Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (20-7, 10-4)
Bad Guys: Cincinnati Bearcats (15-12, 7-7)
When to Watch: Tuesday, February 24th @ 6:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN2
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -6.5
Advanced Stats
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Christian Anderson (6-3/178) | 19.1 / 7.7* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jaylen Petty (6-1/168) | 9.0 / 3.6 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 13.0 / 3.3 |
| POWER FORWARD | LeJuan Watts (6-6/225) | 12.2 / 6.1 |
| CENTER | Luke Bamgboye (6-11/220) | 4.5 / 3.4 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Tyeree Bryan (6-5/215) | 3.9 / 2.7 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/225) | 2.9 / 2.7 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Marial Akuentok (6-11/240) | 1.5 / 2.3 |
| NINTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 2.7 / 2.2 |
| TENTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/180) | 0.7 / 0.3 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Nolan Groves (6-5/205) | 1.0 / 1.3 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/180) | 0.0 / 0.3 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | LaTrell Hoover (7-0/230) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | Out For Year |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Day Day Thomas (6-1/190) | 11.0 / 3.6* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jizzle James (6-3/205) | 11.0 / 2.4 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Jalen Celestine (6-7/220) | 7.4 / 3.2 |
| POWER FORWARD | Baba Miller (6-11/225) | 13.9 / 10.2 |
| CENTER | Moustapha Thiam (7-2/250) | 11.8 / 6.2 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Keyshuan Tillery (6-6/210) | 3.4 / 1.2 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Sencire Harris (6-0/190) | 6.6 / 2.9 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Tyler McKinley (6-9/245) | 1.9 / 2.5 |
| NINTH MAN | – (-/-) | 1.7 / 1.7 |
| TENTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Cincinnati have won 4 straight games, with wins over UCF, Kansas state, Utah, and Kansas. Three of the four were basically blowouts. As you’ll note, this has been a pretty dismal offensive team, but that might be changing. To be clear, the defense continues to be elite, but they are simply making their 3-point shots on this 4-game stretch (other than the Utah win, which was by just 4). That’s the difference. For the year, Cincinnati is 253rd in 3-point shooting, 209th in 2-point shooting, 210 in turnover rate, 177th in offensive rebounding, and 303rd in free throw rate. Those are not good numbers. Defensively is where they shine, 53rd in opponent 3-point percentage, 46th in opponent 2-point percentage, 78th in opponent turnovers, 34th in opponent offensive rebounding, and 50th in opponent free throw rate. Just dominant defensively.
2. Scouting. Texas Tech struggles with tall teams and Cincy has a big team. Miller is the best player, huge on the boards, a very good passer for his size, blocks a lot of shots, one of the few players ghat gets to the line, and makes 61% of his 2-point shots. Thiam is more of the same, but he simply doesn’t get to the line. For whatever reason they are shooting 3’s and for the season Miller is 19% and Thiam is 24% and know they made some against Kansas. I might let them shoot rather than pound inside. Thomas is the floor general and best passer while James is the team’s best shooter, making 43% of his 3’s, while Thomas has double the attempts, but makes 39% (good, but not elite). Thiam simply dominated the game and Miller was right there behind him and they got a career game from Celestine. That’s your 3 bigs right there. Texas Tech will need a full rotation and likely a whole mess of fouls.
3. How They Match Up. I am glad that Texas Tech has two home games to get situated, but Cincinnati is going to be a very tough out. This recent 4-game stretch is impressive, especially the blowout of Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, but Cincinnati would be a team that’s not bothered by Kansas’ size because they have plenty of their own. And large teams seems to be this team’s Kryptonite, Purdue, Illinois, Arizona State, Kansas, are off the top of my head. I don’tknow if that changes, but initially, we’ll see Watts trying to guard a 6’11” power forward
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Cincinnati Enquirer’s Scott Springer: Scouting report for UC Bearcats to knock off Texas Tech on Big 12 road
Since letting a 14-point second-half lead slip away to West Virginia Feb. 5, UC is now 4-0 and has finished games.
“Mou (Moustapha Thiam) was out that night and Tyler (McKinley) and Halvine (Dzellat) were in foul trouble,” Wes Miller said. “West Virginia made some plays and we had to play some extended minutes in the frontcourt that we’ve never played before. That was a frustrating night, but it wasn’t like we haven’t been about the right stuff day after day. There’s been some ups and downs, but this group’s been consistently resilient.”
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Can Josiah Moseley be the key to Texas Tech basketball’s JT Toppin loss?
“I thought his offensive rebounds were timely and big,” McCasland said of Moseley. “He got one in the first half that was a put-back and then got that one where they fouled him and he was grabbing it at the same time. … He can really help us in that way because he’s a physical, bouncy, active player. And when he’s right, he’s got special talent.”
Texas Tech Basketball: Red Raiders ranked for 25th straight AP Top 25 release
Lady Raider Basketball: No. 20 Lady Raiders on the road at Kansas
Texas Tech Baseball: Linkin Garcia tabbed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
With a 13-1 home record and only two home games remaining, No.16 Texas Tech looks to continue its home dominance and snap a four-game winning streak by Cincinnati when it hosts the Bearcats at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena. Last Saturday, the Red Raiders (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) earned a 100-72 win over Kansas State at home while Cincinnati (15-12, 7-7 Big 12) extended its winning streak to four with an 84-68 victory at No. 8 Kansas.
“I’m impressed with Cincinnati, obviously coming off a huge road win at Kansas,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “They’ve won four in a row and are playing with a flow offensively. They’ve always been an elite defensive team. You can tell their confidence is growing. They’ve got a great team and are playing great. Team rebounding is how we’re going to win. It’s always going to be that way. How connected we are on the defensive end and how well we rebound. The better our guards rebound the better our team is. It’s never going to be one person, it’s a collective pursuit of the ball and playing the right way.”