Kansas basketball: Texas Tech rematch, where to watch
By Stan Unruh
Kansas basketball is set for a west Texas showdown. Here are few things to know for the Jayhawks rematch with the Red Raiders.
It has been 8 weeks since the Kansas basketball team lost to Texas Tech at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have had numerous ups and down during the past two months. Bill Self’s guys lost games we thought they should win and come up big in road contests. We said goodbye Billy Preston and watched Mitch Lightfoot and Silvio De Sousa provide additional front court depth.
The Jayhawks are a much better team than the uninspired team we watched on January 2. Texas Tech is a different team too. The continue to impress the pollsters and come into Saturday’s rematch ranked No. 6 in the nation. They are above the Jayhawks in the Associated Press poll but below the Crimson and Blue in the Big 12 standings.
In the January meeting, the Jayhawks had a terrible first half and never recovered. Devonte Graham’s 27 points looked good on paper but the team shot just 23 percent from beyond the arc. If they Jayhawks shoot similar to what we saw on Monday blowout of Oklahoma this game won’t be close.
The big question mark for Tech is the availability of senior guard Keenan Evans. On Wednesday in Stillwater, the Big 12 second leading scorer, player of the year candidate finished with just two points in 25 minutes due a toe injury. As a matter of fact, he scored only two points in the loss at Baylor last Saturday. Don’t count Evans out Saturday. He will be ready to defend the home court in the biggest game of the season.
Here is where to watch the Jayhawks play the Raiders
Date: February 24
Time: 3:15 p.m. CST
Location: Lubbock
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Television: ESPN
Streaming: Watch ESPN
Listen: Jayhawk Radio Network
Next: Devonte Graham will need help to beat Texas Tech
Keys to victory
The Red Raiders are far more talented than just Keenan Evans. A pair of freshmen Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver have stepped up the past two games. The Jayhawks can’t let the 6-foot-5 Smith get rolling. He scored 18 on Wednesday night. Culver is also averaging double digits in scoring. Justin Gray and Norense Odiase are both talented and were successful in the January contest.
Lagerald Vick scored just two points in the first meeting. He needs to continue right where he left off in the Oklahoma rout. Devonte Graham will get his points. If the Jayhawks get a positive contribution from Vick and keep Udoka Azubuike out of foul trouble, they should hand Tech a third straight loss.