Getting to know: Texas Tech basketball

By Staff Feb 2, 2019

Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver (23), Brandone Francis (1), Kyler Edwards (0) and Tariq Owens, right, huddle around head coach Chris Beard, center, during a time out in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

No. 11 Kansas will look to end a two-game skid this weekend when it takes on No. 16 Texas Tech.

KU returns home, where it has not lost all season, after dropping a pair of road games at Kentucky and Texas in the last seven days. It is the first such stretch of back-to-back losses for the Jayhawks (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) all season.

The Red Raiders (17-4, 5-3 Big 12) have won two in a row after knocking off Arkansas last Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and then TCU on Monday. TTU earned its first-ever win at Allen Fieldhouse last season with an 85-73 victory.

As a result, Texas Tech could become the first Big 12 school to win back-to-back games in Allen Fieldhouse since Iowa State did it in 2000 and 2001.

Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.

Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver (23) jumps back to shoot the ball over TCU's Kouat Noi (12) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)

Series history: Kansas leads the overall series with Texas Tech, 34-5, including a 17-1 record in Allen Fieldhouse.

Log on to KUsports.com for our live game blog coverage and follow the KUsports.com staff on Twitter: @KUSports @mctait @bentonasmith & @SJacksonLJW

**BREAKING DOWN TEXAS TECH**
————

**TOP PLAYER**

*No. 23 — G Jarrett Culver | 6-5, so.*
—————————————-

Texas Tech's Matt Mooney (13) jumps back to shoot the ball over TCU's Alex Robinson (25) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)

Culver leads the Red Raiders with 18.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Last time out, Culver scored 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists in the win over TCU on Monday. Culver is coming off an impressive freshman season where he averaged 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Red Raiders.

According to KenPom.com, Culver is being used on 30.6 percent of the TTU’s possession, which is the 47th-highest clip in the nation.

**SUPPORTING CAST**

*No. 13 — G Matt Mooney | 6-3, sr.*
—————————————-

Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (10) and Texas Tech guard Davide Moretti (25) compete for a ball during the second half, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Mooney is second on the team in scoring with an average of 10.7 points per game.

In his senior campaign, Mooney has started in all 21 contests, and is averaging just under 30 minutes per outing. He’s second on the team in assists with a total 60, which is 22 less than Culver in that category.

Mooney is recording an assist rate of 19.1 percent, while posting a steal rate of 3.1 percent.

*No. 25 — G Davide Moretti | 6-3, so.*
—————————————-

Moretti is one of three TTU players to average in double figures this year.

Texas Tech's Tariq Owens (11) dunks the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against TCU, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)

For the season, Moretti is averaging 10.4 points per game. Moretti recorded a career-high 21 points against Arkansas last Saturday after going 6-for-9 from the field with three 3-pointers. He followed that up by notching a new career-high seven assists against TCU.

Moretti’s true shooting percentage of 64.8 percent ranks 53rd in all of college basketball.

*No. 11 — F Tariq Owens | 6-10, sr.*
—————————————-

In his lone season with the Red Raiders, Owens has started in all but one game.

This season, Owens is averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Owens is coming off one of his best offensive games of the season after scoring 17 points against TCU, as he went 7-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers.

Owens is boasting a block rate of 12.7 percent, which is the ninth-highest mark in the nation.

**ONE THING TEXAS TECH DOES WELL**

By every statistical measure, Texas Tech has a suffocating defense.

The Red Raiders are holding teams to a 41.4 effective field goal percentage, which is the best mark in college basketball. They allow teams to shoot 26.4 percent from deep, and 42.5 percent on 2-point shots. Both numbers are ranked inside the top-five in the nation, per KenPom.com.

**ONE AREA TEXAS TECH STRUGGLES**

Texas Tech is not a high-octane offense, however. It has struggled to protect the rock at times, in particular. Opposing teams are boasting a 10.0 steal rate against TTU. To put that in comparison, the Red Raiders’ lethal defense has forced a 10.6 steal rate.

**MEET THE COACH**

Texas Tech is coached by Chris Beard, who is 62-28 in his third season at TTU and 158-58 in his seventh season overall.

**VEGAS SAYS…**
———

Kansas is a four-point favorite, but has has failed to cover the spread in five consecutive games. Texas Tech, meanwhile, has not covered in four of the past five games. Texas Tech’s defense is the real deal, but the Jayhawks have to protect their homecourt to stay in the thick of this Big 12 race.

**My prediction:** Kansas 70, Texas Tech 64