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Texas Tech is coming off of a tough lost to Iowa State. The Red Raiders were down by as many as 18 in the first half but fought their way back to make a game of it. Tech lost the game in the final minutes after a few miscues and if they want to pull off the upset against the Jayhawks they have to play mistake-free.
Tune into ESPNU at 8:00 PM to see Texas Tech take on the number 1 team in the nation.
Kansas Key Players
Category | Stat | Name |
Points/Game | 16.1 | F Perry Ellis |
Rebounds/Game | 6.6 | F Perry Ellis |
Assist/Game | 5.6 | G Frank Mason III |
3pt Made/3pt % | 39/72, 54.2% | G Wayne Selden Jr. |
Free Throw % | 52/67, 77.6% | F Perry Ellis |
Perry Ellis is about 37 years old now and hasn't slowed down a bit. But for real, how long has Ellis been at Kansas? Ellis is no doubt Kansas' best player and if the Red Raiders have any hope in pulling off the upset they have to slow him down with Aaron Ross and Norense Odiase. Also, Iowa St's Matt Thomas shot 60% (6-10) from 3-point range and hit some big momentum-killing shots. Texas Tech will have to limit the Jayhawks' 3-point specialist Wayne Selden Jr.
Last 5 Games
12/19 Montana | W 88-46 |
12/22 San Diego St | W 70-57 |
12/29 UC Irvine | W 78-53 |
1/2 #23 Baylor | W 102-74 |
1/4 #2 Oklahoma | W 109-106 3OT |
Kansas is coming off of a 3OT thriller against Oklahoma that kept everyone up way past their bedtimes. You have to wonder if the Jayhawks have gotten their legs back after such a long game. Besides Oklahoma, Kansas has played some really good competition so far this year including: #23 Baylor, San Diego St, #19 Vanderbilt, UCLA and #13 Michigan St. The Jayhawks only lost came against Michigan St in their 2nd game of the season. This might be the best time to play Kansas since they're coming off of the 3OT game against OU.
Prediction
Texas Tech 70 - Kansas 77
I believe this game could be very similar to the Iowa St game. I see Kansas leading throughout the game and Texas Tech getting within a few points but never being able to get a lead and sustain it. On the other hand, Kansas' players could be completely spent after the OU game and you could see some holdover effects come in to play allowing the Red Raiders to shock #1.