Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-9, 11-7)
Bad Guys: Houston Cougars (29-3, 10-8)
When to Watch: Friday, March 15th @ 6:00 pm
Where to Watch: T-Mobile Center | Kansas City, Missouri
How to Watch: ESPN2 | ESPN+
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Houston -8.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | HOUSTON |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Joe Toussaint (6-0/195) | 12.3 / 4.4* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Pop Isaacs (6-2/180) | 16.0 / 3.6* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) | 8.3 / 2.1 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-8/225) | 11.6 / 7.6 |
| CENTER | Warren Washington (7-0/235) | 9.9 / 7.4 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Chance McMillian (6-3/185) | 10.6 / 3.9 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Robert Jennings (6-7/230) | 4.1 / 3.2 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Eemeli Yalaho (6-8/240) | 2.1 / 1.2 |
| NINTH MAN | Lamar Washington (6-4/200) | 2.0 / 1.4 |
| TENTH MAN | D’Maurian Williams (6-3/195) | 0.3 / 0.4 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | KyeRon Lindsay (6-8/215) | 2.7 / 1.3 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/185) | 0.4 / 1.0 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Devan Cambridge (6-6/210) | Out for Year |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Jamal Shead (6-1/200) | 13.2 / 6.2* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | L.J. Cryer (6-1/200) | 15.7 / 2.4 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Emanuel Sharp (6-3/205) | 12.3 / 3.8 |
| POWER FORWARD | J’Wan Roberts (6-7/235) | 9.9 / 7.0 |
| CENTER | Ja’Vier Francis (6-8/240) | 6.0 / 5.1 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Mylik Wilson (6-2/175) | 4.0 / 3.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Damian Dunn (6-5/205) | 6.2 / 2.2 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Cedric Lath (6-9/265) | 0.2 / 0.5 |
| NINTH MAN | Ryan Elvin (6-1/170) | 0.8 / 0.1 |
| TENTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. This is going to have to be a bit shorter than usual (my lack of time). Houston’s offense is elite in a couple of the metrics other than shooting, 9th in turnover percentage and 9th in offensive rebounding. they aren’t a great shooting team, just 130th from the 2-point field and 130th from beyond the arc. Houston also doesn’t really get to the line, 244th in the nation. On defense it is scary: 6th in 3-point defense; 3rd in 2-point defense; 1st in block percentage; and 3rd in forcing turnovers. The only thing that they don’t do well is allow offensive rebounds, 246th in the nation, and allow teams to get to the line, 305th in the nation.
2. Scouting. Shead is an absolute stud, is the kind of guy who won’t get drafted, but some NBA team will pick him up and the rest of the league will realize the mistake they’ve made. Not a great shooter, but he’s a high assist, high usage, and low turnover guy. He controls the offense. The only shooters are Cryer who makes 39% of 3’s, Shead makes 33%, and Sharp makes 36%. Pretty much the entire team gets steals and rebounds the ball, especially on the offensive end.
3. How They Match Up. T-Rank has Houston winning by 10.3 points so I’m surprised that the line is only 8.5. Houston has won 10 straight games so they’re on an absolute heater. In order to win this game, the offense has got to be great. The defense can be meh, but the offense has to overcome that Houston defense.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
🗣 @CoachGrantMac #TTW
“We’ve got great fight. A great team. Really thankful to be moving on.” pic.twitter.com/FJb9dArE6Y
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) March 14, 2024
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
No. 25 Texas Tech and No. 1 Houston will meet in the Phillips 66 Men’s Basketball Championship semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday at the T-Mobile Center.
The Red Raiders (23-9) are coming off an 81-67 quarterfinal win over No. 20 BYU, while the Cougars (29-3) earned a 60-45 win over TCU in their quarterfinal matchup. Tech comes into the game on a four-game winning streak and a 6-4 record against AP Top 25 opponents this season. UH, which won the Big 12 regular season title, has won 10 in a row. The two programs met only once this season with the Red Raiders taking a 77-54 loss on January 17 in Houston.