The Red Raiders hung pretty close with Utah throughout the entire contest but eventually came up short losing 73-63. Texas Tech now faces Mississippi State today at 4:00 PM. Mississippi State got rolled by Miami to the tune of 105-79. This will shape up for a winnable game for the Red Raiders. Miami was predicted to finish 8th in the ACC while Mississippi State was predicted to finish 5th in the SEC.
Mississippi State Key Players
Category | Stat | Name |
Points/Game | 19.7 | F Gavin Ware |
Rebounds/Game | 7.3 | F Gavin Ware |
Assist/Game | 5.0 | G I.J. Ready |
3pt Made/3pt % | 5/8, 62.5% | G Travis Daniels |
Free Throw % | 15/18, 83.3% | G Craig Sword |
So far the Mississippi State Bulldogs haven't lived up to their potential, but Forward Gavin Ware has been the go-to man for Miss St. Guard I.J. Ready has been dishing the ball around so far this season, averaging 5 assists a game. For the Red Raiders to win they'll need to limit Ware and cause Ready to commit some turnovers.
Last 5 Games
3/7 Missouri | W 52-43 |
3/11 Auburn | L 74-68 |
11/13 Eastern Washington | W 106-88 |
11/16 Southern | L 76-72 |
11/19 Miami | L 105-79 |
The Bulldogs have lost two straight, one of those losses was to a lowly regarded Southern team and the other was a blowout to Miami who a lot of people did not expect a lot from this season. Mississippi State is still trying to find its identity and right now might be a great time for the Red Raiders to face them if Texas Tech wants to come away with the W.
Prediction
Texas Tech 67 - Mississippi State 62
I expect this to be a back and forth game with the lead changing several times throughout the game. I think Texas Tech comes away with the win in the end based on the fact that they're playing better basketball at the moment. I don't expect this to be a special game but it will be a hard-fought one.
If Texas Tech wins they'll play Tubby Smith's old team, Minnesota, on Sunday and if they lose they'll face Missouri State on Sunday.