v.
Northwestern State Demons (4-8, 0-0) v. The Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-5, 0-0)
Saturday, December 29, 2007 @ 1:00 p.m.
TTTN
The Numbers:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keys to the Game:
- NWS is Terrible Offensively: You may have thought that our Red Raiders weren't very efficient on offense, but the Demons are absolutely horrible offensively. Yes, they average more points than Texas Tech, but they're also just shooting 40% from the floor and 30% behind the 3-point line. Texas Tech has been very consistent all year defensively and I would look for our Red Raiders to completely shutdown Northwestern State. They key is no easy buckets and no 2nd chance points.
- Continue to Play the Freshmen: I'm not sure that this is really a "key" to the game, but perhaps it is a key to the rest of the season, including Big 12 play, that Knight & Co. continue to work in Roberts, Singletary and Roberson, in meaningful minutes. I was especially impressed with Roberts time on the court against Stanford and feel like he's earned more playing time. Again, I'd love to see Roberson run a little more and increase those assist numbers.
- Turnovers: NW St. isn't exactly great on defense either and I'd love to see Texas Tech take this opportunity to limit the turnovers on our own end, and take care of the ball. Although the Demons average over 8 steals a game, I think Coach Knight wants to make it a priority for the team to take care of the ball, which will serve this team well in Big 12 play as well. Start taking care of the ball and the chances to win those close games increases dramatically.
Probable Starting Lineups:
| Texas Tech | Ht. | Wt. | Pos. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG |
| John Roberson | 5-11 | 165 | G | Fr. | 10.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| Alan Voskuil | 6-3 | 175 | G | Jr. | 12.7 | 3.8 | 1.9 |
| Martin Zeno | 6-5 | 208 | G/F | Sr. | 14.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 |
| Mike Singletary | 6-5 | 226 | F | Fr. | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.4 |
| Trevor Cook | 6-8 | 225 | F | So. | 5.1 | 2.3 | 0.8 |
| Northwestern State | Ht. | Wt. | Pos. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Keithan Hancock | 5-10 | 155 | G | Jr. | 6.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| Colby Bargeman | 6-5 | 210 | G | Sr. | 9.3 | 6.8 | 1.7 |
| Gerrell Thomas | 6-6 | 245 | F | Sr. | 8.9 | 5.7 | 1.5 |
| Devin White | 6-7 | 205 | F | Fr. | 5.1 | 3.0 | 0.2 |
| Jerry Moody | 6-8 | 225 | C | Sr. | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.5 |
| Trey Glider | 6-9 | 185 | F | Jr. | 16.5 | 6.1 | 1.4 |
This is your open game day thread so feel free to sign up for a free account and leave all predictions, comments and thoughts about the game here.
GO RAIDERS . . .
*Stats can be found Ken Pomeroy, via Basketball Prospectus: K.P. Rank = the Ken Pomeroy Rank; Offensive Efficiency = the national rank in terms of points scored per 100 possessions; Defensive Efficiency = the national rank in terms of points allowed per 100 possession. Numbers in parentheses are national rank.