Preview & Game Day Thread: Arizona State vs. Texas Tech

Game Info

Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-5, 9-3)
Bad Guys: Arizona State Sun Devils (12-11, 3-9)
When to Watch: Wednesday, February 12th @ 8:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: CBSSN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -15.5

Advanced Stats

TEXAS TECH STAT ARIZONA STATE
9
KenPom
62
11
KP AdjO
105
28
KP AdjD
41
8
T-Rank
66
9
T-Rank O
116
23
T-Rank D
39
9
Haslemetric
56

Lineups

TEXAS TECH
THE STARTERS Pts / Reb
POINT GUARD Elijah Hawkins (5-11/160) 9.6 / 6.3*
SHOOTING GUARD Chance McMillian (6-3/190) 15.2 / 4.3
SMALL FORWARD Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) 4.6 / 1.0
POWER FORWARD Darrion Williams (6-6/225) 14.8 / 5.4
CENTER JT Toppin (6-9/225) 15.2 / 8.6
THE BENCH Pts / Reb
SIXTH MAN Kevin Overton (6-5/200) 8.5 / 3.8
SEVENTH MAN Christian Anderson (6-2/165) 9.5 / 2.1*
EIGHTH MAN Federiko Federiko (6-11/215) 6.5 / 5.1
NINTH MAN Eemeli Yalaho (6-8/240) 3.3 / 2.4
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) – / –
ARIZONA STATE
THE STARTERS Pts / Reb
POINT GUARD Alston Mason (6-2/175) 12.3 / 3.6*
SHOOTING GUARD Adam Miller (6-3/190) 10.3 / 2.6
SMALL FORWARD BJ Freeman (6-6/200) 12.9 / 4.2
POWER FORWARD Jayden Quaintance (6-9/225) 9.5 / 8.2
CENTER Basheer Jihad (6-9/239) 12.4 / 6.0
THE BENCH Pts / Reb
SIXTH MAN Joson Sanon (6-5/195) 11.6 / 3.2
SEVENTH MAN Amier Ali (6-8/195) 4.2 / 2.2
EIGHTH MAN Bobby Hurley (6-1/160) 1.3 / 0.5
NINTH MAN Shawn Phillips, Jr. (7-0/245) 3.9 / 4.3
TENTH MAN Trevor Best (6-2/180) 0.0 / 0.0

* Assists.

Starting 5

1. Stats. For Arizona State the offense has struggled. High turnover percentage, 272nd overall and they get a ton of shots blocked, 319th in that category. Not a great shooting team either, 227th in 2-point shot percentage, and are saved a bit by 3-point shot percentage, 96th overall. They do get to the line decently, 87th in the nation. Defensively, the numbers are much better, great at guarding the 3-point line, 33rd in the nation, and 106th in 2-point defense. Teams make a ton of free throws against them, 353rd in opponent free throw percentage, and they block a ton of shots, 27th in the nation. They are on the back end in terms of forcing turnovers, 237th, and 190th in opponent offensive rebounds.

2. Scouting. For the record, I’m not totally sure who will be available for Arizona State tonight. McCasland mentioned that Quaintance might have tweaked his ankle and Miller and Freeman may have been suspended for a game and would guess that they will both be back for this game. Not completely sure. Mason and Miller are the best shooters, Miller is the most effective offensive player and he makes 46% of his 3-point shots. Mason gets up a ton as well as freeman, but Mason makes just 36% and Freeman 35%, so it’s not bad, but not great either. For a freshman, Sanon is playing really well, 39% from deep. Quaintance is a terrific shooter inside, 60% in 2-point percentage. Jihad and Quaintance are the best rebounders, and Quaintance is a terrific shot-blocker.

3. How They Match Up. I don’t think that Arizona State should have the record that they do. I think they are a dangerous team that’s maybe better than their numbers. They are a team that turns the ball over too much and doesn’t turn opposing teams over. They are not aggressive on the offensive boards, but don’t know if that will change after watching the Arizona film. They have size, so we’ll see if they utilize it.

4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.

5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:

It was 98 days ago when Texas Tech hosted its season opener, winning that game by 33 points in the first of 18 home contests on the schedule this season. Now we’re down to only four home games remaining and 37 days until the NCAA Tournament begins. College basketball is exciting and frenetic, but it can also be a long and grueling season – a simple reminder that the timeline moves fast and is not infinite.

No. 12 Texas Tech, which is 12-2 at home this season and off to its best 12-game Big 12 start in program history, now has eight regular-season games left on its schedule starting with a home contest against Arizona State at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena. The 42nd game in the all-time series between Tech and ASU will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network while the Texas Tech Sports Network radio call can be heard locally on Double T 97.3, and on the Varsity app.

“You’re in one-game seasons,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “It’s literally how do approach this day and figure out a way to get a little bit better. That’s been our approach. Our team has always responded well when adverse times come. I think it’s a reminder to stick to processes that put you in a position to win the games. You can’t get distracted by results. What’s our resilience to keep fighting through it to make it work? There’s a ton of resistance in this league. We’re going to experience it again tomorrow night against Arizona State. My message to the team is to not get consumed by things that everyone wants to talk about publicly. The wins or losses. Get consumed about being better people and basketball players. That will give us the result we want at the end.”

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