It once again feels like a lifetime since we last saw Texas Tech in action on the hardwood but here we are with the Red Raiders set to host their penultimate contest until Big 12 play, welcoming Oral Roberts to Lubbock Monday evening.
The Golden Eagles are in their second season under coach Russell Springman, who took over the job after Paul Mills went on to become the head coach at Wichita State. Springman’s debut season was rough sledding, with ORU going an underwhelming 12-19 on the season and only winning five games out of a 16 game conference slate.
This was a far cry from the 30-5 record the Golden Eagles posted in the 2022-23 season, and so far in 2024-25, things are not looking much better. ORU currently sits with a record of 3-7, with wins over Ozark Christian, Haskell and Northern Arizona.
The matchup in Lubbock is the first of a two-game spell for the Golden Eagles against Big 12 competition. After Monday’s game, the Golden Eagles will hit the road again to take on Oklahoma State Dec. 22. ORU has played two power conference schools so far this season, losing 80-57 to Minnesota in the season opener before suffering a massive 100-68 loss to Ole Miss the week before Thanksgiving.
The Golden Eagles sit at No. 297 in KenPom, while the Red Raiders have maintained top 25 status right at No. 25.
It is the second straight season the two teams will meet, with last season’s matchup proving to be a tough one for Tech as it duked out an 82-76 win in Lubbock, in a game that was admittedly much closer than it should have been.
Isaac McBride is one of the key returners for Springman this season and is the only returner who logged minutes in the meeting between the two sides last season. McBride was an engine for the Golden Eagles last season averaging 19.8 points per game, and he has continued those ways, albeit with a slight drop off, scoring at around 16.3 per night this season.
McBride wants to shoot the deep ball, and has a tendency to fall in love with it, but I think he is much better as a downhill threat than he is as a long-range weapon. Last season McBride shot 3-11 from deep in the USA, and nearly half of his makes this season have been from deep.
However, where I think McBride will be able to exploit the Tech defense is with his ability to absorb contact driving to the lane. He does an excellent job of operating in the PNR and he is not afraid to use his off-hand to bump defenders and create space. McBride is 49-52 from the free throw line this season, so when he has gotten downhill and taken contact, he is basically automatic at the stripe.
Interesting matchup to pay attention to, particularly since we’re expecting JT Toppin to play, is how the Red Raiders handle a guy like Josh Jones, No. 22. Jones stands 6-foot-8 and is listed at 242 pounds and he is every bit of that 242. Plays big down low and is good with his hands. Very good at playing straight up when his opposition has the ball underneath so keeping an eye on what Fede Federiko or Eemeli Yalaho might be able to offer in that regard will be key.
The X-factor for ORU in my eyes will be Sam Alajiki, a transfer from Rice who has started in all but one game this season for the Golden Eagles. A native of Ireland, Alajiki will be easily identified by his jersey number 64, but he will be someone that could potentially cause some problems for the Red Raiders. Alajiki is 6-foot-6 and 237 pounds, and a lot like Jones, uses his body effectively to muscle defenders. Alajiki does a little bit of everything.
He is effective when he puts his head down and gets to the basket, but he has also shown a willingness to contribute as a catch-and-shoot threat. Alajiki has shot at least five threes this season in six games, his best performance coming against Belmont when he went 5-for-9. That was part of a season-high 28 point display where he unloaded the bag on Belmont.
The line for this game, at least when I’m writing this, is -26.5 in favor of the Red Raiders. It was hard to take much of anything away from the games Tech played without Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson and I feel the same can almost be said without JT Toppin.
This is a game that the Red Raiders should win substantially, maybe not like a diabolical blowout but a close game would be worrisome.
Unlike last season where ORU played it close against Texas A&M and Kansas State (ORU pushed Jerome Tang to OT), the Golden Eagles have been blasted by their power competition this season and the Red Raiders should get the job done handily Monday.
@ALL HANDS
The Golden Eagles are in their second season under coach Russell Springman, who took over the job after Paul Mills went on to become the head coach at Wichita State. Springman’s debut season was rough sledding, with ORU going an underwhelming 12-19 on the season and only winning five games out of a 16 game conference slate.
This was a far cry from the 30-5 record the Golden Eagles posted in the 2022-23 season, and so far in 2024-25, things are not looking much better. ORU currently sits with a record of 3-7, with wins over Ozark Christian, Haskell and Northern Arizona.
The matchup in Lubbock is the first of a two-game spell for the Golden Eagles against Big 12 competition. After Monday’s game, the Golden Eagles will hit the road again to take on Oklahoma State Dec. 22. ORU has played two power conference schools so far this season, losing 80-57 to Minnesota in the season opener before suffering a massive 100-68 loss to Ole Miss the week before Thanksgiving.
The Golden Eagles sit at No. 297 in KenPom, while the Red Raiders have maintained top 25 status right at No. 25.
It is the second straight season the two teams will meet, with last season’s matchup proving to be a tough one for Tech as it duked out an 82-76 win in Lubbock, in a game that was admittedly much closer than it should have been.
Isaac McBride is one of the key returners for Springman this season and is the only returner who logged minutes in the meeting between the two sides last season. McBride was an engine for the Golden Eagles last season averaging 19.8 points per game, and he has continued those ways, albeit with a slight drop off, scoring at around 16.3 per night this season.
McBride wants to shoot the deep ball, and has a tendency to fall in love with it, but I think he is much better as a downhill threat than he is as a long-range weapon. Last season McBride shot 3-11 from deep in the USA, and nearly half of his makes this season have been from deep.
However, where I think McBride will be able to exploit the Tech defense is with his ability to absorb contact driving to the lane. He does an excellent job of operating in the PNR and he is not afraid to use his off-hand to bump defenders and create space. McBride is 49-52 from the free throw line this season, so when he has gotten downhill and taken contact, he is basically automatic at the stripe.
Interesting matchup to pay attention to, particularly since we’re expecting JT Toppin to play, is how the Red Raiders handle a guy like Josh Jones, No. 22. Jones stands 6-foot-8 and is listed at 242 pounds and he is every bit of that 242. Plays big down low and is good with his hands. Very good at playing straight up when his opposition has the ball underneath so keeping an eye on what Fede Federiko or Eemeli Yalaho might be able to offer in that regard will be key.
The X-factor for ORU in my eyes will be Sam Alajiki, a transfer from Rice who has started in all but one game this season for the Golden Eagles. A native of Ireland, Alajiki will be easily identified by his jersey number 64, but he will be someone that could potentially cause some problems for the Red Raiders. Alajiki is 6-foot-6 and 237 pounds, and a lot like Jones, uses his body effectively to muscle defenders. Alajiki does a little bit of everything.
He is effective when he puts his head down and gets to the basket, but he has also shown a willingness to contribute as a catch-and-shoot threat. Alajiki has shot at least five threes this season in six games, his best performance coming against Belmont when he went 5-for-9. That was part of a season-high 28 point display where he unloaded the bag on Belmont.
The line for this game, at least when I’m writing this, is -26.5 in favor of the Red Raiders. It was hard to take much of anything away from the games Tech played without Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson and I feel the same can almost be said without JT Toppin.
This is a game that the Red Raiders should win substantially, maybe not like a diabolical blowout but a close game would be worrisome.
Unlike last season where ORU played it close against Texas A&M and Kansas State (ORU pushed Jerome Tang to OT), the Golden Eagles have been blasted by their power competition this season and the Red Raiders should get the job done handily Monday.
@ALL HANDS
