Preview & Game Day Thread: Texas vs. Texas Tech

Game Info

Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (14-8, 6-7)
Bad Guys: Texas Longhorns (14-6, 8-5)
When to Watch: Saturday, February 27th @ 11:00 a.m.
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: CBS | CBS Sports HQ
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Texas Tech -3.5

Advanced Stats

TEXAS TECH TEXAS
KenPom 25 23
KP AdjO 34 21
KP AdjD 24 32
T-Rank 22 18
T-Rank O 29 17
T-Rank D 25 33
Haslemetric 19 23

Lineups

TEXAS TECH
THE STARTERS Pts / Reb
POINT GUARD Mac McClung (6-2/185) 16.9 / 2.4*
SHOOTING GUARD Kyler Edwards (6-4/195) 9.3 / 2.6*
SMALL FORWARD Micah Peavy (6-7/215) 5.5 / 2.8
POWER FORWARD Kevin McCullar (6-6/195) 10.7 / 6.6
CENTER Marcus Santos-Silva (6-7/245) 8.4 / 6.4
THE BENCH Pts / Reb
SIXTH MAN Terrence Shannon, Jr. (6-6/210) 12.9 / 4.7
SEVENTH MAN Jamarius Burton (6-4/205) 4.7 / 2.0
EIGHTH MAN Tyreek Smith (6-7/220) 2.3 / 2.3
NINTH MAN Clarence Nadolny (6-3/190) 1.9 / 1.1
TENTH MAN Chibuzo Agbo (6-7/215) 1.7 / 0.8
ELEVENTH MAN Vladislov Goldin (7-0/240) 2.8 / 1.5
TWELFTH MAN Avery Benson (6-4/195) 1.5 / 0.8
TEXAS
THE STARTERS Pts / Reb
POINT GUARD Matt Coleman III (6-2/180) 13.0 / 4.3*
SHOOTING GUARD Courtney Ramey (6-3/185) 14.1 / 3.9*
SMALL FORWARD Andrew Jones (6-4/192) 15.4 / 5.0
POWER FORWARD Greg Brown (6-9/205) 10.9 / 7.4
CENTER Jericho Sims (6-10/245) 8.1 / 6.8
THE BENCH Pts / Reb
SIXTH MAN Brock Cunningham (6-5/204) 1.4 / 3.4
SEVENTH MAN Kai Jones (6-11/218) 8.2 / 4.8
EIGHTH MAN Royce Hamm, Jr. (6-9/225) 2.6 / 2.9
NINTH MAN Donovan Williams (6-6/190) 4.1 / 1.2
TENTH MAN Jase Febres (6-5/195) 2.8 / 1.7

* Assists.

Starting 5

1. Stats. The Longhorns are very good offensively, a top 20 team that just got done beating Kansas in overtime and losing to West Virginia by 2, but before that, two wins against Kansas State and TCU. Texas shoots well, 79th in the nation in eFG% and 67th in offensive boards. Where they aren’t good is turnover percentage, 197th, and decent at free throw percentage, 115th. Defensively, the Longhorns get after you inside the arc where they are really good, 20th in 2-point percentage, but they aren’t good at forcing turnovers, 266th in the nation, and 304th in free throw rate.

2. Scouting. Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey, and Andrew Jones really do drive this team. Coleman is a decent shooter 35% from the three-point line, but really good inside the arc, 58%, while Ramey is excellent behind that line, 44%, and Jones is the worst of the bunch, only making 31% of his three-point shots. Jones, Sims, and Brown are what drives the team on the boards and they really are excellent where they are asked to excel. I’ll be honest, I’m jealous of Jones and Sims length and rebounding ability as well as how they block shots.

3. How They Match Up. Texas Tech needs a win in a bad way, currently on a 3-game losing streak, all of them are relatively close, but a loss is a loss. Texas Tech’s advantage will be forcing turnovers and not turning the ball over, both things that they traditionally do very well. Texas Tech also gets to the line quite a bit more and that should be an advantage at home. I desperately want the players to do the things that they do well. It’s not really even close, but Texas Tech’s best shooter, by far, is Edwards, where he makes 39% of his three-pointers, but he’s basically refusing to shoot. Shannon shoots too many three’s, and should only drive and shoot inside because that’s what he does. I know a lot of people probably get tired of stats, but just pull up T-Rank and it’s clear what these players do well and emphasize these strengths rather than play to weaknesses.

4. Tweet of the Day.

5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:

No. 18 Texas Tech will host No. 14 Texas at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders (14-8, 6-7 Big 12) are looking to snap a three-game losing streak following a 74-69 overtime loss at Oklahoma State on Monday, while the Longhorns (14-6, 8-5 Big 12) are coming off a 75-72 overtime win over Kansas in Austin on Tuesday. Tech earned a 79-77 win over Texas on Jan. 13 in the first matchup with Mac McClung going off for 22 points, including hitting the game-winning jump shot with three seconds remaining and Kevin McCullar scoring a career-high 16 to go along with eight rebounds.

The Red Raiders are currently 8-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play in home games, while Texas is 3-1 in road games. Under head coach Chris Beard, Tech is 71-13 in home games including going 3-1 on its home court against the Longhorns.

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