Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (13-4, 4-2)
Bad Guys: Cincinnati Bearcats (12-5, 2-4)
When to Watch: Tuesday, January 21st @ 6:00 pm
Where to Watch: Fifth Third Arena | Cincinnati, Ohio
How to Watch: ESPNU
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -2
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | CINCINNATI |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Elijah Hawkins (5-11/160) | 9.1 / 6.3* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Chance McMillian (6-3/190) | 14.9 / 4.4 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) | 4.4 / 1.4 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 15.6 / 5.6 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/225) | 16.6 / 9.2 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kevin Overton (6-5/200) | 9.6 / 3.7 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Christian Anderson (6-2/165) | 8.9 / 2.3* |
| EIGHTH MAN | Federiko Federiko (6-11/215) | 7.7 / 5.1 |
| NINTH MAN | Eemeli Yalaho (6-8/240) | 3.1 / 2.1 |
| TENTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 0.3 / 0.6 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/185) | 0.3 / 0.3 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Corbin Green (6-5/230) | 0.0 / 0.5 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/175) | – / – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Jizzle James (6-3/205) | 10.3 / 4.2* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Dan Skillings, Jr. (6-6/215) | 12.4 / 4.1 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Simas Lukosius (6-8/225) | 12.4 / 3.5 |
| POWER FORWARD | Dillon Mitchell (6-8/210) | 11.1 / 6.8 |
| CENTER | Aziz Bandaogo (7-0/235) | 8.1 / 6.3 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Day Day Thomas (6-1/190) | 7.4 / 2.6 |
| SEVENTH MAN | CJ Fredrick, Jr. (6-3/185) | 2.2 / 0.7 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Arrinten Page (6-11/240) | 5.3 / 3.4 |
| NINTH MAN | Tyler Betsey (6-8/225) | 3.9 / 2.3 |
| TENTH MAN | Josh Reed (6-7/220) | 2.4 / 1.9 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. I had no idea the offense was this bad, but it’s not as bad as you think. The worst part about the offense is the free throw rate, which is 352nd and the Bearcats are 343rd in free throw made percentage. They aren’t a great shooting team, 209th in 3-point percentage, and 109th in 2-point percentage. Other rates are okay, 52nd in turnover rate and 33rd in offensive rebounding. Defensively, the numbers are elite, they are 2nd in 3-point defense and 14th in 2-point defense. They also don’t put teams on the line, only 29th in opponent free throw rate.
2. Scouting. Lukosius is probably the best player along with Skillings. Lukosius has the highest offensive rating and shoots really well inside the arc, 54%, and decently from deep, 37%. Skillings is more well-rounded, has a high steal rate is a god offensive rebounder, but doesn’t shoot the ball particularly well. Bandago is probably the best defensive player, big on the boards and block rate as well as the guy that gets to the line a ton. Mitchell you probably remember from his time at Texas, an excellent shooter inside the arc, 70%, but not great at all from deep, 27%.
3. How They Match Up. Texas Tech doesn’t get to the line a ton and neither does Cincy, but Texas Tech has big advantages offensively. Cincy just doesn’t shoot the ball really well, but they are a buzzsaw defensively. The Bearcars have won 2 in a row, but in their most recent 4 game skid, they just weren’t able to do much offensively, particularly shooting the ball. That 4-game losing streak included K-State, Arizona, Baylor and Kansas, so it was a really tough stretch.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
The USA was rockin’ yesterday 🫨 pic.twitter.com/lKiLJmzK7A
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 20, 2025
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf: Men’s college basketball player rank: Revisiting the top 50
29. Darrion Williams, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Williams is among the most efficient offensive players in the country, contributing in all facets. He’s averaging career highs in scoring (16.3 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG), while also grabbing 5.6 rebounds and shooting 48.4% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. He poses a matchup problem for opponents because of his 6-foot-6 size and playmaking ability — the Red Raiders are a whopping 32.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court. — Borzello
25. JT Toppin, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Toppin’s greatest challenge this season has been injury. The 2023-24 Mountain West Freshman of the Year for New Mexico last season sat out four games for the Red Raiders because of a knee injury. But the 6-foot-9 athlete has performed against the top teams on Texas Tech’s schedule. He had 18 points and nine rebounds in a recent loss to Iowa State, marking his sixth game with 18 points this season. He also has made 86% of his shots in transition. — Medcalf
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
Owning a 3-0 road record and coming off a 16-point home win, Texas Tech continues its Big 12 march by playing against Cincinnati at 6 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday at the Fifth Third Arena.
The Red Raiders (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) will be playing at Cincinnati for the first time ever in men’s basketball and come into the game at No. 25 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and with a No. 12 rating on Kenpom and at No. 15 in the NCAA NET after earning a 70-54 win over Arizona on Saturday in Lubbock – going on a 13-0 run to close it out and limiting the Wildcats to 0-for-12 shooting to finish the game. Tech has not allowed a single point in the final five minutes of the past two games, also shutting down Kansas State on the road for a 61-57 win last Tuesday in Manhattan, Kansas to improve to 3-0 in conference road games. JT Toppin led the Red Raiders in the win over Arizona, recording his sixth double-double of the season (18th career) with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Elijah Hawkins provided nine assists and did not have a single turnover for the third time in conference play. Chance McMillian added 14 points and Christian Anderson scored 10 in a game where the team shot below its season averages but overcame it with a 50-34 rebounding advantage – the second most rebounds in a Big 12 game in program history which was only behind 52 in a game against Missouri on January 13, 2010, and was the most since 46 at West Virginia in 2022.