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The Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-9, 3-4) v. The Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-7, 2-5)
Saturday, February 9, 2008 @ 3:00 p.m.
ESPN Plus
The Numbers:
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Keys to the Game:
- Let Singletary Go: After watching Singletary just absolutely dominate these last two games, then my thought is that if there was ever a lineup that Singletary could just dominate, it's this lineup. I'm beginning to wonder if there's a player who can stop Singletary from either scoring or getting to the free throw line (I'm sure there is, but I'm on a roll). Of course much of this is dependent on pulling Maric away from the basket, so Singletary has to look for the the open man if there's a double team. I'd love, love, love to see Singletary continue his hot streak against Nebraska, who is surprisingly the 15th best defense in the nation. Who knew? Easy buckets or free throws will be terribly important.
- Maric v. Rizvic - Battle of the Big Men: Although I expect Suljagic to start I think we all know that Rizvic should probably see quite a few minutes against Maric. In fact, I'd probably consider starting Rizvic if he wasn't so limited offensively. Suljagic has done a decent job of pulling the opposing post player away from the basket which I think may be more important than Rizvic's height, at least initially. In any event, I'd expect to see quite a big of Rizvic today and hope that he can hold his own against Maric.
- What's the Deal With Zeno: I didn't get to watch Wednesday's game against Baylor, but having Zeno on the bench for most of the second half isn't going to get this team many wins. Zeno did have 4 fouls, which was obviously a factor, but the other problem that I saw was zero free throw attempts in eight shots. That just can't happen, especially with Zeno. He's too good inside not to get to the line a handful of times. If Texas Tech is going to get their first road win of the Big 12, then Zeno needs to lead this team, rather than watching it.
Probable Starting Lineups: I'm also including Mike Singletary because I'm just not sure how Pat Knight is going to lean in terms of matching up with Nebraska. If it were me, I'd start Roberson, Burgess, Zeno, Singletary and Suljagic, with heavy minutes from Rizvic, Roberts, Cook and Voskuil.
| Texas Tech | Ht. | Wt. | Pos. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG |
| John Roberson | 5-11 | 165 | G | Fr. | 12.5 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
| Alan Voskuil | 6-3 | 175 | G | Jr. | 12.0 | 3.9 | 1.3 |
| Martin Zeno | 6-5 | 208 | G/F | Sr. | 16.0 | 4.5 | 2.9 |
| Charlie Burgess | 6-1 | 193 | G | Sr. | 5.6 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Damir Suljagic | 6-8 | 245 | F | Jr. | 4.7 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
| Mike Singletary | 6-5 | 226 | F | Fr. | 7.9 | 2.9 | 1.1 |
| Nebraska | Ht. | Wt. | Pos. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Cookie Mller | 5-7 | 165 | G | Fr. | 6.4 | 2.0 | 4.1 |
| Steve Harley | 5-11 | 170 | G | Jr. | 7.4 | 2.7 | 1.5 |
| Ade Dagunduro | 6-5 | 190 | G | Jr. | 9.5 | 4.1 | 1.7 |
| Ryan Anderson | 6-4 | 200 | G | So. | 8.8 | 5.7 | 1.4 |
| Aleks Maric | 6-11 | 275 | C | Sr. | 15.4 | 9.1 | 1.4 |
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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.