Grant McCasland said Friday he feels perfectly fine and expects the 23rd-ranked Texas Tech basketball team to make a full return Saturday.
The Red Raiders have been dealing with illnesses throughout the team and coaching staff over the past week. Texas Tech athletics coach Kirby Hocutt said he was bedridden for 2 1/2 days before Tuesday's loss to No. 13 Baylor, but McCasland said he wasn't in that bad of shape. Everyone gets sick, he explained.
That includes his team, which has been dealing with the absence of key players such as Lamar Washington against Cincinnati and starting center Warren Washington against the Baylor Bears. This resulted in a significant change to the rotation, with Kieron Lindsay and Emeli Yaraho receiving extended playing time on Tuesday.
Coach McCasland didn't expect the Red Raiders (16-6, 5-4) to have much to offer against UCF (13-8, 4-5), which will travel to United Supermarket Arena for the first time in Big 12 contest. We do not foresee any need to change the situation.at 3 p.m.
“We had some guys who weren't playing well,” McCasland said. “For me, I think a lot of things can be said about our players. Maybe we have some shortcomings, but soft is not one of them. We have tough players. Our guys compete and they show up.”
“I understand this. That we're not 100% and that we're behind and that we're moving forward much better than what we've seen so far. doing.”
Three straight losses have pushed Texas Tech from the front of the Big 12 standings to a logjam in the middle. There are nine games remaining before the Red Raiders get back on track, starting with the game against the Knights.
“Adversity in the Big 12 is something you can do if you handle it right,” McCasland said. “Honestly, I believe our best days are ahead of us. This basketball team is always improving and we're excited to play on Saturday.”
Trends to watch
UCF wins games behind the scenes on defense. The Knights boast his second-highest scoring defense in Big 12 play, holding opponents to 66.1 points per game. On the other hand, their offensive power is the worst in the league, averaging 62.9 points.
Texas Tech will have another 7-footer in the paint in UCF big man Ibrahima Diallo. He takes about four shots per game, but has 41 blocks and averages 6.2 rebounds.
The Knights have the worst assist-to-turnover margin in the conference, with more giveaways (275) than helpers (256) this season. However, the defense forces about 15 turnovers per game.
Texas Tech's Pop Isaacs leads the Big 12 in league scoring (19.4 points per game). However, they have committed nine total turnovers in their past four games and nine total turnovers in their last two contests.
Darrion Williams scored a career-high 17 points against Baylor. He made 6 of 9 field goals against the Bears and has been wearing a headband in the past two games (unrelated but fun fact).
Key statistics
UCF and Texas Tech had opposing schedules through the first nine conference games. The Knights played five home games and the Red Raiders played four home games. In UCF's four road contests, the Knights averaged 57 points per game, compared to 67.6 points in home contests. His opponents are the Big 12's United, where he averages 71.25 points per game when playing in his arena, and the Reds when he visits the Raiders, where he averages 78.4 points per game.
Score prediction: Texas Tech 83, UCF 74
Bottom line: If you lose four in a row in the middle of conference play, it's going to be tough to get out of there. Texas Tech will have to consider a team like UCF to help their NCAA Tournament chances.
big 12 men's basketball
UCF, 23rd Texas Tech University
when: Saturday, 3 p.m.
where: United Supermarket Arena
tv set: ESPN
record: Texas Tech 16-6, 5-4. UCF 13-8, 4-5
Noteworthy points: This will be the first of two meetings between the Red Raiders and Knights this month. Texas Tech heads to Orlando for its return game on February 24th.
big 12 basketball standings
All team meeting
Houston 20-3 7-3
Baylor 17-5 6-3
Iowa State 17-5 6-3
Kansas 18-5 6-4
TCU 16-6 5-4
Texas Tech 16-6 5-4
Oklahoma 17-6 5-5
Kansas State University 15-8 5-5
Cincinnati 15-7 4-5
BYU 16-6 4-5
UCF 13-8 4-5
Texas 15-8 4-5
West Virginia 8-14 3-6
Oklahoma State University 10-13 2-8
