Texas Tech @ Texas Christian preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 28, 2019 ) Texas Christian 65, Texas Tech 84

No. 11 Texas Tech rattled off five consecutive wins by an average margin of 25 points, but its sixth straight was of a different variety; a grind-it-out overtime affair against Oklahoma State on Wednesday. The Red Raiders, tied for the top spot in the Big 12 standings with Kansas State, seek a seventh straight win when they visit TCU on Saturday.

Davide Moretti scored 20 points and connected on 12-of-12 at the free-throw line, Jarrett Culver recorded his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Tariq Owens provided 16 points and six rebounds in the 84-80 triumph against the Cowboys, who fought back from a 14-point, second-half deficit with a school-record 17 3-pointers. After the contest with the Horned Frogs, the Red Raiders host Texas on Monday and travel to Iowa State next Saturday to wrap up the regular season, while Kansas State has games remaining against Baylor, at TCU and home versus Oklahoma. "This thing normally comes down to the last week,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “To me, we’re a part of the fight. Now we’ve got to go and try to play well on the road. I think if it comes down to that last game, I’ll have no problem answering questions about that, but right now I’m really not thinking about championships. I’m thinking about winning the next game on the schedule and how to get better.” After a big win over Iowa State, TCU's topsy-turvy season continued with Tuesday's 104-96 triple-overtime loss at struggling West Virginia, putting the Horned Frogs back on the proverbial NCAA Tournament bubble and likely needing a win over the Red Raiders or No. 15 Kansas State and a win in the conference tournament to qualify.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (23-5, 11-4 Big 12): The Red Raiders, who shot 61 percent in their previous win, a 91-62 throttling of Kansas, did not play nearly as crisp against the Cowboys, shooting just 41.8 percent but still impressed Cowboys coach Mike Boynton by committing only seven turnovers and owning a 44-34 rebounding advantage. “I think Texas Tech is a national championship contender,” Boynton told reporters. “I think they’ve got all the tools to be playing on the final weekend of the season. They’ve got a great coach, it was a great environment. They’ve done a great job here over the last couple of years really creating a basketball experience that’s one of the best in our league.” Culver, a 6-5 sophomore combo guard and projected lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, leads the team in scoring (18.0), rebounds (6.3) and assists (3.6) while Moretti averages 11.2 points and Matt Mooney 10.6 points, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals.

ABOUT TCU (18-10, 6-9): Senior JD Miller (11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds) scored a career-high 24 points against West Virginia on 9-of-14 shooting, moving him into 31st place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,068 career points, and the 6-8 forward is averaging 16.5 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the floor in his last four games. Sophomore forward Kouat Noi (15.1, 5.2) had 17 points and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double, was 3-for-7 from 3-point range, and also tied his career high in blocks with two and steals with three. Junior guard Desmond Bane (15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists), tied with Gary Landers at 22nd on the all-time TCU scoring list with 1,114 career points, has scored at least 16 points in six of his last seven games and also added a career-high four steals against the Mountaineers.

TIP-INS

1. Culver had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Mooney chipped in 18 and Owens added 17 as the Red Raiders dispatched the Horned Frogs 84-65 on Jan. 28. Noi scored 17 points and Bane 13 for TCU.

2. With 11 conference wins, Texas Tech has matched its school record for Big 12 wins set last season.

3. Prior to the win over Iowa State, TCU had lost five of seven after a 15-4 start.

PREDICTION: Texas Tech 77, TCU 64