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in Texas Longhorns Basketball By Chris Flanagan
On Saturday, Big 12 play begins for Texas basketball, as they to Lubbock to open conference play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Texas Tech quick facts:
Record: 10-3
Key victories: Auburn, Fresno State
Bad losses: Loyola-Chicago, Houston
Preview:
Texas Tech was hot out of the gate, posting a 10-1 record before playing in a Christmas tournament in Las Vegas. With losses in Vegas to Loyola-Chicago and Houston, the perception of Texas Tech basketball has changed drastically.
In only his second year, Head Coach Tubby Smith has already brought in difference makers for the Red Raiders, as evidenced by 3 of the top 4 scorers on the team being from the freshmen recruiting class. Freshman Devaugntah Williams is the leading scorer for the Texas Tech. While the future is bright for the Red Raiders, right now this team is making a lot of Freshman mistakes.
The key to this game is for the Horns to return to the form that had them dominating opponents in the first half of nonconference play. There's no question that this Texas team has not been the same since the Kentucky game. The defense has been slow off of ball screens, which is leading to wide-open three point shots.
The story line in Lubbock is whether the Longhorns will be able to shut down the perimeter and force the Red Raiders to go inside. Making Texas Tech attack the paint favors Texas courtesy of strong defensive play from Cameron Ridley and Myles Turner.
The other main subplot to this game is whether Isaiah Taylor will return to the floor. It looks unlikely that Taylor will play against Tech, but it is possible. A more likely scenario is to have Taylor return for the Big Monday game against Oklahoma. Either way, the Longhorns should beat Tech, although it will be a close game.
Prediction:
Texas wins 65-61
