Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1-4, 0-0)
When to Watch: Monday, November 18th @ 7:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN+
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech #
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | AR-PINE BLUFF |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Kevin Overton (6-5/200) | 11.3 / 3.3 |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Chance McMillian (6-3/190) | 14.7 / 3.0* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) | 11.7 / 2.7 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 13.0 / 5.3 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/225) | 22.7 / 9.0 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Devan Cambridge (6-6/210) | 6.7 / 4.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Federiko Federiko (6-11/215) | 6.0 / 4.7 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Elijah Hawkins (5-11/160) | 7.0 / 5.0* |
| NINTH MAN | Christian Anderson (6-2/165) | 9.0 / 4.0* |
| TENTH MAN | Eemeli Yalaho (6-8/240) | – / – |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | – / – |
| TWELFTH MAN | Corbin Green (6-5/230) | 0.0 / 0.5 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/175) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/185) | 0.0 / 0.5 |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Christian Moore (5-11/175) | 13.0 / 3.6* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Zach Reinhart (6-6/195) | 5.2 / 3.6 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Quentin Bolton (6-6/220) | 5.6 / 2.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | Klemen Vuga (6-9/240) | 12.2 / 5.6 |
| CENTER | Robert Lewis (6-9/210) | 74. / 7.4 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Caleb Jones (6-1/185) | 5.8 / 2.6 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Dante Sawyer (6-4/200) | 12.2 / 4.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Raphael Dumont (6-4/200) | 5.7 / 2.3 |
| NINTH MAN | Kyle Brown (6-9/240) | 5.4 / 2.8 |
| TENTH MAN | Landon Johnson (6-0/175) | 0.0 / 0.5 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Everyone should see lots of playing time. The Lions were blown out by Incarnate Word for what it’s worth and T-Rank expects this to be a 39.6 point win. The Lions are a terrible 3-point shooting team, 275th in the nation, they are 295th in turnover rate, and 313th in free throw rate. That’s not good offense. Defensively it is worse, 325th in defensive eFG%, 353rd in turnover percentage, and 357th in allowing offensive rebounding. Oh, and a quick aside, I could not find a .png logo for the Lions so I just had to go with initials because there’s only so much time I can waste on finding the opposing team’s logo. This also probably is noticed by less than 1% of you, but this is for that 1%.
2. Scouting. Sawyer is maybe the best statistical player but it’s not good overall. Sawyer doesn’t turn the ball over, shoots the ball really well, and gets most of his buckets inside the arc, he doesn’t try to do more than he should. Buga is behind him, a high usage player for being a post, he’s a decent shooter and the team’s best rebounder. Moore is the only guy on the team that really passes the ball, so this is a team that’s not sharing the ball really at all. Lewis will block a decent amount of shots and that’s about it.
3. How They Match Up. Not really expecting much of a game here. Texas Tech is significantly better in all respects. According to T-Rank, Texas Tech has the best eFG% offensive team int he nation, is 14th in offensive rebounding and the only negative is that they are 279th in free throw rate, which may mean they are just making their shots and not having to go to the line. Also, Texas Tech is 126th in turnover rate. Defensively, Texas Tech is 44th in defensive eFG%, 46th in turnover rate and is 15th in the nation in opponent 2P%. The only negatives? 254th in defensive 3P% and 199th in allowing teams to grab offensive boards.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has his top 25 and has Texas Tech at #23:
JT Toppin was one of the best transfer pickups in the country this past spring; with the way he played over the second half of last season, along with his size and skill set, his trajectory was going through the roof. And the New Mexico transfer is already hitting his stride in Lubbock. Through three games, Toppin is averaging 22.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks and shooting 76.% inside the arc. It hasn’t quite been Big 12-level competition, but the immediate impact is noticeable.
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
Going into the fourth game of its 100th season, Texas Tech will look to start with a 4-0 record for the 20th time in program history when it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. on Monday to close out a four-game homestand to begin the year at United Supermarkets Arena.
“I really love the way our guys are competing,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “It’s always great to have healthy bodies and get your team playing together. Point guard play is really important in college basketball and getting Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins back playing was a lift for us. Ball pressure improved. It was good to have everyone playing together. Playing at home again in United Supermarkets Arena is one of the greatest experiences in college basketball. We have to take advantage of these. Anytime you can play at home, you not only have to figure out how to win, but also figure out how to get better. We’ve done that to this point, growing as the season has gone on. I’m really excited about Monday night and having everyone in the building.”