RED RAIDER PREVIEW: vs Incarnate Word
No. 15 Texas Tech vs. Cardinals | 6 p.m., Tuesday | TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will begin a three-game home stand by hosting Incarnate Word at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in a non-conference game before returning to Big 12 play against Oklahoma State on Saturday, Jan. 2 and Kansas State on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at the United Supermarkets Arena.
The No. 15-ranked Red Raiders (7-2, 1-1 Big 12) enter the final week on the 2020 calendar ranked fourth in the nation by limiting teams to only 54.0 points per game through nine games and are sixth with a 7.9 turnover margin advantage and ninth with 19.56 turnovers forced per game. TTU, which is coming off a 69-67 road win over Oklahoma on Dec. 22, leads the Big 12 and is 14th in the nation by holding opponents to 36.6 percent shooting. The team has 71 steals, topping the conference and coming in at 24th nationally.
Incarnate Word (1-3, 0-0 Southland) has not played since Dec. 5 when it took a 72-64 loss to Texas State after falling in overtime to Wyoming on Dec. 2. The Cardinals have a win over Our Lady of the Lake on their resume after a season-opening 68-53 loss to Rice, but had games against Grambling, UTRGV, Arizona State and a rematch against Rice canceled leading into the matchup against the Red Raiders. Tech is currently 6-1 in non-conference play this season, including going 4-0 against Southland Conference opponents Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. TTU will have one more non-conference game this season when it travels to play LSU on Saturday, Jan. 30 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Texas Tech head coach Chris Beardwas an Incarnate Word graduate assistant in 1995-96 for head coach for head coach Danny Kaspar after graduating from the University of Texas. Beard is 68-10 at home as the Red Raider head coach and is 101-46 in his fifth season.
The game is part of a TTU-UIW doubleheader with the women's game set for 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.
