Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-9, 0-7)
Bad Guys: West Virginia Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6)
When to Watch: Wednesday, January 25th @ 6:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, TX
How to Watch: ESPNU | WatchESPN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | TuneIn App
The Line: Texas Tech -2.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | WEST VIRGINIA |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | De’Vion Harmon (6-2/205) | 12.1 / 3.5* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Richard Isaacs (6-2/170) | 12.1 / 2.9* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Jaylon Tyson (6-6/210) | 9.9 / 5.9 |
| POWER FORWARD | Kevin Obanor (6-8/235) | 14.7 / 6.3 |
| CENTER | Fardaws Aimaq (6-11/245) | 10.0 / 6.7 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Daniel Batcho (6-11/235) | 9.6 / 6.8 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Lamar Washington (6-4/205) | 3.4 / 2.1* |
| EIGHTH MAN | KJ Allen (6-6/255) | 3.3 / 2.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Kerwin Walton (6-5/200) | 3.6 / 0.9 |
| TENTH MAN | Elijah Fisher (6-6/190) | 3.0 / 1.3 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | D’Maurian Williams (6-3/200) | 3.7 / 1.5 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Robert Jennings (6-7/225) | 3.1 / 2.1 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | CJ Williams (6-1/155) | 1.0 / 0.5 |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Kedrian Johnson (6-3/185) | 10.7 / 3.2* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Erik Stevenson (6-4/205) | 12.9 / 2.4* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Emmitt Matthews Jr. (6-7/210) | 10.1 / 3.8 |
| POWER FORWARD | Tre Mitchell (6-9/225) | 13.1 / 5.9 |
| CENTER | Jimmy Bell Jr. (6-10/285) | 6.3 / 6.1 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Seth Wilson (6-1/215) | 4.7 / 1.1 |
| SEVENTH MAN | James Okonkwo (6-8/240) | 1.9 / 1.9 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Joe Toussaint (6-0/190) | 9.9 / 2.8 |
| NINTH MAN | Kobe Johnson (6-3/210) | 2.8 / 1.1 |
| TENTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. I don’t know how West Virginia is as bad as they are from a record standpoint. They are fine, but the record says otherwise. The Mountaineers are top 25 in offense, largely because they are 16th in the nation in free throw rate and they get a ton of offensive rebounds. They’ve fine shooting the ball, the top third in the nation and generally speaking they are fine at not turning the ball over. Defensively, they are only bad because they also put teams on the line a ton, 341st in the nation. If it weren’t for that, they’d be top 25 here and given that they’ve lost so many close games, that’s maybe why they’re record is what it is.
2. Scouting. Mitchell is the best player, not a ton of usage, but a very good rebounder and excellent shooter, 55% inside the arc and 40% outside. Matthews has been at WVU forever and he’s another good shooter, but that may be the extent of what he does. Stevenson and Toussaint are the distributors, along with Kedrian Johnson, those are your main ballhandlers and they all do a good job of dishing the ball. Bell, Suemnick and Wague (not mentioned) rebound the hell out of the offensive boards.
3. How They Match Up. If Aimaq doesn’t play, this probably gets pretty tough. WVU is big and strong and goes to the boards hard. It would be great to get an opposing team in foul trouble, especially one that likes to foul as much as WVU and Texas Tech is capable of doing that. Thus far, this conference season has been frustrating and it’s been a situation where it’s not just been one thing, but multiple things for different games. The biggest issues have been shooting, whether that’s offensive or how opponents have shot. That’s what basketball is and this team needs to shoot more consistently AND play tougher defense, particularly inside the 3-point line. Batcho, Isaacs, and Tyson have to shoot better and maybe home-cooking will do that. Believe it or not, Texas Tech is favored by 0.7 points by T-Rank.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Some things are bigger than basketball! If you question the importance of NIL… look at Batcho’s smile! Your support helps make this happen! #LΞVΞLUP#WRΞCKTHEBRAND pic.twitter.com/fCZPN7Faot
— LΞVΞL 13 Agency (@LEVEL13Agency) January 24, 2023
#TexasTech’s Daniel Batcho said the last time he’d seen his family was in the summer of 2020.
They were present at early afternoon practice and are expected to be in attendance for tomorrow night’s bout against West Virginia. pic.twitter.com/KraKKfb8zd
— Chris Williams (@ChrisWilliamsDT) January 24, 2023
It’s never going to be easy. We will never stop fighting.
It takes all of us – we need you there tomorrow night‼️#Ŧogether | #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/r1oU0qXa8r
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 24, 2023
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
Texas Tech will continue its way through the first rounds of the Big 12 gauntlet by hosting West Virginia at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the United Supermarkets Arena.
The Red Raiders (10-9, 0-7 Big 12) are coming off a 68-58 loss at No. 13 Kansas State, while the Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6 Big 12) took a 69-61 home loss to No. 10 Texas during Saturday’s games. Tech, which won both matchups against WVU last season, is currently 8-3 on its home court this season where it is averaging 13,367 fans which ranks 18th nationally and second within the Big 12.