LUBBOCK, Texas — The No.16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (20-7,10-4) look to extend their 13-1 home record against the red-hot Cincinnati Bearcats (15-12, 7-7) tonight at United Markets Arena.
Cincinnati is in the midst of a four-game win streak, its longest in conference play, following a massive 84-68 win against No.14 Kansas Saturday. With the Red Raiders snagging their third 100-point plus win of the season against Kansas State heading into this game, here are some of the keys to victory for Texas Tech tonight against Cincinnati.
Rebound… Rebound…Rebound.
Cincinnati is one of the best rebounding teams in the Big 12. The Bearcats are in the top 7 in total rebounds in the conference with their speciality on the defensive glass. Cincinnati ranks inside the top 5 in the Big 12 in total defensive rebounds largely thanks to their powerhouse frontcourt of senior forward Baba Miller and sophomore center Moustapha Thiam.
Miller currently averages a double-double and is second in the conference in total rebounds, while Thiam has been in double figures with five or more rebounds in 3 of his last 4 games. This will be the biggest test without JT Toppin for Tech, who grabbed 40 rebounds as a collective against Kansas State this weekend. Texas Tech Head Coach Grant McCasland stressed the importance of team rebounding in his pre-game press conference on Monday.
“Team rebounding is the way we are going to win,” said McCasland when asked about the importance of grabbing rebounds against a good rebounding team like Cincinnati. “We have always been that way since the time we have been here. How connected can we be on the defensive end? How well do we rebound? How well do our guards rebound every game? The better our guards rebound, the better our team usually is.”
The Red Raiders grabbed 11 rebounds across the three guards that started vs Kansas State. Without a rebounding machine like Toppin, the Texas Tech guards must chip in with rebounds while on the floor to alleviate the pressure of the Bearcats frontcourt.
Forcing Offensive Pressure, and Using the Perimeter to open up the Pick and Roll.
Pivoting from Miller and Thiam’s presence in the interior, one of the biggest keys for Tech will be the use of sophomore guard Christian Anderson getting one of Miller or Thiam into the premier to open up the pick and roll to get points inside the paint. Anderson currently leads the Big 12 with 7.7 assists per game.
The importance of forcing one of those major interior presences out of the paint opens up for cutters to get to the rim for an easy flush or to force a foul. Tech forced Kansas State to foul 18 times by using offensive pressure to overload the Wildcats defense, allowing for more options to attack the rim, forcing defenders to foul, and resulting in more trips to the free throw line. How the Red Raiders offensively get points in the interior will be one of the biggest keys to victory for Texas Tech.
Draining 3-pointers from Beyond the Arc.
It’s no secret that Texas Tech is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 and are 5th in the nation in made 3s per game. Tech shot a whopping 46% from beyond the arc against Kansas State, putting up 28 shots from three-point range.
Tech was led by senior guard Donovan Atwell, who knocked down his 100th 3-pointer on the year, setting the new single-season record for made 3s. Cincinnati is allowing opponents more than 20 looks from 3-point range in its last four games. Texas Tech will need to take advantage of its ability to sink shots from downtown with Atwell, Anderson, and freshman guard Jaylen Petty, along with others who can all knock down shots from range.
Tonight’s match-up could be a major matchup down the stretch for both sides. Nonetheless, these keys just scratch the surface of what Texas Tech will need to do to snag a victory vs Cincinnati. Tip-off between Texas Tech and Cincinnati is set for 6:00 p.m. CST on ESPN2 at United Markets Arena.
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