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.
