Kansas State @ Texas Tech preview

Kansas State at Texas Tech

Last Meeting ( Mar 4, 2017 ) Texas Tech 48, Kansas State 61

With seven straight wins, a 13-1 record and a share of the early Big 12 Conference lead, Texas Tech appears to have found the right formula in coach Chris Beard’s second season in Lubbock. The 18th-ranked Red Raiders now will try to maintain the momentum Saturday when they host Kansas State.

Beard’s bunch has defeated three ranked foes in its current seven-game run, including double-digit wins over then-No. 17 Baylor (77-53) and No. 10 Kansas (85-73) to tip off Big 12 play. Tuesday against the host Jayhawks, Texas Tech led wire-to-wire in the contest and dominated the glass (44-29) to notch the program’s first win in Allen Fieldhouse in 18 visits. “Once you start playing hard, now you have get into the next category where you play well,” Beard said Tuesday in his post-game news conference. “For us, that’s low turnovers, good shot selection, contest 3-point shots and overcome adversity. … I give our guys a lot of credit. I thought we played hard, and I thought we played well.” Kansas State, meanwhile, didn’t have quite enough to upend No. 5 West Virginia at home on Monday night, falling 77-69, and now faces another rugged test in Lubbock.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (11-3, 1-1 Big 12): The Wildcats blitzed host Iowa State 91-75 in their Dec. 29 Big 12 opener, shooting 55.2 percent from the field, including a 13-of-26 showing from 3-point range, but shot only 35.7 percent against the Mountaineers. Forward Xavier Sneed did hit 6-of-9 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points against West Virginia and is averaging 12 points per outing to join fellow starters Dean Wade (14.9), Barry Brown (14.9) and Kamau Stokes (14.2) with double-digit averages. The 6-foot-10 Wade is averaging a team-most 6.8 rebounds for the Wildcats, who rank next to last in the conference with a 1.0 average rebound-margin.

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (13-1, 2-0): Senior guard Keenan Evans hit only 4-of-16 shots Tuesday in finishing with a team-high 15 points – his eighth-straight game in double figures – and leads the Red Raiders with a 16.5-point average. Freshman guards Zhaire Smith (10.7) and Jarrett Culver (10.5) are the only others averaging double figures for Texas Tech, which ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (81.6) and field-goal percentage (48.9). The Red Raiders’ hallmark, though, has been defense as they rank in the top 13 nationally in scoring defense (59.3), field-goal percentage defense (36.7), 3-point percentage defense (29.3), turnovers forced (17.9) and steals (9.1).

TIP-INS

1. Kansas State has won seven of the last 10 meetings, but Texas Tech has won three straight in Lubbock.

2. Led by C Norense Odiase’s 5.3 per game, eight Red Raiders are averaging at least three rebounds per game, and as a team, Texas Tech leads and Big 12 and ranks 20th nationally with an 8.4 average rebound margin.

3. In the Wildcats’ two Big 12 games, Wade is averaging 25.5 points and 9.0 rebounds on 75 percent shooting (18-of-24).

PREDICTION: Texas Tech 76, Kansas State 65