PREVIEW: No. 14 Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State

After an incredible upset of (then) No. 4 OU in Stillwater, which featured an electrifying court rush, Mike Boynton and the Cowboys look to head down to Lubbock in search of their first road victory in Big 12 play.

Who: No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-4, 4-3 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-6, 3-4)

Where: United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, TX

When: 6:00 PM CT

Channel: ESPNNews

Stream: WatchESPN

Odds: Texas Tech (-10.5) | O/U: 140.5

After what was undoubtedly the biggest win of Mike Boynton’s young career as a head coach, he looks to take his team into Red Raider country and capture his second straight upset. Standing in his way is Chris Beard and Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders are looking to avoid their third consecutive loss, having dropped the last two on the road to Texas and Iowa State - the latter being the cellar dweller of the Big 12.

Despite the two losses, TTU is still fourth in a crowded Big 12 race, two games behind Kansas. Boynton has a tall task ahead of him tonight, as the Red Raiders are undefeated on their own court.

Texas Tech is led by senior Keenan Evans - and they have relied on him even more as of late. The 6’3 guard is averaging 16.6 ppg this season to go along with 3.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. However, he shot a combined 5-of-20 in the last two losses. If this season is any indication, that means Evans will likely have the game of his life tonight, as so many opposing stars seems to do against the Cowboys.

Texas Tech is still adjusting to life without Zach Smith. The senior injured his foot against Kansas State, and has not been seen since. Our sister site, Viva The Matadors, talked about the absence of Smith.

“The Red Raiders are now forcing tough shots, and driving to the bucket less. This is a destructive way to play basketball for a team whose identity has been to pound the ball inside and get to the line. This team misses Zach Smith more than the 1-3 record in his absence shows...Smith provided an inside-outside punch that was harder to defend. Without a huge offensive presence inside, the Red Raiders have now seem to become one-dimensional.

This could be huge for the Cowboys. If they can clamp down on the interior and force the Red Raiders to take the contested jump shots, Mike Boynton may have a fighting chance.

The Red Raiders won’t tower over the Cowboys either, so Mitchell Solomon and Yankuna Sima should be able to match up nicely down low. If they play good defense and don’t get out of position, it could force TTU to throw up shots.

Prediction:

I’m not sure if the Cowboys can beat the Red Raiders that are desperate for a win. Especially not in the hostile confines of Lubbock. I think the Cowboys will come out and be motivated and not look like they did in Kansas State.

I think the Cowboys will cover the 10.5 point spread - the largest spread they have faced this season - but ultimately fall.

Red Raiders 74, Cowboys 67