Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-1, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Northern Colorado Bears (6-2, 0-0)
When to Watch: Friday, November 29th @ 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 -21
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | NORTHERN COLORADO |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Elijah Hawkins (5-11/160) | 8.0 / 6.3* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Chance McMillian (6-3/190) | 14.5 / 3.7 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) | 8.7 / 1.8 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 16.0 / 5.3 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/225) | 19.8 / 10.3 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kevin Overton (6-5/200) | 9.8 / 3.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Christian Anderson (6-2/165) | 7.3 / 3.3* |
| EIGHTH MAN | Devan Cambridge (6-6/210) | 5.5 / 3.5 |
| NINTH MAN | Federiko Federiko (6-11/215) | 4.6 / 3.6 |
| TENTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 0.0 / 0.7 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Corbin Green (6-5/230) | 0.0 / 0.7 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/185) | 0.0 / 0.7 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Eemeli Yalaho (6-8/240) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/175) | – / – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Jaron Rillie (6-3/185) | 8.9 / 5.9* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Zach Bloch (6-2/185) | 9.8 / 3.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Langston Reynolds (6-4/205) | 17.5 / 4.8 |
| POWER FORWARD | Isaiah Hawthorne (6-8/205) | 17.5 / 5.5 |
| CENTER | Brock Wisne (6-9/245) | 10.8 / 4.5 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Quinn Denker (6-8/200) | 6.0 / 2.5* |
| SEVENTH MAN | Marcell McCreary (6-3/190) | 8.8 / 5.4 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Luca Colceag (6-9/200) | 4.1 / 1.9 |
| NINTH MAN | Egan Shields (6-10/250) | 4.5 / 2.0 |
| TENTH MAN | William Humer (6-10/235) | 2.0 / 1.8 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Northern Colorado isn’t half bad on offense, and it’s largely because they are 40th in 2-point field goal percentage, 54th in turnover percentage, and 72nd in the nation in free throw percentage. The negatives are that the Bears are 268th in offensive rebounding percentage and they are 357th in getting to the charity stripe. Defensively, they need a bit of work, but interestingly, NCU is 16th in defensive 3-point percentage and 64th in limiting offensive boards. It will interesting to see if Texas Tech can do something about that. The bears are 318th in turnover percentage and 258th in defensive 2-point defensive percentage.
2. Scouting. The two losses for northern Colorado are to Colorado in 2 OT’s and Washington State by 14, so losses to decent teams. Bloch is a terrific shooter and almost exclusively from deep. Reynolds is a terrific shooter from inside the arc, but doesn’t do much else. Rillie is the best passer on the team, while he’s a decent rebounder for his size, but the heavy lifting is done by Hawthorne. Shields is a good offensive rebounder.
3. How They Match Up. There’s going to be opportunities inside, Texas Tech is 10th in 2-point shoting and where things get interesting is Texas Tech’s 3-point shooting where they are 25th, while the Bears are 16th. Texas Tech should be able to pour on the offense this game and Texas Tech should put up some decent defensive numbers.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: What Texas Tech basketball coach Grant McCasland learned about his team in Brooklyn
Williams, likewise, wasn’t pleased with the Saint Joe’s game. Tech’s do-it-all leader had a few shots close to the rim not connect for him. That included the potential game-winning floater that rimmed out as time expired. Williams bounced back against the Orange, shooting 9-of-14 from the field for 20 points in the 79-74 win.
“That game really bothered him that he didn’t finish the game,” McCasland said of Williams’ mindset after the Saint Joe’s loss. “… I thought his composure level to come back from a from a disappointment like he did to play really composed, and I thought he was on balance and he made some great defensive plays.”
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
“It’s awesome anytime you’re playing in the United Supermarkets Arena against a fantastic opponent and coming off a learning experience in Brooklyn,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “Northern Colorado is a well-coached team. They have played a good schedule with a close game against Colorado and Washington State. They have a good team and we’ll have our hands full. We need to come out ready to play. This will be a great opportunity to test ourselves.”