas loss. And, according to Dotson, the new mentality has a lot to do with attacking quicker and more often.
“He’s just made some tweaks in the offense, just getting right into things sooner and just getting more aggressive with things,” Dotson explained. “Changing some sets here and there. Just tweaking it to make it better.”
SI’s Michael Beller –
Picks: UNC-Louisville, Kansas-Texas Tech and More Pivotal Conference Clashes:
Just a few weeks ago, Texas Tech and Kansas were a combined 8–1 in the Big 12, and threatening to run away with the conference. The Red Raiders are 2–3 since then, while the Jayhawks are 1–3, and now both are looking up at Baylor and Kansas State in the Big 12. The Red Raiders have righted the ship of late, beating Arkansas and TCU in their last two games, but offense is still an issue for this team far too often. That was to be expected. Kansas suddenly turning into a pedestrian offensive team recently is a shock, even with Udoka Azubuike out for the season. Things have gone so off the rails in Lawrence that Lagerald Vick did not start in the team’s last game, a 73–63 loss to Texas. The Jayhawks have yet to lose at home this season, but it’s a very real possibility on Saturday. Should that happen, it would really be time to worry about them, even though it would be against a quality opponent like Texas Tech.
LJWorld’s Matt Tait – Red Raiders’ dynamic defense the next major test for Kansas basketball:
Where the Red Raiders separate themselves from a whole bunch of pretty good defensive teams is in the way they hunker down in half-court possessions.
“They’re an unbelievable rotation team,” Self said. “You know, they cover for each other, they communicate, they do a terrific job of trying to keep the ball on one side of the floor, which allows them to kind of load up and take away the lane. They’re really, really sound.”
RockChalkTalk’s Fetch13 – Texas Tech Preview:
Kansas returns to the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse to take on Texas Tech in the “Neither of These Teams can Score Bowl.” Kansas currently sits at 5th in the league in offense with the Red Raiders all the way down in 8th, and with how good Tech has been on the defensive end of the floor, this game should be one of the uglier ones this season.
Texas Tech has had one of the more jump shot heavy teams, not just in the Big 12 but the entire country, over the course of Chris Beard’s tenure. However, this season they are taking roughly 37 percent of their attempts at the rim via Hoop-Math, good for 143rd nationally. They’re also 29th in scoring at the rim, so needless to say the Jayhawks could stand to keep Texas Tech out on the perimeter.
KUSports’ Benton Smith – Lagerald Vick could be ‘the factor’ in KU-Texas Tech showdown:
Senior guard Lagerald Vick lost his starting job ahead of the Jayhawks’ trip to Texas. It wasn’t the first time his head coach removed Vick from the starting five. And it may not be the last.
At least for the moment, though, KU’s often unpredictable guard seems to be in as good a head space as one could hope. Bill Self indicated Friday afternoon, on the eve of his team’s home matchup with Texas Tech, that he has been satisfied with the veteran’s response since Self removed Vick from the starting five — at least for one game.
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
Round nine of 18 in the Big 12 Conference fight takes No. 16 Texas Tech to Lawrence, Kansas this weekend where it will play No. 11 Kansas at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Red Raiders (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) have won two in a row after knocking off Arkansas last Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and then TCU on Monday, while the Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) have lost two straight for the only time this season with defeats at Kentucky and Texas. TTU earned its first-ever win at Allen Fieldhouse last season with an 85-73 win and is now 1-17 all-time against the Jayhawks on their home court. KU leads the all-time series 34-5 after taking a 74-72 win in Lubbock in the last matchup. The Jayhawks are currently 12-0 at home this season.