WHERE: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, TX

WHEN: 8:00 PM, Tuesday | Jan. 18th

WATCH IT ON: ESPN U

SERIES HISTORY: Texas Tech is 18-20 all-time against Iowa State. The Red Raiders had won five straight matchups before losing in Ames, 51-47, two weeks ago.

Iowa State has a 14-3 record this season and they’re 2-3 in Big 12 Conference play. The Cyclones are ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They have four wins over teams in the AP Top 25 (No. 25 Xavier, No. 9 Memphis, No. 25 Texas Tech, No. 21 Texas). ISU was picked to finish last in the 2021 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll.

In their previous matchup, the Iowa State defense held Texas Tech to their third worst shooting performance (38.8%) and their lowest scoring total of the season (47). They’re 1-2 since playing the Red Raiders with losses at Oklahoma, at No. 9 Kansas, and a home win over No. 21 Texas.

The Cyclones are a defensive basketball team, and they excel at creating turnovers against the opposition. They’ve held teams to 65 points or less 12 times this season, and opponents are shooting a combined 40.1 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from three-point range.

Iowa State has the 203rd ranked scoring offense in the country, and they’re 108th in field goal percentage. They’re ranked 15th in scoring defense, and they’re 13th in turnovers forced and 17th in steals per game.

The Cyclones are ranked 28th out of 358 Division 1 schools in the KenPom college basketball ratings for adjusted efficiency margin. They’re 110th in offensive efficiency and 4th in defensive efficiency, and they have six wins over teams in the KenPom top 50 (Xavier, Memphis, Creighton, Iowa, Texas Tech, and Texas).

The senior transferred to Iowa State after spending the last two seasons at Penn State University. Brockington currently leads the Cyclones in points, averaging 16.5 per game, and he leads the team rebounds with 7.9 per game. He’s fourth in the Big 12 Conference in scoring and second in rebounds. Brockington led ISU with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in game one against the Red Raiders. His six double-doubles lead the conference, and he’s shooting 48.4 percent from the field this year.

The senior shooting guard had 22 points, 3 assists and made 6 three-pointers in Iowa State's last game against No. 21 Texas. Kalscheur is second on the Cyclones in scoring with 10.8 points per game. He’s second in assists with 2.2 per game and second on the team in steals with 1.7. Kalscheur transferred to Iowa State after starting in 88 games over the last three seasons at Minnesota. He was a team captain for the Gophers and led the Big 10 with 2.5 threes per game last season.

The true freshman combo guard has become an instant impact player for Iowa State, and he’s one of the best true freshmen in the Big 12. Hunter leads the team in assists with 5 dimes per game and steals with 2.3 per game. He’s really bought into head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s defensive mentality. Hunter is currently second in the Big 12 Conference and 12th in the nation in steals. He's third on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game.

Round two between these defensive juggernauts is shaping up to look a little different for the Red Raiders this time around. Texas Tech was forced to play with a seven-man rotation in the first matchup, but it should be all hands on deck for the Red Raiders in this game.

Iowa State had their worst shooting performance of the season and made only 30.6 percent of their attempts against Texas Tech in game one. The 51 points scored in that game was their second lowest scoring output of the season. ISU averaged 63.5 points in their last two losses, so the blueprint to beating the Cyclones starts with being able to keep them in check on the defensive end of the court. The Red Raiders forced 18 turnovers in the first matchup. It would be a big help to the offense if they could duplicate that performance again and get some fast break points in transition.

Texas Tech scored 28 of their 47 points in the paint in the first game against Iowa State and will need to continue being aggressive in attacking the basket the second time around. The Red Raiders have struggled from behind the arc in Big 12 play, and they’re shooting only 26.7 percent from deep in their last five contests. Getting good ball movement, attacking the paint, and not consistently settling for threes will be crucial in breaking down the Cyclone defense.

In their last three losses (Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas State), Texas Tech has a combined 8 second chance points. The Red Raiders had a combined 27 second chance points in the wins over Baylor and Kansas last week. Coming up with offensive rebounds and converting on second chance opportunities will go a long way towards helping the Red Raiders secure a home win against the Cyclones on Tuesday night.