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Preview: Baylor v. Texas Tech

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The Baylor Bears (13-14; 3-11) v. The Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-11, 7-7)

Wednesday, February 28, 2007 @ 7:00 p.m.

Television: Texas Tech Television Network

The final home game of the season, Tech looks to be above .500 in conference play since playing Texas on January 31, 2006. I've projected certain starters, but I wouldn't be surprised if Tanner Ogden, Lucquente White, Jon Plefka, Darryl Dora and Jay Jackson start tomorrow night. This will be the last game for this group of seniors and I think that Knight likes to honor those guys who have given him 4 years of their lives. Everyone within a 50 mile radius should go to the game, to thank these guys for all their hard work.

The Numbers:

Team K.P. Rank Off.Eff. Def.Eff. Points/Game Points Allowed Rebounds
Texas Tech 58 39 87 72.0 68.7 31.2
Baylor 94 66 144 74.3 71.8 36.7

Players to Watch:

Player Rebounds Assists Points
Curtis Jerrells 4.5 3.8 13.9
Kevin Rogers 7.9 0.9 13.0
Aaron Bruce 2.8 3.5 11.5

Keys to the Game:

  1. Keep a Lid on the Perimeter: I'd like to think that much of the reason that Baylor was able to garner a victory in Waco the last time these two met was the lights-out performance by Aaron Bruce. Bruce was 6-13 from beyond the arc and I seem to recall that Zeno guarded him most of the time. Whoever is on Bruce or Jarrells has got to make sure that neither of these guys get any clean looks. I thought Burgess did an outstanding job against Curry and wouldn't mind seeing Charlie match-up against Jarrells for the night.
  2. Rebound the Ball: Last time Tech faced Baylor, the Bear out-rebounded Tech by 12. That's not a typo, that's right, 12 rebounds. Much of the damage was done by Kevin Rogers and although he's had a decent season, it's nowhere compared to the season that I thought he was going to have after the Tech game. Baylor isn't a deep team so if Plefka and Dora could get Rogers and Diene into foul trouble, I think this could greatly affect Baylor's ability to control the boards.
  3. Make Sure Jackson Has A Big Night: Nothing would please me more than to see Jay have an incredible night. Jackson has had less than stellar games against Texas (7 points) and against OSU (11 points). Wednesday night is Jay's night to shine and depending on how hard he will work, will determine his output. If he works on getting open then I have no doubt that he'll have a great game. I'd love to see Plefka and Dora have big games as well, but honestly, I'm counting on the two of them for inside presences only. Plefka has played great defense recently and I'd expect the same to continue against Baylor.

Probable Starting Lineups:
The Baylor Bears and The Texas Tech Red Raiders
Kevin Rogers, F, 6-9, So. / Decensae White, F, 6-6, Fr.
Aaron Bruce, G, 6-3, Jr. / Martin Zeno, F, 6-5, Jr.
M. Diene, C, 7-0, So. / John Plefka, F, 6-9, Sr.
Tweety Carter, G, 5-10, Fr. / Charlie Burgess, G, 6-1, Jr.
Curtis Jerrells G, 6-1, So. / Jay Jackson, G, 6-1, Sr.

* The Legend: K.P. Rank = the Ken Pomery 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.