First under Chris Beard and now under second-year coach Mark Adams, Texas Tech has been a team that wins with stifling defense and just enough offense.
However, the Red Raiders have shown at times this season that they might have more firepower to be able to outscore teams when required.
That offense could be on display again Tuesday night in Lubbock, Texas, when the Red Raiders return from their Christmas break with a home game against struggling South Carolina State.
Texas Tech (9-2) got 22 points apiece from De’Vion Harmon and Kevin Obanor in a 111-67 rout of Houston Christian on Wednesday, marking the first time since 1996 that the Red Raiders notched consecutive 100-point games. They beat Jackson State 102-52 on Dec. 17.
“To heck with defense, we’re going to try to hit the century mark every time,” Adams cracked. “We’ve said all along that shooting could be a strength of this team. We pushed the ball and played with pace.
“We want to be aggressive on both ends, and our guys are starting to buy into that.”
Led by Obanor’s 15.9 points per game, the Red Raiders are averaging 79.1 points and canning 49.8 percent of their shots, which ranked 21st in Division I through the weekend. Texas Tech is fairly efficient across the board on offense, making 73.9 percent of shots at the foul line and sinking 35.2 percent of its 3-point attempts.
Those numbers could get another spike upward after playing the Bulldogs (2-12). Opponents are connecting on 50.5 percent of attempts from the field (third-worst figure in the nation) and 36.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while scoring 86.7 points per game (second-worst average in the country).
The Bulldogs are coming off last Tuesday’s 104-77 loss at Longwood in which South Carolina State’s Rakeim Gary and Cameron Jones scored 21 points each. South Carolina State allowed 66 second-half points and 29 fastbreak points to the Lancers, who had seven players score in double figures.
This will be the second meeting of the programs. Texas Tech won the first one 101-39 on Dec. 17, 2014.
–Field Level Media
