Texas Tech is still looking for a marquee win for its resume. Will they be able to get it this weekend against mighty Kansas?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 8th, 4pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas
Coming into the season, Texas Tech (10-3, 0-1) was one of those teams we had little clue about, considering how much roster turnover they had in the offense. And yet 13 games in, we still aren’t very sure. The problem is that they’ve yet to be at full strength this season due to injuries and now covid-related issues. That includes leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. (14.2 ppg), who has played in six games.
Shannon missed this week’s loss to Iowa State on a road, one of the ugliest games all season. The final scorer was Iowa State 51-47, with the Red Raiders shooting just 39% from the field and 14 turnovers to 19 made field goals. Davion Warren led the shorthanded roster with 12 points, while forward Bryson Williams had 10 points. It’s unclear if guards Shannon or Kevin McCullar will play against their next opponent this weekend but the hope is that the supporting cast can shoot better at home.
Kansas (12-1, 1-0) has also dealt with injuries as of late, including starting point guard Remy Martin having missed a couple of games. He returned for this week’s matchup against Oklahoma State, which turned into a fight for almost all 40 minutes. Martin had seven points in 25 minutes, while Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun combined for 31 points. The leading scorer was center David McCormack with 17 points off the bench.
The Jayhawks have been using various lineups throughout the season, including putting forward Jalen Wilson back into the lineup after struggling off the bench. But even with Martin’s health and the forwards not playing as well, the development of both Braun and Agbaji into All-American caliber guards has made this team a frontrunner alongside Baylor to win the Big 12 this season.
Texas Tech has one of the more raucous environments in the country and if Shannon Jr. was definitely playing at 100%, I could see them pulling off a potential upset. But the favor in healthy and simply having better overall players in the rotation should make Kansas the favorite to win this weekend and potentially not close too.
Prediction: Kansas 75, Texas Tech 62