Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Kansas Jayhawks (6-1, 0-0)
When to Watch: Thursday, December 17th @ 6:00 p.m.
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN | WatchESPN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Texas Tech -2.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | KANSAS | |
|---|---|---|
| KenPom | 8 | 9 |
| KP AdjO | 48 | 22 |
| KP AdjD | 1 | 6 |
| T-Rank | 7 | 18 |
| T-Rank O | 53 | 37 |
| T-Rank D | 1 | 15 |
| Haslemetric | 7 | 14 |
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Mac McClung (6-2/185) | 14.1 / 3.1* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Kyler Edwards (6-4/195) | 11.1 / 3.6* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Terrence Shannon, Jr. (6-6/210) | 11.8 / 4.7 |
| POWER FORWARD | Micah Peavy (6-7/215) | 6.9 / 2.7 |
| CENTER | Marcus Santos-Silva (6-7/245) | 8.1 / 7.6 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Jamarius Burton (6-4/205) | 5.3 / 2.3* |
| SEVENTH MAN | Nimari Burnett (6-4/195) | 6.3 / 2.3 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Tyreek Smith (6-7/220) | 3.9 / 2.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Chibuzo Agbo (6-7/215) | 2.0 / 1.3 |
| TENTH MAN | Clarence Nadolny (6-3/190) | 2.1 / 0.6 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Vladislov Goldin (7-0/240) | 3.0 / 2.3 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Avery Benson (6-4/195) | 1.4 / 1.1 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Kevin McCullar (6-6/195) | – / – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Marcus Garrett (6-5/195) | 8.6 / 3.9* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Ochai Agbaji (6-5/210) | 14.1 / 3.9 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Christian Braun (6-6/205) | 11.9 / 5.6 |
| POWER FORWARD | Jalen Wilson (6-8/215) | 15.3 / 8.7 |
| CENTER | David McCormack (6-10/265) | 10.1 / 5.7 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Bryce Thompson (6-5/188) | 6.1/ 1.6 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Dajuan Harris (6-1/160) | 1.6 / 1.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Tristian Enaruna (6-8/200) | 3.3 / 1.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Tyon Grant-Foster (6-7/190) | 4.6 / 3.6 |
| TENTH MAN | Mitch Lightfoot (6-8/225) | 4.1 / 3.4 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Just as an FYI, I compiled the advanced stats on Sunday night, trying to get ahead of the game. They are relatively accurate in a general sense. Generic. Kansas is a good offensive team, are in the top quarter in terms of holding onto the ball and are an excellent offensive rebounding team. I suppose that make sense when you have a bunch of 6’7″ guys on the court. The Jayhawks are also a heck of a three-point shooting team, 38% overall, but are only 251st in rate, which means they don’t shoot a ton of three’s, but they make an insane amount. They should shoot more three’s against all other teams. Defensively, Kansas is elite. They limit offensive boards and don’t permit teams to go the free throw line. They’re also really good at defending the three-point shot.
2. Scouting. Wilson is fantastic, a terrific offensive player, a terrific rebounder on both ends of the court and gets almost all of his points from close range. Agbaji is also very good and I don’t know what he shot beyond the arc previously, but both he and Braun shoot 42% from deep. I don’t think he was that good last year, but that’s insane. Garrett is not a real point guard, but plays one here. Harris is the alternate point guard and he’s good.
3. How They Match Up. These teams are so similar in how they look. I love and hate that because sometimes you can envision where Texas Tech would have an advantage. Statistically, Texas Tech is 6th in forced turnovers and without a dedicated point guard, maybe that’s an area you can take advantage of. Additionally, Texas Tech is 8th in free throw rate (we’re not going to talk about percentage made) on offense. It is so important to see the offense for Texas Tech get going. They’re only 54th in the nation despite having a schedule of not-so-tough defensive teams, the exceptions were Houston and Abilene Christian. The offense is vital.
4. Tweet of the Day.
🗣 @CoachBeardTTU
“I like how competitive these guys are.” pic.twitter.com/yR1LouFRb8
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) December 15, 2020
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
The Red Raiders (6-1) are 5-0 at home this season coming into the matchup and 68-9 on their home court under Chris Beard who earned his 100th win as the Tech head coach with a 77-57 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday. The program is 28-8 in Big 12 home games under Beard after going 6-3 last season. The Jayhawks (6-1) enter conference play on a six-game winning streak following a 95-50 win over Omaha last Friday in Lawrence, Kansas before having a scheduled home game against Tarleton State on Sunday canceled.
Kansas travels to Lubbock on a six-game winning streak in response to opening the season with a 102-90 loss to No. 1 Gonzaga. The Jayhawks earned a 95-50 win over Omaha in their last game and also have wins over Saint Joseph’s, Kentucky, Washburn, North Dakota State and Creighton on their non-conference resume. Jalen Wilson leads KU with 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season, while Ochai Agbaji is at 14.1 ppg. to go along with 18 assists. Christian Braun is adding 11.9 points and 5.6 rebounds and David McCormack has 10.1 ppg. and 5.7 rpg. through seven games. Marcus Garrett, a senior from Dallas, leads the team with 27 assists and 11 steals to go along with 8.6 points per game. Agbaji led KU with 18 points in the win over Omaha and Mitch Lightfoot came off the bench to add 14 points and seven rebounds.