Waco, TX (My Sportsbook) - The 23rd-ranked Baylor Bears are loaded with talent, and they welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders to Lubbock for the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.
Texas Tech has lost two of its last three outings to fall to 10-5 overall, and the team is winless in three true road games to date. On Tuesday, the Red Raiders played on their home floor against TCU, and the result was a disappointing 85-80 setback. Other losses have come to Lamar and UTEP, so coach Pat Knight has plenty to prove as league play begins.
Baylor has now been ranked in the Top-25 for a school-record six consecutive weeks. Also, the program is ranked heading into conference play for the first time ever. The Bears have been idle since January 2nd when they lost to South Carolina in an 85-84 final. That defeat halted a six-game win streak.
Texas Tech owns a 73-43 series lead over Baylor, but the Bears have won the last two meetings.
Texas Tech has been able to score the ball successfully this season, as the club is racking up 83.2 ppg. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders are permitting 78.0 ppg, and they are being outrebounded as well. John Roberson leads Tech in scoring by a narrow margin with his 14.9 ppg, and Alan Voskuil checks in with 14.5 ppg on the strength of his 45.7 percent shooting from three-point range. Mike Singletary provides 11.0 ppg, and Nick Okorie adds 10.5 ppg. Voskuil and Singletary scored 22 points apiece against TCU on Tuesday, but the efforts of those two players weren't enough to avoid defeat. Okorie pitched in 13 points in the setback, and Roberson tallied 11 points for the Red Raiders, who turned the ball over 16 times and allowed the Horned Frogs to hit better than 49 percent of their shots from the field.
Baylor is tremendously balanced at the offensive end, as five players are averaging double figures in scoring. Curtis Jerrells provides 16.7 ppg, and he has dished out 87 assists. LaceDarius Dunn checks in with 15.9 ppg, and Henry Dugat is contributing 13.8 ppg. Kevin Rogers (12.1 ppg) and Tweety Carter (11.2 ppg) round out the tremendously impressive group. The Bears are generating 83.5 ppg on 49.8 percent field goal efficiency, and they are limiting opponents to 65.4 ppg on 40.2 percent accuracy from the floor. In the heartbreaking loss to South Carolina, Baylor got 22 points and 10 assists from Jerrells, while Carter tallied 18 points. Dugat scored 16 points, and Rogers finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Unfortunately, the Bears didn't play well enough to win at the defensive end, as they permitted the Gamecocks to shoot 54 percent from the floor.
