Life in the Big 12 Conference means a tough test every time you step on the floor, and for No. 14 Texas Tech, the next challenge is considerably different than the last one.
The Red Raiders continue a two-game road stint on Saturday to take on Colorado, one of the early surprise teams in the Big 12.
Coming off a game at No. 7 Houston that was more alley fight than artistic, Texas Tech (11-4, 1-1 Big 12) will have to shift gears against one of the league’s deepest and most prolific offensive teams.
The Buffaloes (12-3, 2-0) have snapped back from two unsavory losses right before league play to handle business against Arizona State and Utah by revving their offense back up.
Colorado is generating 86.5 points per game and has topped 80 points in 12 of 15 games, including the back-to-back league wins. Five players average double digits in scoring, headlined by dynamic freshman Isaiah Johnson (15.6 points per game), who is averaging 25.7 minutes per game off the bench. He is one of seven freshmen and 10 newcomers on a reconstructed roster after the Buffaloes tumbled to a 14-21 finish last season (3-17 in the Big 12), the worst in coach Tad Boyle’s first 15 seasons.
“They’re really playing well offensively and with a great pace that makes them really difficult to defend,” said Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland, whose team has been on a defensive rollercoaster most of the season — the Red Raiders allowed only 69 points to Houston after surrendering 80 or more in four of the five games before that.
“You’ve got to be great on every possession on defense to have a chance to beat Colorado.”
Likewise, the Buffaloes have a tall task against a Red Raider team that has locked in, especially offensively, and features arguably the best one-two punch in the Big 12 with J.T. Toppin (20.9 ppg, 10.9 rebounds per game) and Christian Anderson (19.6 ppg, 7.5 assists per game, 42.5% from 3-point range).
Texas Tech seems to be at its best in offensive shootouts with a team that averages 83.7 points and allows 73.3.
The first two league games have been emblematic of the Red Raiders’ season: A 102-80 triumph against Oklahoma State when they finished with a season high in points and a 69-65 loss to Houston, Texas Tech’s second-lowest scoring output of the season.
In that setback, the Red Raiders never got into a comfortable rhythm from outside the 3-point arc (9 of 28) and got to the free-throw line only 11 times.
Although Toppin is one of the Big 12’s best interior scorers, Texas Tech is at its best when perimeter shots are falling. The Red Raiders lead the league with 164 made 3s and they have attempted the second-most (435). Anderson and Donovan Atwell have both knocked down 48 treys.
Finding a groove from deep might be a requirement against a Colorado defense that gives up 77.9 ppg.
Colorado is efficient when it gets to the foul line. It leads the Big 12 at 77.7% from the stripe and was 19 of 21 against Utah.
In that 85-73 win, nine Colorado players logged 14 minutes or more and the Buffaloes got 33 points off the bench. Besides Johnson, Sebastian Rancik produces 13.9 points per game, while Barrington Hargress is contributing 13.3.
“The skill sets of the different players on this team complement each other,” Boyle said. “Defensive lineups, we’ve got those. Offensive lineups, we’ve got those. I’d like to get to a lineup where we’re really good at both.”
