Another game for the Texas Tech basketball team means a matchup against another opponent with more size than length, the 15th-ranked Red Raiders.
It's old hat for Grant McCasland at this point. Every team, especially in the Big 12, is going to be bigger than Texas Tech in some way. Cincinnati, where the Bearcats will visit Lubbock for the first time as a conference mate on Saturday, will be another example of this.
“Where we have our biggest weaknesses, they have strengths,” McCasland said of Cincinnati. “They're one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, and obviously we struggled against TCU. (That was) a big part of our loss.”
Texas Tech (16-4, 5-2) split two road games last week, completing one complete upset against No. 11 Oklahoma, but lost 85 at No. 25 TCU on Tuesday. I couldn't reproduce it with a reversal of 78.
For McCasland, the biggest story about the team's improvement starts with rebounding, and that will follow the team throughout the year. Tech lost the rebound battle in six of its seven conference games, with its only win in that category coming in a 17-point win over Oklahoma State.
Still, rebounding has been an issue all season, and the Red Raiders have found ways to make up for the deficit in other areas. Specifically, Tech is his one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, ranking 32nd nationally with a 37.6% shooting percentage.
“Obviously the team has to prepare us to shoot the ball well and the team does a good job of guiding us from there,” McCasland said.
Trends to watch
Close games are the order of the day for Texas Tech and Cincinnati. The Bearcats' five conference losses were all by five points or less. Texas Tech's last four conference games have been by single digits, including the last two at home.
Aziz Bandaogo, Cincinnati's 7-foot center, is one of the beneficiaries of a rule change that allows for multiple transfers, even if he was previously denied waivers. Bandaogo has played in 13 games, starting 10 of them, and already has 18 blocks.
The Bearcats are one of the worst teams in the country at free throw shooting. They shot 67.75% from the stripe, ranking No. 296 nationally on Friday. Meanwhile, Texas Tech ranks 20th in the nation (77.55%).
Nine different players overcame injuries or eligibility issues to start games for Cincinnati this season. Day Day Thomas (10.9 points, 70 assists per game) and John Newman III (10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds) are the only two players to start and play in all 21 games.
Key statistics
Cincinnati is the worst 3-point shooting team in Big 12 conference games. The Bearcats have completed 28.3% of their attempts through eight games. However, the Red Raiders' 3-point defense is the worst in the conference. In the league game against the Red Raiders, his opponents had a 3-sitter success rate of 40.5%. Conversely, Tech ranks first in 3-point offense (41.7%) and Cincinnati ranks eighth in 3-point defense (35.3%).
Score prediction: Texas Tech 85, Cincinnati 76
Conclusion: The winners of Tech's last three games have each scored 85 points, and there aren't many games decided by double digits for either team.
big 12 men's basketball
Cincinnati vs. 15th place Texas Tech
when: Saturday, 5pm
where: United Supermarket Arena
tv set: ESPN+
record: Texas Tech 16-4, 5-2; Cincinnati 14-7, 3-5
Noteworthy points: Texas Tech will play three of its next four games at home and five games at United Supermarket Arena in February.
big 12 standings
All team meeting
Houston 19-2 6-2
Iowa State 16-4 5-2
Texas Tech 16-4 5-2
Kansas 17-4 5-3
TCU 16-5 5-3
Baylor 15-5 4-3
Oklahoma 16-5 4-4
Kansas State University 14-7 4-4
BYU 15-5 3-4
UCF 12-8 3-5
West Virginia 8-13 3-5
Texas 14-7 3-5
Cincinnati 14-7 3-5
Oklahoma State University 9-12 1-7
