Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-0, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0, 0-0)
When to Watch: Tuesday, November 10th @ 7:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: Peacock
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Illinois -2.5
Advanced Stats
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Cruz Davis (6-3/185) | 15.0 / 4.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (6-1/185) | 15.0 / 2.5 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 6.5 / 3.5 |
| POWER FORWARD | Darrion Williams (6-6/225) | 3.5 / 5.0 |
| CENTER | Bassala Bagayoko (6-10/210) | 4.0 / 5.5 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Damarion Dennis (6-1/170) | 13.5 / 1.5 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/230) | 12.5 / 8.5 |
| EIGHTH MAN | DaKari Spear (6-5/195) | 6.0 / 1.5 |
| 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 | Ethan Brown (6-4/185) | 12.5 / 6.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Quentin Coleman (6-4/180) | 16.0 / 6.5 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Lincoln Williams (6-5/180) | 12.0 / 9.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | Andrej Stojakovic (6-7/205) | 22.5 / 6.0 |
| CENTER | Tomislavi Ivisic (7-1/270) | 6.0 / 3.5 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Zavier Zens (6-7/215) | 15.0 / 3.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Stefan Vaaks (6-7/215) | 15.5 / 4.5 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Jason Jakstys (6-10/220) | 2.0 / 3.5 |
| NINTH MAN | Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2/25-) | 5.0 / 7.0 |
| TENTH MAN | Lucas Morillo (6-7/210) | 6.5 / 5.5 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Well, Illinois is an absolute banger on offense, statistically the best offense in the nation. An eFG% good for 8th in the nation and 3rd in the nation in offensive boards. They absolutely excel at anything inside the arc, 1st in 2-point percentage and they are great at mid-range, 3rd in the nation. They struggle at getting to the line, 308th, and are a bit turnover prone, 119th in the nation. Defensively, they are a team that does not force turnovers, but are great everywhere else. They are 6th in limiting offensive rebounds, 13th in opponent free throw rate, 23rd in 3-point defense and 13th in 2-point defense.
2. Scouting. Not the greatest competition thus far, but Brown has been really good, a freshman guard who doesn’t have the ball in his hands, but is adept at scoring, passing, and shooting. He’s not getting to the line much at all, but he’s incredibly solid. Stojakovic is a terrific shooter and a holdover from last year. Obviously the height is an advantage for Illinois, with the Ivisic Brothers and Vaaks, Zens, Morillo, and even Williams are all decent size.
3. How They Match Up. The big key for Texas Tech is getting everyone on the same page. Some guys are playing well, while others are not in different games. There’s a chance that Stillwell plays, but read that he was also in a boot, so not entirely sure. I would love to see him honestly. Moseley has been good and I have a feeling that Bagayoko will get a lot of playing time this game and he’ll need to stay out of foul trouble.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Illinois game is Texas Tech basketball’s biggest non-conference game ever. Here’s why
“I respect them for not just buying out of the game when they probably had a reason that they could have done it, whether they did it or not,” McCasland said. “They obviously didn’t, and he just called me, he’s like, ‘I’ll holler back at you. We’re going to play the game,’ and they did. And so this will be awesome.”
Texas Tech Soccer: Texas Tech defeats UCF 2-0 to advance to Big 12 semifinals
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5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
A heavyweight fight is on deck with No. 16 Texas Tech bringing a 48-game non-conference home winning streak into a matchup against No. 3 Illinois at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena. The second meeting in the all-time series is a year after the Fighting Illini earned an 81-77 win over the Red Raiders in a slugfest last season in Champaign, Illinois to begin the home-and-home series between the Big 12 and Big Ten programs.
“Illinois is such an aggressive team and one of the best offensive teams in the country,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “They are so competitive and have so many guys that can score. Coach Underwood has done a fantastic job with their team with expectations. You can tell they expect to win. They rebound, attack you and are really physical. They’re a very impressive team.”