The Texas Tech men’s basketball team will look to finish the regular season on a winning note when the Red Raiders meet Kansas State for Senior Day Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPNEWS in addition to being available on www.WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app. Mark Nealy and Bryndon Manzer will serve as the announcing team.
The Texas Tech Sports Network will carry the game live on its flagship stations 97.3 FM, 100.7 FM and 950 AM in Lubbock. Brian Hanni and Chris Level will have the call. The radio broadcast also will be available on the radio affiliates of the Texas Tech Sports Network, online at www.TexasTech.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to Saturday’s contest for the program’s Senior Day celebration which will recognize Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams at 1:45 p.m. CT.
The Red Raiders (18-11, 8-9 Big 12) have the opportunity to secure the program’s first .500 finish in the Big 12 regular season since 2006-07. Texas Tech is receiving votes in both Top 25 polls for the third consecutive week and has already secured the No. 7 seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament.
Last time out, Texas Tech was handed a 90-68 defeat at No. 10 West Virginia. Both teams shot over 50 percent, but the Mountaineers took advantage of 19 turnovers committed by the Red Raiders to score 34 of the game’s 41 points off turnovers.
“Our guys have to realize that two losses to two of the top teams in the country in Kansas at No. 1 and West Virginia at No. 10 are not bad things,” Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith said. “We competed hard. It wasn’t that we didn’t give effort. We shot over 50 percent, so we shot the ball well. However, we didn’t defend very well. They were aggressive early, and the crowd us out of the game.”
Kansas State (16-14, 5-12 Big 12) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-54 Senior Night victory of its own against TCU on Wednesday. Earlier this season, K-State downed the Red Raiders 83-70 in Manhattan on Jan. 9, but the Wildcats have struggled on the road dropping seven of their eight Big 12 decisions this season.
Saturday’s game is the 36th meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. K-State carries a 24-11 edge, and the Wildcats have won 11 of the last 12 meetings. Tech’s lone victory was a 64-47 decision at home last season behind Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams who combined for 25 of the team’s 30 points in the second half. The Red Raiders put together a 19-3 run over the game’s last five minutes.
There are less than 1,000 tickets remaining for Saturday’s game. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.TexasTech.com for as low as $8 by using the promo code SENIORDAY in the top right-hand corner and click Go. A direct link to the ticket promotion can be accessed by clicking http://bit.ly/1QfdsLu. Tickets also are available for purchase on gameday starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff at the United Supermarkets Arena Ticket Office.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have been handed back-to-back losses for the first time since late January and will look to finish with a .500 record in Big 12 action for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Gotcher has piled up a team-leading 11.1 points per game and has improved his scoring mark to 17.3 points per game over his last four games. He is ranked among the Big 12’s Top 10 with 2.0 treys per game and a 39.1 three-point percentage. Gotcher has tallied a pair of 20-point performances in Tech’s last four games which includes a career-high 24 points at Oklahoma State on Feb. 20.
Williams is third on the squad with 10.4 points per game and has come off the bench during the team’s last nine games. He has secured double digits points on six occasions in Big 12 action. The last time was a 19-point performance as part of Tech’s 85-82 win over then No. 14 Iowa State on Feb. 10.
“When we took over the program there were a lot of changes in philosophy and style of play,” Smith said. “Toddrick’s ability to adapt to the coaching changes he’s had in his career really tells you a lot about him as a person and who he is to stick it out. That’s why I respect him so much because he could have left. Devaugntah Williams, a junior college player who led us in scoring last year and some of this year, isn’t starting right now, but he’s meant so much to helping us restore some respect to the Red Raider basketball program.”
Aaron Ross has registered 12.9 points per game in Big 12 play which is tied for 11th on the Big 12 leaderboard. He has secured 10-plus points in nine of his last 10 and 13 of his last 15 games. Ross paces the Big 12 with a 91.7 percent free throw clip in league games.
Norense Odiase is scheduled to return off the bench after he has missed Tech’s last 12 games due to a foot injury. It was be Odiase’s first action since the TCU game on Jan. 18. He has totaled 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and picked up double figures in eight of his last 13 outings before the injury.
Zach Smith has compiled 9.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He has upped his scoring average to 10.7 points per game on 26-of-54 from the floor during his last seven games. Smith’s 1.5 blocks are fourth, while his 7.2 rebounds are sixth in the Big 12 rankings. He has racked up 23 blocks over his last 12 games and his 88 career blocks are ninth in program history.
Keenan Evans has chipped in 8.5 points and 2.8 assists per game handling the point guard duties. He has distributed 23 assists in his last six games, and the 2.8 assists are 14th in the Big 12. Evans has collected 1.2 steals per game against Big 12 opponents which is tied for 13th. He has garnered 11.8 points per game over his last eight games.
Justin Gray has totaled 10.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in conference play. He returned to double figures for the first time since the Baylor game on Feb. 13 with 15 points and two steals last time out at No. 10 West Virginia. Gray has been an efficient 25-of-40 shooting in his last seven games.
Matthew Temple has scored 50 of his 80 points and grabbed 23 of his 41 rebounds over his last 11 games as a starter. He has a pair of games in double figures, most recently 11 points on a 5-of-7 shooting clip at Oklahoma State on Feb. 20.
Jordan Jackson, Devon Thomas and C.J. Williamson have seen playing time as part of Tech’s bench rotation. Thomas has added 2.6 points and 1.4 assists, while Williamson turned in a solid all-around effort with five points, three rebounds and two assists at No. 10 West Virginia on Wednesday.
About Kansas State
The Wildcats posted a 56.5 shooting percentage and knocked down 16 of their 21 shots in the first half during the 25-point win over TCU. Nearly half of K-State’s points this season have come in the paint, where the Wildcats are averaging 32.7 points per game.
Kansas State has been led by Justin Edwards, who has provided a team-leading 11.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 per game. He has reached double figures in seven of his last eight performances highlighted by a 20-point and 8-rebound effort against Texas on Feb. 22.
Right behind Edwards is Wesley Iwundu with 11.1 points a contest followed by Barry Brown with 9.1 points per game. Iwundu has dialed up 10-plus in seven of his last 10 appearances and poured in 22 points during K-State’s upset of then No. 1 Oklahoma on Feb. 6. He also has dished out 5.9 assists per game over his last nine games. Brown has done his damage from triple territory with 44 three-pointers. He has knocked down 15 treys over his last six outings.
Dean Wade has tucked away 9.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Last time out, Wade tallied 10 points on a flawless 4-of-4 shooting effort during the TCU game. The Wildcats will play without their fourth leading scorer Kamau Stoke’ 9.4 points per game.
The Wildcats fuel the Big 12 on the defensive end limiting their opponents to 30.3 percent from beyond the three-point arc. K-State stands third in scoring defense (67.2) and steals (7.5), fourth in rebounding margin (+3.4) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (42.4) and rebounding (36.7).
“We’ve got to defend,” Smith said. “We did a very poor job defensively in Manhattan against the Wildcats. We’re playing better since then. We didn’t shoot the ball well there. They really took us out of our offense, and they had four or five guys score in double figures. Transition defense was a problem for us the other night at West Virginia. We’ve got to get back play the game the right way, play the way we’re supposed to play and do all the things you’re supposed to do in order to be successful. For them, they have (Wesley) Iwandu, and they are starting (D.J.) Johnson at center so they may change their lineup. We’ll have to make adjustments against a very good Wildcats team. They are really a better team than their record indicates.”
(Press Release Provided by Texas Tech Athletics Department)