Texas Christian @ Texas Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2018 ) Texas Christian 75, Texas Tech 79

After losing its third straight game and scoring the fewest points since the 2014-15 season, Texas Tech coach Chris Beard expressed his desire for finding options to help leading scorer Jarrett Culver. Italian Davide Moretti answered the call Saturday when he scored a career-high 21 points in a win over Arkansas, and the 6-3 guard will try to continue increasing his production as the 13th-ranked Red Raiders return to Big 12 play against visiting TCU on Monday night.

Moretti, who averaged 12.3 minutes in 37 games last season, is averaging 10.4 points this season in 29.8 minutes - including 13.3 points in his last eight games - and connecting on 39.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc overall. "Last year (Moretti) played a nice role as a young player in this league, he played his best basketball in March ... (He) had a great summer and offseason and he is trying to find that next level. To win in this league, the SEC is no different, to win a BCS game you have to have three or four people show up and play great and Moro is starting to find some consistency where he is one of those guys that we are relying on." TCU is coming off a 55-50 win over Florida in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, holding the Gators to three points in the first 11:35 of the game to build an 18-3 lead. Texas Tech has been exceptional at home, posting an 11-1 record and limiting its opponents to 52 points per game and 32.8 percent shooting, while TCU is 1-3 in true road games this season.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT TCU (15-4, 3-3 Big 12): Sophomore forward Kouat Noi scored 22 points and junior guard Desmond Bane added 17 against Florida as the Horned Frogs improved to 10-1 at home this season. Bane ranks seventh in the Big 12 with 15 points per game while Noi, who has drained a 3-pointer in 18 straight contests, ranks ninth at 14.7 and senior guard Alex Robinson is third in the nation at 7.7 assists per game - leaving him 10 away from matching Corey Santee’s school record of 575 assists. The Horned Frogs are averaging 76.9 points, which ranks third in the Big 12, and are top 50 in both offensive (40th) and defensive efficiency (18th).

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (16-4, 4-3): Culver had 15 points, four assists, three steals along with four 3-pointers against Arkansas and leads the Red Raiders with 18.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Guard Matt Mooney added 12 points in the victory and is third in scoring (10.3), but senior Tariq Owens has chipped in eight points per game and is one of the nation's blocked shot leaders (2.5). The Red Raiders have limited opponents to a national-best 35.7 percent from the field, rank second in the country in scoring defense (56.3) and are third in 3-point shooting defense (26.1 percent).

TIP-INS

1. Texas Tech leads the all-time series against TCU by an 81-51 margin, including wins in both matchups last season.

2. TCU F JD Miller is 48 points away from 1,000 career points, Bane is 25 shy and Robinson 16.

3. The Red Raiders trailed at halftime against Arkansas for the ninth time this season, but responded with its sixth win in those situations.

PREDICTION: Texas Tech 67, TCU 65