Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-2, 0-0)
Bad Guys: UCF Knights (9-2, 0-0)
When to Watch: Tuesday, December 31st @ 1:00 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 -12.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | UCF |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Elijah Hawkins (5-11/160) | 6.9 / 5.4* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Chance McMillian (6-3/190) | 16.4 / 4.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) | 5.9 / 1.7 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 16.5 / 5.7 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/225) | 18.6 / 11.0 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kevin Overton (6-5/200) | 11.4 / 4.2 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Christian Anderson (6-2/165) | 9.0 / 2.6* |
| EIGHTH MAN | Federiko Federiko (6-11/215) | 7.3 / 4.9 |
| NINTH MAN | Eemeli Yalaho (6-8/240) | 4.4 / 2.6 |
| TENTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 0.3 / 0.7 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/185) | 0.4 / 0.4 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Corbin Green (6-5/230) | 0.0 / 0.6 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/175) | – / – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Darius Johnson (6-1/200) | 14.7 / 4.5* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jordan Ivy-Curry (6-3/177) | 16.3 / 3.5 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Dallan Coleman (6-6/220) | 6.7 / 4.1 |
| POWER FORWARD | Keyshawn Hall (6-7/235) | 15.2 / 6.5 |
| CENTER | Moustapha Thiam (7-2/235) | 7.8 / 5.4 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Benny Williams (6-10/217) | 6.6 / 3.9 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Jaylin Sellers (6-4/205) | 7.0 / 1.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Rokas Jocius (6-10/240) | 3.2 / 1.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Dior Johnson (6-3/182) | 3.1 / 1.2 |
| TENTH MAN | Nils Machowski (6-3/183) | 1.5 / 1.5 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. UCF is not a good shooting team, 219th in 2-point percentage, and just 137th in 3-point shooting. They sort of feast because they make their free throws, 39th in the nation, and hit the offensive boards, 58th, and get to the line a lot, 35th in the nation. Defensively, they allow a ton of offensive boards, 246th, and don’t guard the 3-point line really well, 199th, but they are pretty proficient guarding shots inside the arc, 74th overall and are good at turning teams over, 72nd overall.
2. Scouting. Ivy-Curry is pretty darned good, low turnover player and shoots well, not great, 50% from the field and 37% from deep. Johnson is the best shooter on the team and likes to take a lot of shots from deep, 46% from beyond the arc and Johnson is also the best passer on the team. Hall is the best defensive rebounder, but Williams and Thiam are the ones hitting the offensive boards. Hall and Coleman are maybe guys you don’t mind shooting from deep, they’re making 25% and 27% respectively.
3. How They Match Up. This should be a game that Texas Tech wins pretty easily. The one thing that Texas Tech doesn’t have an advantage is offensive free throw rate, but that’s largely because this is a good shooting team from outside, Texas Tech is 11th overall in 3-point shooting percentage and 14th in 2-point shooting. A chunk of that is done without Toppin, who I hope is answering all of our Christmas wishes and available to play today.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Texas Tech Basketball: Toughest Team Wins
Chance McMillian, senior from Vallejo, California: “Tough is being mentally strong no matter what obstacle is in front of you. Staying focused for however long it takes. Pushing yourself past limits you may not have thought possible.”
Elijah Hawkins, senior from Washington D.C.: “Tough means having a strong mentality that however the game goes we will win. Fighting through tough times and coming together as a team and connecting and playing together.”
Darrion Williams, junior from Sacramento, California: “Tough means being resilient no matter how the game is going. You play your tail off and win.”
Kerwin Walton, senior from Hopkins, Minnesota: “Being tough means being able to overcome and push through any adversity regardless of how difficult it is.”
Eemeli Yalaho, sophomore from Jyväskylä, Finland: “Being tough means staying resilient in the face of challenges and pushing forward even when it feels very hard.”
Corbin Green, junior from Midlothian, Texas: “Being tough in basketball means staying composed under pressure, hustling on every play, and never letting setbacks dictate your next move. It’s about playing with heart, no matter the score.”
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
It’s time to ring in the New Year and Big 12 play.
Ranking No. 13 on Kenpom and No. 17 in the NCAA NET, Texas Tech (9-2) will host UCF (9-2) in its first of 20 Big 12 games at 1 p.m. on Tuesday to start conference action at United Supermarkets Arena. Tech, which completed its non-conference schedule with an undefeated record for the fifth straight season, went 7-2 in conference home games last year and finished tied for third in the conference standings with an 11-7 record before making the program’s 20th NCAA Tournament appearance.
“We’re all in a new season,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “The best part of Big 12 play and the start of it is everyone feels the reset. It’s a year where I feel like the Big 12 is open and anyone can win the league. There’s a lot of teams that have put themselves in good positions in non-conference play, but it’s now 0-0 and a new season. There’s an urgency with everybody. We expect nothing but their absolute best on Tuesday. Our guys understand that every possession matters and that in the Big 12 that’s always the case.”