Texas Tech vs Baylor: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Texas Tech and Baylor meet in an important Big 12 showdown; can the Red Raiders score a vital upset win or can the Bears get back on track after some recent struggles?
TV schedule: Monday, March 2, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas
If there was ever a chance for Texas Tech (18-11) to prove themselves, it would be this final week of the regular season. In addition to a battle with Baylor, they’ll get a second chance to knock off a #1 team when Kansas comes to town on Saturday. However, the Red Raiders have lost back-to-back games and are certainly trending in the wrong direction, especially following a 10-point home loss to Texas.
The big name for Texas Tech this season is freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey (15.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg), someone who clearly wasn’t on last year’s Final Four team. Ramsey is a great long-distance shooter and did lead the team with 13 points in that Texas loss. Another clear name to watch is junior guard Davide Moretti (13.0 ppg, 2.3 apg), who actually led the Red Raiders in scoring in their upset wins over #1 Louisville and #12 West Virginia. Also worth watching is sophomore guard Kyler Edwards (12.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), though he has struggled recently.
Unranked and fading, Texas Tech is still loved by the metrics, sitting at 23rd in KenPom and 20th in NET. This should be an NCAA Tournament team that plays top-level defense. They force turnovers and can be lethal from outside when the offense gets going. Unfortunately, the offense just hasn’t held up the last few games.
The clear #1 team just over a week ago, Baylor (25-3) is starting to cast doubt after a rough road loss to TCU on Saturday. Their chances at a Big 12 title have nearly vanished, especially with a road trip to Morgantown at the end of the week. This Baylor team did win 23 straight games and should remain a force in March, but should we be worried?
A somewhat balanced scoring attack is led by sophomore guard Jared Butler (15.7 ppg, 3.2 apg). Senior forward Freddie Gillespie (9.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg) had a great 18-point, 17-rebound effort against TCU, though it obviously came in vain. Junior guard MaCio Teague (14.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) can be a scoring machine and is the Bears’ best rebounder. There’s plenty of talent on the rest of this roster and they’ll need all these pieces working together in the coming weeks.
Baylor sits at 3rd in KenPom and 2nd in the NET rankings. Their recent play has seriously jeopardized the chances for a top seed, but they absolutely still have a great chance to maintain that footing with a strong finish. The Bears are one of the nation’s best defensive teams, grab a ton of offensive boards, and bully opposing teams on both sides of the ball.
For the Red Raiders, they need their defense to contain the Baylor offense. They were badly outrebounded in the last matchup and will need to do much better in that regard to stand a chance. For the Bears, they need their own defense to step up after struggling against TCU. They’d love to start hitting some shots again, but the focus should be on interior play. If they body the Red Raiders down low again, it’ll be a long night.
Next. Biggest takeaways of the week. dark
With how things have changed for Baylor recently, they definitely need a defining win to get things back on track. I expect the Red Raiders to struggle to handle the Bears on the boards again, though the shooting will play a large role in determining how this game progresses. Defense will play a major part in both the team’s plan, but I don’t foresee Texas Tech having the firepower to pull off the upset in Waco.