GAME DETAILS
WHERE: United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, TX
WHEN: Thursday, November 10th at 7:00 PM
WATCH IT ON: ESPN+
SERIES HISTORY: The Red Raiders have played Texas Southern just once before. The 2013 matchup in Lubbock ended in an 80-71 Texas Tech win.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: TEXAS SOUTHERN
2021 RECORD: 19-13 (13-5 SWAC)
HEAD COACH: Johnny Jones
2022 RECORD: 0-1
Texas Southern is coming off quite an impressive season in 2021, a year in which the Tigers finished second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and made March Madness, thanks to a post-season conference tournament championship. TSU also became the first team in SWAC history to defeat a ranked SEC squad after their 69-54 win over 20th-ranked Florida in 2021. Picked as the favorite to win the SWAC heading into the 2022-23 season, Texas Southern earned a whopping 14 first-place votes overall, an honor clearly indicative of Head Coach Johnny Jones' success with the Tigers as he enters his fifth season at the helm.
The Tigers' first contest of the 2022 season ended in a 90-77 loss to San Fransisco, a game in which they allowed the Dons to shoot 31-51 (60.8%) from the field and 11-23 (47.8%) from three. Texas Southern was also severely outplayed on the glass, grabbing just 24 rebounds to San Fransisco's 48.
Three Tigers to keep an eye on:
1) PJ Henry (5-10, G)
Hartford transfer PJ Henry led Texas Southern in scoring on Monday with 21 points. The 5-10 senior guard is quick and can score from anywhere on the floor but isn't particularly efficient, shooting around 30% from three and 39% from the field for his career. Henry also led TSU in shots taken (17) in the Tigers' first game of 2022 and was able to get to the free-throw line 4 times.
2) Karl Nicholas (6-9, F)
Karl Nicholas, a 6-9 forward with great length and defensive instincts earned SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and All-SWAC First Team honors. Nicholas finished second on the Tigers last year (9 ppg) and second in rebounds (6 rpg) and is usually one of the best athletes on the court at any given time.
3) John Walker III (6-9, F)
Former Texas A&M Aggie John Walker III, a second-team All-SWAC honoree, led TSU in scoring in 2021 and is another fantastic shot blocker for the Tigers. Last year in Texas Southern's 83-56 loss to Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Walker scored 13 points and accounted for four total blocks. The 6-9 forward scored 19 in TSU's season opener on Monday and loves to score in the paint.
MATCHUP PREDICTION
This is a game that Texas Tech should dominate. There's no way around it.
Yes, Texas Southern is a good team and has proven capable of the occasional spoiler, but there is no reason that the Red Raiders should struggle at all. I see this game as Thursday dominated by the Red Raiders' continued success in scoring efficiently and rebounding the ball. The Red Raiders do need to clean up the turnovers (20 against Northwestern State), but should easily cruise by Texas Southern in what figures to be another great crowd at the USA.
Daniel Batcho continues his hot start to the season and Kevin Obanor sinks 4+ threes as the Red Raiders get off to a fast start and maintain a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
Score Prediction
Texas Tech - 78
Texas Southern - 55
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