Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (0-1, 0-0)
When to Watch: Thursday, November 5th @ 8:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN+
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -26.5
Advanced Stats
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Cruz Davis (6-3/185) | 15.0 / 5.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (6-1/185) | 5.0 / 2.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 4.0 / 2.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 1.0 / 5.0 |
| CENTER | Bassala Bagayoko (6-10/210) | 4.0 / 4.0 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Damarion Dennis (6-1/170) | 22.0 / 3.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/230) | 13.0 / 8.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | DaKari Spear (6-5/195) | 8.0 / 0.0 |
| NINTH MAN | Jamichael Stillwell (6-8/245) | – / – |
| TENTH MAN | Marial Akuentok (6-11/240) | 0.0 / 2.0 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | LaTrell Hoover (6-11/240) | 0.0 / 0.0 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Amari Barrett (6-4/180) | 2.0 / 2.0 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | Trey Hall (6-6/215) | 2.0 / 0.0 |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | – / – |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Jameel Morris (6-1/190) | 9.0 / 2.0 |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Mari Jordan (6-6/200) | 22.0 / 4.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Daniel Johnson (6-7/205) | 6.0 / 6.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | IJ Ezuma (6-8/240) | 7.0 / 2.0 |
| CENTER | Vuk Boskovic (6-7/265) | 4.0 / 6.0 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Kevin Patton Jr. (6-8/200) | 7.0 / 1.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Jaylen Jones (6-0/165) | 9.0 / 3.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Quentin Heady (6-6/200) | 6.0 / 4.0 |
| NINTH MAN | Melian Martinez (7-0/230) | 0.0 / 0.0 |
| TENTH MAN | Connor Teasley (6-3/160) | 0.0 / 0.0 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. These stats are ridiculously early so grain of salt. I want to emphasize that I utilize T-Rank for stats and if you love college basketball, I could not recommend T-Rank enough. For those of you who aren’t into advanced stats, that’s cool, but I use stats to determine what a team might be good at and where Texas Tech will need to pay particular attention. Early season stats tell you that the Wildcats shot the ball well, 45th in the nation from beyond the arc and with that length, are a team that’s 26th in the nation in blocking shots and 79th in free throw percentage. Defensively, they have been good at holding opponents in that mid-range area, 45th in defensive far 2-point shooting and 24th in the nation in block percentage.
2. Scouting. Jordan had himself a day against Furman in a loss, but he was outstanding from the field and just a terror offensively, all over the map. He will be the key defensively and would imagine that Atwell gets the call here. Not a ton of stats, but this wasn’t a team that was shooting a ton of 3-‘s and Morris went 1-4, but my guess is that he, Jordan and Boskovic are going to be the volume shooters. Johnson and Ezuma are the big rebounders.
3. How They Match Up. We are still figuring out what Texas Tech has, but the returns are pretty positive in my opinion. Davis, Dennis, and Gibbs-Lawhorn are as advertised, regardless of their results from the other night. And Atwell and Williams will rebound and be exactly who they have been. Williams was on another level passing and we are seeing Atwell expand his game by going to the basket. Bagayoko, Moseley, and Williams are going to be formidable and when Stillwell becomes eligible, this will be a deep group.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
From the highly anticipated buildup to the start of the season to a quick turnaround to what’s next, No. 19 Texas Tech is set to host Bethune-Cookman at 8 p.m. on Thursday in its second game of the week and season at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (1-0) are coming off a 76-42 season-opening win over Jackson State while the Wildcats (0-1) took a 79-70 loss at Furman on Monday night.
“It was great to get under the USA lights and play in front of our home crowd,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “Our defense and communication is improving. That’s one area I thought we took a big jump, with our deflections and activity. From a team standpoint, it’s about how we keep sharing the ball and getting the right shots. I thought we took great shots (against Jackson State) and had the right guys shooting them.”