Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (22-7, 13-5)
Bad Guys: Colorado Buffaloes (11-17, 2-15)
When to Watch: Wednesday, March 5th @ 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 -17.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | COLORADO |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Elijah Hawkins (5-11/160) | 9.4 / 6.5* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Chance McMillian (6-3/190) | 15.1 / 4.3 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Kerwin Walton (6-5/210) | 4.9 / 1.1 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 14.9 / 5.2 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/225) | 17.2 / 9.2 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Christian Anderson (6-2/165) | 10.0 / 2.2* |
| SEVENTH MAN | Kevin Overton (6-5/200) | 8.1 / 3.7 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Federiko Federiko (6-11/215) | 5.6 / 5.0 |
| 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) | – / – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Julian Hammond III (6-2/195) | 12.8 / 3.1* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | RJ Smith (6-3/190) | 5.4 / 2.4 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Adrej Jakimosvski (6-8/220) | 10.1 / 4.6 |
| POWER FORWARD | Sebastian Rancik (6-9/210) | 6.0 / 2.9 |
| CENTER | Bangot Dak (6-11/185) | 8.2 / 3.9 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Elijah Malone (6-10/268) | 7.7 / 3.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Javon Ruffin (6-5/185) | 5.9 / 2.0* |
| EIGHTH MAN | Felix Kossaras (6-5/192) | 1.5 / 1.1 |
| NINTH MAN | Harrison Carrington (6-7/207) | 3.3 / 1.4 |
| TENTH MAN | Assane Diop (6-8/210) | 3.7 / 4.1 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Trevor Baskin (6-9/205) | 5.9 / 1.8 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Colorado has issues on offense, namely that they are 353rd in turnover percentage. They also don’t shoot the deep ball particularly well, 267nd, and they don’t get after the offensive boards, 216th. They are top half in 2-point shooting, 145th, and make their free throws at a good rate, 84th overall. The Buffs will also get to the line a decent amount, 91st overall. Defensively, things are a bit better. They are 160th in opponent 3-point shooting, 114th in opponent 2-point shooting and 74th in limiting offensive boards. They are also 89th in defensive block percentage.
2. Scouting. Colorado was set to lose a whole bunch of games, but came up with a huge 13-point win over UCF and a stunning 2-point win over Baylor, both games were at home. I’m writing this Sunday morning and they play Kansas State today on the road and then again on the road for this game. Hammond is really a pretty good player, a decent, but not great shooter and the best facilitator on the team. Jakimovski is also a good shooter, but not great. Hammond and Jakimovski are both volume 3-point shooters. Baskin, Dak and Diop are the best rebounders with Baskin being good on the offensive boards. Dak blocks a lot of shots.
3. How They Match Up. This should not be a close game for Texas Tech, T-Rank has this as a 17-point margin for Texas Tech. The Buffs don’t have a ton of advantages in this particular situation and Texas Tech’s only offensive flaw has been free throw rate, but when you shoot as well as Texas Tech does, not a big deal probably. Colorado’s defense will travel and they played K-State on Sunday, held them to 65, but they only scored 56. I would probably not take Texas Tech in that spread because of the defense, but Texas Tech’s offense, if fully healthy (and I think it is) can roll and be really tough to stop.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
🗣️ Hey students,
Tomorrow is the last time we get to all hangout in the USA. Be there and be loud! pic.twitter.com/RObKT88VRt
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) March 4, 2025
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
No. 9 Texas Tech will host Colorado at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in its final game at United Supermarkets Arena this season. The Red Raiders (22-7, 13-5 Big 12) are currently 14-3 on their home court and boast a 29-5 home record under head coach Grant McCasland. The Buffaloes (11-18, 2-16 Big 12) are 0-9 on the road this season. The 32nd game in the all-time series between Texas Tech and Colorado will be broadcast on ESPN+ while the Texas Tech Sports Network radio call can be heard locally on Double T 97.3, and on the Varsity app.
“It’s wild to think this is our last home game of the season,” McCasland said. “It’s been a remarkable run to see our guys improve. This time of year, you just have to constantly get better and the opportunity to play a Colorado team that in the last couple of weeks has played its best basketball of the season. I think they are playing really well, specifically on defense. They are finding ways to get different guys involved and are big and physical. We’ve got our hands full on Wednesday night but we’re excited about the opportunity to get better. That’s the focus of our team and program.”