Reasons why Texas Tech can pull off the Upset at Iowa State

It will not be an easy task, but the Red Raiders are hoping to pull off an upset on the road against No. 4 Iowa State.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T. J. Otzelberger greets Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball head coach Grant McCasland. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas Tech is looking to get its third win in a row, which is technically unlikely but possible; here are some reasons why.

To beat No. 4 Iowa State in Ames, No. 16 Texas Tech (21-7, 11-4) will need to shoot well from outside and deal with the loud and energetic crowd at Hilton Coliseum, where the Cyclones have been strong all season, as they are undefeated on their home court this season with a 15-0 record.

Texas Tech needs to make three-point shots; they make 39.24% of them, which ranks them ninth in the country. Ironically, Iowa State is ranked 8th with a 39.25% three-point percentage as a team. Donovan Atwell (44.4% from three) and Christian Anderson (43.9%) need to make many shots from beyond the arc to pull off the upset on the road against a top-four-ranked team.

The Iowa State "no-middle" defense excels at forcing teams into mistakes and preventing opposing teams from attacking through the middle, but quick ball movement can leave the corners exposed. The Red Raiders can stop Iowa State from being undefeated on their home court if they make 13 or more three-pointers.

Anderson, Atwell, and LeJuan Watts need to play very well in this game to give Texas Tech a chance to win on the road against the Cyclones. Anderson plays a pivotal role for Texas Tech, ranking fifth in the Big 12 in scoring (19.6 points) and first in assists (7.7 per game). Atwell and Watts are vital to the Red Raiders' offense as they combine to average over 25 points a game, and if both could score 15 or more points in this game, it would give Texas Tech a legit chance to win this game.

Anderson and the Red Raider guards should stay away from Iowa State's "blitz" traps, which are meant to force opposing guards to turn the ball over. For instance, Tech's attack can continue if Anderson doesn't have to turn the ball over more than three times.

The frontcourt for Iowa State is very strong again, with Joshua Jefferson and Blake Buchanan. However, Milan Momcilovic is the player that the Red Raiders defense needs to focus on the most, and even without JT Toppin, the Red Raiders forwards collectively need to contain Momcilovic and attempt to limit him to under 15 points to allow themselves to pull off the upset in Ames.

Iowa State has lost to teams like Cincinnati and BYU, which are two teams that Texas Tech has defeated this season. However, all four of the Cyclones' conference losses have been on the road. Every game that Iowa State has played at home, they have won, which presents a huge obstacle. Though it is very difficult to go undefeated at home for the entire season, the Cyclones may be due for a home loss, and if so, the Red Raiders hope to be that team that wins on Iowa State's home court.

Pulling off the upset will be very challenging, as mentioned earlier, but there are pathways in which Texas Tech can win this game and pull off the upset.

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