Nuts & Bolts Preview: Kansas @ Texas Tech

Kansas vs. Texas Tech

No. 9 Kansas (24-5, 13-1 Big 12) closes out its regular-season with games at Texas Tech (12-17, 2-12 Big 12) on Wednesday and Texas Saturday. The Jayhawks sit at 13-1 in the Big 12 race and a win in either game will give KU its fifth-straight, ninth Big 12 and NCAA Division I all-time high 52nd conference regular-season title. Kansas takes a five-game winning streak to Lubbock after its 90-65 win against Border Showdown foe Missouri on Sunday. Kansas moved up to No. 9 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ polls released March 2. It marks the first time KU has been ranked in the top 10 since the final polls of the 2007-08 season. Texas Tech is looking to snap a six-game losing streak on Wednesday after its 78-63 loss to Oklahoma Saturday.

Denver's Thoughts...

No way, no how should this trip to the lone star state result in anything but locking up a 5th consecutive Big 12 title.  No way...now how...so why am I nervous?  Not sure maybe it's the memory of Darryl Dora knocking in a desperation three and the knockout punch in 2005.  Maybe it's the fact that we absolutely humiliated the Red Raiders last year and Robert Montgomery and Pat Knight might be sitting in a bunker right now plotting their revenge.  I hope neither is true and I do think we come out with a win fairly easily but in the back of my mind...I'm nervous. 

Score Prediction: Kansas 81 Texas Tech 66

Team Stat Averages

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
	KU	77.8	48.7	72.5	39.0	41.8	12.0	27.1	16.5	14.9	7.0	4.5	19.4
	TTU	77.8	45.4	71.8	37.1	39.3	10.6	25.3	15.7	14.7	5.7	3.1	21.7
	KU Opponents	64.8	38.2	70.3	32.6	34.0	11.2	20.0	12.7	13.9	7.2	3.0	20.3
	TTU Opponents	79.3	44.3	70.2	35.6	41.6	12.4	25.8	13.4	13.9	8.1	3.0	20.2

Full preview and further breakdown after the jump...

Kansas has been guaranteed a bye in the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship to be played at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.  The Jayhawks can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed in the event. KU has won the event each of the last three seasons and six times since the inception of the league in 1996-97. 

Kansas is three points from being undefeated in Big 12 play and is 6-1 on the road in conference action this season. The Jayhawks have won five straight and 13 of their last 14 games with the lone loss at Missouri, 62-60, on Feb. 9. The Jayhawks are averaging 77.8 points per game and giving up 64.8 for a +13.0 scoring margin. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.2 percent, rebound defense at 31.2 and rebound margin at +7.9. In conference play, KU leads the conference in scoring margin (+12.6), field goal percentage (50.5), field goal percentage defense (37.9), three-point field goal percentage (42.3), three-point field goal percentage defense (30.9), rebounding (38.4), rebounding defense (28.9) and rebound margin (+9.5).

Texas Tech is 12-17 overall and 2-12 in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders won their first five games of the season, yet have gone 7-17 since and are looking to snap a six-game losing streak. Tech is 11-6 at home and its two league wins have come at the United Spirit Arena. Texas Tech is scoring 77.8 points per game and giving up 79.3. Tech makes 7.1 three pointers per contest. Sophomore guard John Roberson is one of four Red Raiders averaging double figures with a team-high 14.3 points
per game. He leads the Big 12 with 6.5 assists per game and his 65 three pointers are second most on the team behind senior guard Alan Voskuil’s 78. Voskuil is scoring 13.8 points per game and has a team best 36 steals. He is second on the squad with 4.1 rebounds per contest.

Meet the Opposing Coach

Texas Tech head coach Pat Knight literally got thrown into the fire when his legendary father, Bob, resigned Feb. 4, 2008. Pat Knight’s first collegiate head coaching position has him at 16-24. Knight is in his eighth season at Texas Tech with the first six-plus seasons as an assistant to Bob Knight, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. After his four year collegiate playing career
at Indiana (1991-95), Knight joined the staff of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns where he served as an administrative assistant and scout. In 1997, he was an assistant coach for the CBA’s Connecticut Pride.  In 1998, Knight was named to his first head coaching position as the leader of the Wisconsin Blast of the International Basketball Association. After serving as an assistant at Indiana for two years and one season as an assistant coach at Akron, Knight followed his father to Texas Tech in 2001-02 to be an assistant coach. He was named head coach designate prior to the 2005-06 season.

This series dates back to 1959 and Kansas leads 17-3. Texas Tech has won two of the last four meetings against Kansas with both victories in Lubbock. Kansas leads 6-3 against Tech in games played in Lubbock and the series is tied at 2-2 in games played in the United Spirit Arena. Texas Tech has won the last two meetings in the facility – 80-79 in double overtime in 2005 and 69-64 in 2007.  Since the Big 12 started, KU leads 10-3 with a 9-3 mark in the regular season and a 1-0 record in the
Big 12 Championship. On Kansas’ Senior Day last season, KU’s 109-51 win was the widest margin of victory (58 points) in a Big 12 regular-season game in the 13-year history of the conference. Then- KU freshman Cole Aldrich had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the game. Sherron Collins scored 13 for the game.

Improve Kansas to 25-5 on the season and be KU's fourth-straight season with at least 25 wins dating back to 2005-06…

Make KU 14-1 in Big 12 play, its best conference 15-game record since the 2001-02 team went 16-0…

Give Kansas at least a share of its fifth straight, ninth Big 12 and 52nd overall conference regular-season title…

Be Kansas’ sixth-straight win…

Mark the sixth time in Big 12 history Kansas has won 14 conference games with the five others winning the league outright…

Make the all-time series with Texas Tech 18-3, including 7-3 in games played in Lubbock, 3-2 in United Spirit Arena and 11-3 in the Big 12 era…

Improve Bill Self to 167-37 while at KU, 374-142 overall and 5-5 against Texas Tech, 4-2 while at KU…

Make Kansas 1,968-790 all-time.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

A look at favorite players and figures from the opponents past...

Andre Emmett

Tony Battie....

Bobby Knight

...not a whole lot else since I've been paying attention to these guys any help would be greatly appreciated.

Upcoming Schedule