No. 20 BYU (22-9) vs. No. 25 Texas Tech (22-9)
Hint: Thursday, 10:30 a.m. PDT.
venue: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
tv set: ESPN2.
Live stream: Watch ESPN.
wireless: 102.7pm / 1160am
series: BYU leads 3-2.
trend
For BYU: The Cougars (23-9, 11-8) are the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, coming off a second-round win over UCF. The Cougars have won four of their past five games and are ranked 12th in the NET rankings. BYU is undefeated at 6-7 against Quad 1 opponents, 5-2 against Quad 2 opponents and 12-0 against Quad 3 opponents. Quad 4 opponents.
For Texas Tech University: The Red Raiders (22-9, 11-7) defeated No. 11 Baylor on Wednesday in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, winning four straight (including three straight) in their last six games. Texas Tech is one of seven Big 12 teams ranked in the NET's top 30, moving him to No. 29 ahead of the Bears.
Quotable
“We had some luck and some good ball movement. The players went on offense from the start of the game and played hard, like we talk about every day.” — BYU coach Mark Pope.
“What I like about our team right now is they want to win. People who play the game thinking about how they can personally benefit from the game. There's no one there, and you'll see our guys having fun playing together. Everyone takes responsibility for the mistakes they make and does what they can to help each other win. I'm just trying to do my part as best as I can. That's postseason basketball, and we'll win. So judging by the love we have for each other, I think we're ready.” — Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland.
stakes
For BYU: At this point, the Cougars are a sure-fire team to make the NCAA Tournament. Most projections place them around the No. 5 seed in the Big Dance. Winning the Big 12 tournament in the league's first year would be memorable, but barring BYU's unexpected performance, the tournament offers little more than bragging rights.
For Texas Tech University: The Red Raiders are projected to be a No. 5 to No. 8 seeded NCAA Tournament team. A strong performance in the conference tournament would ensure a better seeding and a Big Dance opening weekend destination, not to mention getting the Red Raiders' program back on track as they play for the 2022 Big 12 Championship. right.
Featured players
For BYU: Guards become even more important in the postseason. This has been the case for many years now. That's why Cougars point guard Darrin Hall is projected to be a player to watch for BYU. Against UCF, Hall was under control, posting 13 points and four assists despite three turnovers. The focus will be on limiting turnovers for Hall against Texas Tech, and a big game from the Fremont High School product should mean a positive outcome for the Cougars.
For Texas Tech University: The Red Raiders have two notable guards in Pop Isaacs and Joe Toussaint. Isaacs is the better scorer, averaging a team-high 16 points per game, while Toussaint is the better facilitator, dishing out 4.4 assists per game. However, neither player may be worth paying attention to. That honor should go to Darrion Williams. Shooting will be the most important heading into March, and Williams is a knockdown 3-point shooter (47.1%). If he plays, Texas Tech will be in a great position to win.
