Texas Tech starts the season off against the High Point Panthers tonight at 8:00 PM at the United Supermarkets Arena. While High Point isn't a powerhouse, they are a good team. Last season the Panthers were co-Big South regular season champions. High Point finished with a record of 23-10 (13-5) and was bounced in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament by Eastern Kentucky. The Panthers do return key components of their roster from last year.
Key Players
| Category | Stat | Name |
| Points/Game | 19.3 | F John Brown |
| Rebounds/Game | 6.0 | F John Brown |
| Assist/Game | 2.7 | G Adam Weary & G Haiishen McIntrye |
| 3pt Made/3pt % | 52, 45% | F Lorenzo Cugini |
| Free Throw % | 1.000% | G Anthony Lindauer |
As you can see, redshirt senior John Brown is probably High Point's best player. He can do a little bit of everything. It will be interesting to see how the Red Raiders try to limit him. I imagine Toddrick Gotcher being matched up with him when the Red Raiders are in man-to-man.
Last 5 Games
| 2/26 UNC Asheville | W 75-71 |
| 2/28 Charleston Southern | L 97-93 3OT |
| 3/6 Gardner-Webb | L 72-71 OT |
| 3/18 Maryland-Eastern Shore (1st Round CIT) | W 70-64 |
| 3/20 Eastern Kentucky (2nd Round CIT) | L 66-65 |
While the Panthers finished with a 23-10 record, they ended the season with some tough losses. They followed up a 4-point triple overtime loss with a 1-point OT loss. High Point finished the season with a 1-point loss to Eastern Kentucky in the CIT. After a rough ending to the season, I expect the Panthers to come out strong to avenge the way their season ended.
Prediction
Texas Tech 70 - High Point 65
I believe this game will be close throughout the whole contest. Texas Tech may start off a little slow since the majority of the team is still really young but I see them turning it around in the second half and pulling away in the final minutes. This should be a good game to kick off the 2015/2016 season.
