Texas Tech Basketball: Preview of the matchup with Texas-Rio Grande Valley

Keys For UTRGV To Pull Off Upset

1. Play fast and protect the ball

The Vaqueros like to get up and down the floor as well as put up a lot of shots. They rank 22nd in the country in shot attempts as they put up an average of 53 shot attempts a game. While UTRGV doesn’t shoot the ball well (38.9 percent), particularly from beyond the arc (26.1 percent), they are able to win games because of the speed they play at and they do hit the offensive boards. The Vaqueros are averaging 10.7 fast break points a game and 10.6 second-chance points on 11.8 offensive rebounds. UTRGV is grabbing a solid 30.8 percent of all available offensive rebounds.

The key for UTRGV to playing fast is that they will need to protect the basketball. The Vaqueros have done a fairly good job at protecting the ball as they are averaging 12.8 turnovers. On the other hand, the Red Raiders are forcing 17 turnovers a game defensively with nearly seven coming off of steals.

2. Attack the rim 

With the Vaqueros not shooting the ball well, they have had to rely on attacking the rim. So far, UTRGV has been successful at doing just that. The Vaqueros rank in the top-six of the country in both free throw attempts and free throw makes. They are attempting 25.3 free throws while making 17.2 a contest which equates to 67.9 percent.

Texas Tech has been whistled for fouls a good amount as the Raiders are committing 18 fouls a game. However, the Red Raiders’ opponents are attempting just 19.6 shots from the charity stripe.

3. Force Turnovers 

UTRGV has been very good at forcing turnovers this year. The Vaqueros have forced the third most turnovers this year at nearly 18.1 a game, They have also done a good job at converting the turnovers into points as they are averaging 19.1 points off of the turnovers. Levi leads the nation’s third-best team in thefts although Varner has also registered over two steals at 2.2. Jordan (1.4) and Winn (one) are also averaging at least a steals a game.

Mooney and Culver (2.5 per game) are the only Raiders who have had a difficult time handling the ball. Texas Tech is averaging 12.6 turnovers a game.

4. Limit Culver

Culver is an incredible player. He can play on the ball or off. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 19.6 points a game while shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc as he is draining 1.6 triples a contest.

Culver, who takes 21 percent of Texas Tech’s shots, also gets to the free throw line a decent amount as he is averaging five attempts a contest.

Prediction: Texas Tech 75, UTRGV 58