TTU men’s basketball is set to take on Number 15 Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon

Article by Jayden Santos
Alpha Media Intern

LUBBOCK, Texas – After a week-long break, the Texas Tech men’s basketball team is taking on NO.15 Oklahoma on Saturday, January 27th, at 1:00 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman Oklahoma.

The Red Raiders (15-3, 4-1 Big 12) are coming off a huge win against conference opponent BYU last Saturday, 85-78, erasing a 16-point deficit at the half. 

After struggling in the past two games vs Kansas State scoring 10 and against Houston scoring 12, Pop Issacs found his stride when it mattered most.

Pop Issacs led the Raiders with 32 points, followed by Warren Washington with 19. Both Warren Washington and Darion Williams led the Raiders in rebounds, with Washington having 9 and Williams with 8.

The Oklahoma Sooners (15-3, 3-2 Big 12) are no strangers to the challenges of the Big 12 conference. OU is coming off conference wins versus West Virginia and Cincinnati, with a big conference game against the Longhorns coming up.

The Red Raiders are averaging 76.7 points per game, with a 117.0 offensive rating compared to a 101.0 defensive rating. The Sooners are averaging 79.3 points per game with a 116.2 offensive rating and a 95.3 defensive rating.

The key players to look for on the Red Raiders are Pop Issacs, Warren Washington, and Joe Toussaint. Issacs is leading the Raiders with 16.9 points per game, with Toussaint following with 13.3. Issacs and Washington will be looking to duplicate their efforts from last week’s win against

BYU, with Issacs scoring 32 and Washington with 19. Toussaint will look for a bounce-back game after struggling from the floor, only scoring 5 points.

As for the Sooners, guard Javian McCollum is leading the team with 14.9 points per game, with guard Otega Oweh scoring 14.1. McCollum and Oweh will be looking to build upon their last game versus Cincinnati, with McCollum scoring a team-high 16 points and Oweh with 14.

The Sooners are hoping to utilize home-court advantage, with 74% of games in the BIG 12 being won by the home team. The Sooners boast a (11-0) record at home while the Red Raiders are (1-2) on the road.

This game will have huge implications on the fight to win the Big 12 conference. The Sooners rank #23 in the quad rankings, while the Red Raiders rank #35. 

The Sooners have quad 1 wins over Iowa, Iowa State and BYU. The Red Raiders have quad 1 wins over Texas and BYU. Within the Big 12 conference, the Sooners place number six and the Raiders follow at number seven.

The winner of this game will receive a quad one win as well as jumping forward in the NCAA rankings. 

With the stage set for a thrilling encounter, will the Red Raiders be able to overcome the odds? Or will the Sooners become 4-2 in conference play and maintain their perfect home record.

Don’t miss the action this Saturday, January 27th, at 1:00 p.m. in the Lloyd Noble Center for a top 25 matchup.