No. 16 Texas Tech looks to build off road win vs Colorado at home

LUBBOCK, Texas — The NO. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (17-6, 7-3) are looking to build off a massive weekend road win, as Tech hosts the (14-10, 4-7) Colorado Buffaloes Wednesday night at United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders snapped a two-game losing streak with a 70-63 win at West Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

Coach Grant McCasland’s side fended off his former apprentice Ross Hodge’s side, shooting a staggering 54% from beyond the arc with 13 made 3-pointers.

Combined with junior forward JT Toppin’s 22 points to tag along with nine rebounds, marking the Texas natives' 22nd consecutive double-digit game, and sophomore guard Christian Anderson’s 6th double-double with 13 points, dishing 11 assists in 40 minutes on the floor, Tech never trailed in Morgantown.

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Tech finds itself fifth in the Big 12 with four home games left and eight total left in the regular season. The Red Raiders aim to capitalize on a favorable home schedule down the stretch, starting with Colorado tonight.

“Every home is so important this time of year,” said Coach McCasland during his press conference on Tuesday.“Especially when playing a Colorado team that was fantastic in the second half when we played them.”

Texas Tech bested Colorado in a 73-71 win in Boulder as the Buffs boasted a 12-3 record back in January. Despite a 43-point first half from Tech, the Buffaloes found a way to claw their way back into the game in the second half by forcing fouls and getting to the free-throw line.

Colorado was able to force 20 total fouls on the Red Raiders to force 22 trips to the charity stripe, shooting a whopping 86% from the free-throw line. Despite the Buffaloes dicing the Tech lead to two points in the last 43 seconds of the contest, Tech was able grind out a victory. McCasland emphasised the importance of not giving away free looks on defense.

“In this league, especially playing a great team like Colorado defensively, you can't give these guys good looks, " said Coach McCasland when asked about what would be the difference in approach since the previous meeting. “If they do, they have a ton of different offensive players that can make you pay. They have won two of their last three games and have played well offensively in those last three games.”

Since that meeting, they have only won two of their last nine games. However, the Buffs snapped their six-game losing streak to start February with wins over TCU and Arizona State, with an 86-67 loss at Baylor in between. Colorado has also struggled on the road this season, boasting a 1-5 road record, whilst Tech has gone 11-1 on its home floor.

Tech will look to take advantage of home turf before heading to Arizona for a two-game road trip to face both NO.1 Arizona and Arizona State before returning to Lubbock at the end of the month. Catch tip-off at 7 p.m. CT at United Supermarkets Arena exclusively on ESPN+.

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