Texas Tech basketball: Five questions for the Red Raider’s game against Kansas

Can both Red Raider freshmen have great games?

Evans had a good junior season, so to some degree his play isn’t too surprising. But the freshmen duo of Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith have been the catalysts to the winning ways of Texas Tech this season.

Both are versatile players, able to play and guard anywhere from the 2-4 spots on the court. Culver is the defensive specialist, ranked third in the conference in both defensive rating and defensive win shares. Smith is a quality defender in his own right, but is also a top-10 player on the offensive end, based on the metrics.

Both players average double figures in scoring, with Culver scoring a season-high 25 points against Oklahoma State, and Smith averaging over 16 ppg in his last six contests. These guys started on the bench the first half of the season, but have crept into the starting lineup. When they played Kansas the first time, the duo combined for 23 points on 7/15 shooting.

The reason why I asked that “both” players have great games, is that it feels like one of them can go off, while the other is a bit more quiet. With Evans being hobbled, and them being the second and third leading-scorers on the team, it’ll take a big effort from both players to give Texas Tech the win.