Two teams coming off big second halves with different outcomes collide in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday with a goal of staying in the upper echelon of the Big 12 Conference standings.
TCU heads to Texas Tech for a second meeting this season as both teams remain in the mix in the standings bottleneck, two games out of first place entering Monday with three weeks left in the regular season. The Horned Frogs beat the visiting Red Raiders 85-78 on Jan. 30 in Fort Worth.
The Horned Frogs (18-7, 7-5) bring a jolt of momentum with them after a buzz-beater thriller on the road against Kansas State on Saturday. Jameer Nelson Jr. buried a stepback 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go to nail down a 75-72 win.
That last shot capped a 51-point second half for TCU that helped erase a 28-24 halftime deficit. The Horned Frogs caught fire from the floor, hitting 16 of 29 overall (55.2 percent) and 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Nelson supplied the game-winner, but the star was Micah Peavy, who registered a career-best 26 points and collected nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
“In the second half we battled and we attacked,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “We got some stops and deflections and breakouts so that was part of it, but when you get 51 points in the second half, it was really offense that won it for us.”
The Red Raiders (18-7, 7-5) found their offensive rhythm in the second half, as well, in an 82-74 road loss at then-No. 10 Iowa State. Down by as many 21 points with less than 11 1/2 minutes to go, Texas Tech scrambled back late in the game with a big second half from beyond the arc (7 of 18).
But the Cyclones’ defense was too much to overcome, creating 16 Red Raiders turnovers — their most in a Big 12 game this season — and Iowa State generated a dominating 28-0 advantage on points off turnovers.
Playing without starting center Warren Washington (foot injury), Texas Tech also struggled to compete inside and got outscored 44-22 in the paint. Washington’s status is unknown for Tuesday.
“I thought we scrapped more in the second half,” Red Raiders coach Grant McCasland said. “I thought we got after it and got into the mix. We didn’t back away. We were more aggressive trying to get loose balls.”
Texas Tech will also need Pop Isaacs to get back on track. The Red Raiders’ leading scorer (16.1 points per game) has slumped the last three outings with 22 total points, making only 5 of 33 field goals and 2 of 18 tries from 3-point territory.
Darrion Williams has picked up some of the slack with three straight double-doubles (including 12 points and 11 rebounds vs. Iowa State). Robert Jennings stepped into the starting lineup for Washington and responded with 13 points and five rebounds against the Cyclones.
A key for Texas Tech could be well-traveled senior guard Joe Toussaint. He is providing 12.5 points a game and leads the Red Raiders with 104 assists. He and Isaacs will match up with Peavy — who began his career at Texas Tech — and Nelson in a matchup of two of the Big 12’s best backcourts.
–Field Level Media
