Texas Tech vs Villanova: 2023-24 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Texas Tech meets Villanova in first round action at the Battle 4 Atlantis; do the Wildcats get another key win or can the Red Raiders keep their unbeaten run going?

TV schedule: Wednesday, November 22, 2:30 pm ET.

Arena: Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas

Following relative tumult last season, Texas Tech (3-0) is looking to bounce back nicely in the years ahead under new head coach Grant McCasland. The Red Raiders won their first three games of the season, leaning on their strong defense, but haven’t exactly played tough opposition yet. That will certainly change in the Bahamas.

Sophomore guard Pop Isaacs (11.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) is expected to have a fantastic season after really standing out as a freshman last year. Fellow sophomore Darrion Williams (11.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg) transferred in from Nevada and has become a key part of Texas Tech’s frontcourt. Another name to watch is Joe Toussaint (11.3 ppg), who spent last season at West Virginia and has Big 12 experience. Finally, big man Warren Washington (9.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg) is a 7-footer now at his fourth D1 school.

Though the Red Raiders are unranked, they sit 46th in KenPom and are at 8th in defensive efficiency in the nation. Defense has been the calling card for this program throughout its success in recent years and McCasland is going to have these guys playing hard. The Red Raiders didn’t have their best performance against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their most recent outing and are hoping to finally find their shooting touch, with abysmal numbers from outside the arc this season.

Meanwhile, it’s been an up and down affair for Villanova (3-1) who have already dropped a game but looked like a bona fide contender at other times. This is now the second season with Kyle Neptune at the helm, though the Wildcats should have the pieces in place to put last year’s disappointing season behind them.

It starts with senior guard Justin Moore (16.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) who missed a lot of last season with injury but is back in a major way for the Wildcats. Villanova is getting great contributions from Richmond transfer Tyler Burton (11.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg), who is joined in the frontcourt by another solid player in Eric Dixon (8.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg). Former Washington State guard TJ Bamba (11.3 ppg) really broke out last season and hopes to be a similar stud for the Wildcats throughout the year.

Villanova’s loss at Penn last week pushed them out of the national rankings, though they still sit 25th in KenPom, with decent numbers on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats put on a clinic on defense in their last contest against Maryland, limiting the Terrapins to just 40 points in a bounce back effort. They won’t have the same smothering effect on all of their foes, but that kind of intensity puts Villanova in a good position for this event.

All things considered, Texas Tech looks extremely untested while Villanova has already played a tough true road game and dominated a solid power conference opponent. We won’t judge these teams or this game based on that fact alone, but a lot of this matchup will come down to the defensive end. Both teams certainly have scorers, though Texas Tech’s shooters clearly are lacking early in the season, and the efforts on defense could decide the winner.

We’re leaning slightly towards Villanova, though this game should be tighter than some may think. If Texas Tech’s offense sputters again, then they could get behind big early like the Terrapins did against this team last week. This game should be a tough defensive struggle, though we’re giving the edge to the talent and experience on Villanova’s roster.

Prediction: Villanova 66, Texas Tech 62