NCAAB Game Preview - Texas Tech at Oklahoma

Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:00 PM EST

Texas Tech has won five of its past six games and moved back into the Associated Press poll on Monday at No. 22, as the Red Raiders get ready to play Oklahoma on Tuesday in an off-campus game in Oklahoma City.

Texas Tech (18-9, 9-5 Big 12) started the season 13th in the rankings and reached as high as No. 11.

Freshman Jahmi'us Ramsey has charged the quick reload after the Red Raiders reached last season's national title game. He is second in the Big 12 in scoring at 16.3 points per game and is shooting 44.6 percent (54 of 121) from 3-point range.

Ramsey is coming off a game in which he had 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals in an 87-57 romp at Iowa State on Saturday.

"He's just continuing to take the next step," coach Chris Beard said Monday. "Last game it was seven assists and one turnover, several big defensive plays. He's had games where he gets steals and blocked shots.

"Just like every other player, he's striving for consistency, he's striving for versatility in his game where he can impact the game in different ways. He's a natural scorer, but there is so much more that he can bring to our team and he's continuing to work toward that."

Oklahoma (16-11, 6-8) is on a three-game skid that began with understandable setbacks to new No. 1 Kansas and former No. 1 Baylor. What hurt more was Saturday's 83-66 loss at rival Oklahoma State, compromising the Sooners' NCAA Tournament hopes. They were listed as among the projected "last four in," according to ESPN on Monday.

"We're going to worry about the next game, like we do every one," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. "Certainly, it can do either direction for a lot of teams right now. Four games left in conference play, and we've got to have the attitude of each game being one we have to have."

While Ramsey is Texas Tech's leading scorer, he has help on offense from the Big 12's top 3-point shooting team (36.1 percent). Davide Moretti, the only returning starter from last season, averages 13.3 points and shoots 39.5 percent beyond the arc (60 of 152).

Two other players average double-digit points, and TJ Holyfield is at 9.2 per game. He scored a game-high 21 when Texas Tech beat visiting Oklahoma 69-61 on Feb. 4. The Red Raiders prevailed, largely thanks to 10-of-18 shooting from 3-point range.

The Sooners typically lean on Kristian Doolittle (15.4 points per game), Brady Manek (14.9) and Austin Reaves (14.0) on offense. Reaves is coming off a 24-point effort in the loss to the Cowboys.

Manek, a 6-foot-9 forward, will be trying to pull out of a personal slump, scoring a total of 19 points during OU's three-game skid. He had made 2 of 16 3-point attempts in that span but is at 40 percent (66 of 165) for the season.

"You're not going to stop him completely because he's such a good player," Beard said of Manek in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "He can play on the perimeter and inside. So you pick your poison when you play against him. ... We don't have a one-player matchup for Manek because he's so good."

The game will be played at Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

--Field Level Media