Texas Tech vs. Texas: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Texas Tech got arguably their biggest home win in over a decade on Saturday. Will the team take their momentum to Austin and beat the Longhorns?

TV schedule: Wednesday, Jan. 17, 8:00 p.m. ET. Longhorn Network/WatchESPN

Arena: Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas

After splitting a pair of top 10 battles last week, Texas Tech 15-2 (4-1) remains ranked No. 8 in the country. That’s because of Saturday’s massive home win over No. 2 West Virginia, 72-71. The crowd court-stormed afterward, and controversy ensued with Mountaineer player getting into an altercation with a fan, resulting in the school getting fined for not protecting the player and the player himself getting a public reprimand. But in no way should it rain on the Red Raider’s parade.

Keenan Evans once again was the best player for the team, scoring a team-high 20 points. Reserve guard Brandone Francis had his best game as a Red Raider, dropping a career-high 17 points off the bench. Despite being down by seven at the half, the elite defense showed up in the second half, allowing them to come back and win.

It was an emotional win for Texas Tech, who now will be facing a team in Texas 11-6 (2-3) — a team that had gone through an emotional week themselves. Sophomore guard Andrew Jones was diagnosed with Leukemia on the day of the Longhorns battle with TCU and had to somehow pull themselves together to beat the Horned Frogs in double-overtime.

They were on their way to winning again at Oklahoma State, up by double-digits with about six minutes to go. Unfortunately, that dreaded offensive drought that Shaka Smart’s team has gone through before came back once again, and Texas let the lead slip through the team’s hands at the last moment, losing by one point.

The offense for the Longhorns primarily comes from junior forward Dylan Osetkowski, whose numbers can indicate the team’s chances at winning. The guards for the Longhorns are unpredictable, as they can score 20 points or four points. Lastly, the battle between Mo Bamba for Texas and Norense Odiase will be a bruiser down low.

This game has low-scoring written all over it, as both teams like to play at a slower pace, as well as using their defenses to set the tone. Texas Tech has a proven scorer in Evans, while usually one to two others contribute on a nightly basis. Texas, on the other hand, is a crap-shoot, with there being no certainty that anyone will shoot well.

Next: Texas Tech gets program defining win over West Virginia

Texas Tech is not the cuddly underdogs anymore and is now going to get team’s best shot. But I’m a believer of the Red Raiders, and I think they’ll score just enough to get past Texas in a close battle.

Prediction: Texas Tech 68 – Texas 63

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