Texas Out For Revenge Against No. 11 Texas Tech
AUSTIN -- The Longhorns are looking for some consistency headed into the final stretch of their season.
Texas (19-7, 8-5 Big 12) was easily handled by then-No. 10 Baylor 80-63 on Saturday, yet pulled out a tight 80-78 overtime win over Oklahoma in Norman on Tuesday. But with No. 11 Texas Tech headed into the Erwin Center Saturday morning, the chance to find some rhythm isn't going to be easy.
Texas dropped an emotional game in Chris Beard's return to Lubbock in the first matchup, but the hometown fans at the Erwin Center should make it a tough environment for the visitors once again. The Longhorns have the second-best home record in the conference (15-1) behind the Red Raiders (16-0).
Texas Tech (20-6, 9-4 Big 12) is coming off one of its best wins of the season Wednesday night in a convincing 83-73 win over No. 7 Baylor in Lubbock. The victory marked a season sweep over the defending champs, as Tech gave then-No. 1 Baylor its first loss of the season on Jan. 11.
With six ranked wins this season, the Red Raiders have cemented themselves as one of the top teams in the country playing in one of the most competitive conferences.
Though forward Bryson Williams (13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds) leads Texas Tech in scoring, coach Mark Adams' team has shown winning comes with complete group effort - and they have the numbers to prove it.
The Red Raiders have four guys averaging 10 or more points per game. Williams, guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (11.7 points), guard Kevin McCullar (10.8 points), and forward Kevin Obanor (10.3) have all proven capable of taking over scoring duties when called upon.
An interesting stat? Tech doesn't have a player in the Big 12's top-10 for assists, rebounds, blocks, or steals, yet has still gone from unranked in November to as high as No. 9 in the country last week.
Texas Tech doesn't have one standout star, but Williams and McCullar seem to be the glue that holds this team together.
While leading the team in scoring, Williams has also proven to be one of the most efficient scorers in the Big 12. He's maintained the fifth-best field goal percentage (53 percent) and the best 3-point percentage (46 percent) through 26 games.
On the other hand, McCullar is Adams' energizer who can make plays on both ends. He leads the team in rebounding (5.3), assists (3.2), steals (1.4), and minutes per game (31.6). No other Red Raider averages over 25.5 minutes.
You can't talk about the team's success without mentioning defense. The Red Raiders are 21st in the country in opponents' turnovers per game (16.3). The team has forced double-digit turnovers in every conference game but one this season.
Texas Tech's one glaring hole might be its inability to stay consistent on the road. With a 2-5 record away from United Supermarkets Arena, the Red Raiders have the fourth-worst road record in the Big 12. They average a Big 12-worst 63.3 points per game in those seven away games.
Texas will be without forward Tre Mitchell for a second-straight game after the announcement Tuesday that he would be taking an indefinite absence from the team.
The Longhorns will continue to rely on the versatile play of Timmy Allen (11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds), who has averaged 17.3 points over the last three games. Guard Andrew Jones will also look to build off of his 20-point effort in Tuesday's win over OU.
The two rivals will tip off for an early 11:30 a.m. start at the Erwin Center on Saturday.
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