WHERE: Viejas Arena | San Diego, CA

WHEN: 12:45 PM, Friday | Mar. 18th

WATCH IT ON: TNT

SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech is 2-1 all-time against Montana State. The Red Raiders squared off against the Bobcats three times during the 90’s, with Texas Tech winning two of the three matchups.

• The Bobcats are 27-7 on the season, and they finished first in the Big Sky with a 16-4 conference record. MSU is making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.

• Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle is a former Bobcat basketball player and was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 1996. He returned to his alma mater in 2019 and has a 56-32 (34-20) record in three seasons at the helm for MSU.

• The Bobcats have the 41st ranked scoring offense in the country, and they’re 27th in field goal percentage. MSU is 38th in three-point field goal percentage and 97th in three-pointers made.

• Montana State has the 158th ranked scoring defense in college basketball, and they’re 116th in field goal percentage allowed. The MSU defense is 167th in turnovers forced. They’re 301st in steals per game and 101st in blocks per game.

• The Bobcats are No. 125 out of 358 schools in the KenPom ratings for adjusted efficiency margin. They’re 147th in offensive efficiency and 129th in defensive efficiency.

• Montana State has two quad-one losses against Colorado and South Dakota State. They’re 5-3 against quad-three teams with wins over Portland, North Dakota State, Weber State (twice), and Southern Utah. The Bobcats lead the NCAA with 20 quad-four wins, and they have two losses against quad-four teams.

Belo is the 2022 Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player, and the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. He also earned First Team All-Big Sky honors for his efforts this season. Belo is second on the team in scoring with 13 points per game and leads Montana State in rebounds with 6.8 per game. He’s shooting an impressive 59 percent from the field and is averaging 1.8 blocks per game on the defensive end.

Bishop earned First Team All-Big Sky honors this season after leading the Bobcats in scoring and assists. He averaged 13.9 points and 4.3 assists for Montana State this season. Bishop is averaging 4.5 three-point attempts and 1.6 made threes per game, and he's shooting 34.4 percent from behind the arc. Bishop leads the team with 0.9 steals per game on the defensive end.

Adamu led Montana state in scoring last season with 14.7 points per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. He’s taken a slight step back in scoring this season at 11.6 points per game, but he’s increased his shooting efficiency. Adamu is shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the arc this season and was named to the honorable mention All-Big Sky team.

The Big Dance is finally here and awaiting the No. 3 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first round will be the No. 14 seed Montana State Bobcats of the Big Sky Conference. It’s been a 26-year drought for the Bobcats since they last made an NCAA Tournament appearance. March Madness earns its name year-in and year-out, and there are no teams that can be taken lightly this time of year.

Montana State has excelled in multiple areas on the offensive end of the court this season. They have the 41st scoring offense at 77 points per game, and they’ve been even better with their offensive efficiency. The Bobcats are 27th in team field goal percentage, shooting 47.5 percent from the field.

One area the Red Raider defense has been susceptible this season is by allowing the opposition good looks from three. The Bobcats are 38th in three-point field goal percentage, and they possess the ability to make teams pay if they’re allowed uncontested looks from deep.

They’re just inside the top-100 (97th) in three pointers made and even further behind in three-point attempts (141st). One could assume that when the Montana State coaching staff breaks down film of Tech's no-middle defense, that they will focus on the games where the defense struggled to defend the three-point line.

You hear it all the time and it continues to ring true, but the three-point shot is a great equalizer in college basketball. If the Bobcats have intentions of pulling off the upset on Friday, then they’ll need to stretch and stress the Red Raider defense by getting hot from behind the arc.

With all the success Montana State has had on offense, they’ve yet to matchup with a defense anywhere near the quality of what Texas Tech puts on the floor. The Bobcats have faced only one defense ranked inside the top 100 (Colorado No. 42) this season and will have to keep their offensive success going against the number one defense in the nation according to KenPom.

The Red Raider defense will need to be mindful of Jubrile Belo in the middle of the Montana State offense. The big fella is their second leading scorer with 13 points per game, and he makes his living attacking the paint on the offensive end. Belo averages 1.9 offensive rebounds per game, so Texas Tech will need to keep him in check on the glass and not allow the Bobcats second chance scoring opportunities.

Belo's presence is felt on both ends of the court, as the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year serves as the anchor down low for the Montana State defense. Belo averages 1.8 blocks per game and will more than likely matchup against Bryson Williams on the defensive end.

The Red Raiders haven’t faced a defense ranked outside of the top-70 since they played Alabama State back in late December. The Texas Tech offense is at their best when they attack the paint and can find the open shooters while driving inside. The Red Raiders will need to take an aggressive approach on offense against KenPom's 129th ranked Bobcat defense.

March brings the best out of big-time players, and Texas Tech has several guys capable of stepping up and carrying the load on the offensive end. The Red Raiders have to be more consistent on offense and eliminate the long scoring droughts if they intend on making a deep run in the tourney. Texas Tech will look to jumpstart their offense on Friday in San Diego.