Newly unranked Texas Tech will look to re-establish its early-season consistency when it hosts Georgetown in the Big East-Big 12 Battle on Wednesday in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders (4-2) began the season 3-0 but dropped two of three at the Maui Invitational last week, including an 80-73 loss to Ohio State in the fifth-place game that sent the nation’s then-No. 21 team tumbling from Monday’s AP Top 25 rankings.
“I feel like we just need to be more focused,” forward Daniel Batcho said, per the Texas Tech athletics website. “We’re really young. That’s not an excuse, but it’s true … We learned a lot from this tournament.”
Batcho scored a career-high 21 points against the Buckeyes. His 12.5 points per game are second only to forward Kevin Obanor, who leads Texas Tech with 13.5.
The Red Raiders carry a 24-game home winning streak into Wednesday’s showdown against the Hoyas, who have lost their last 12 road games. Georgetown (4-3) enters its first road game this season following a 79-70 triumph over UMBC on Saturday.
The guard tandem of Jay Heath and Primo Spears combined for 45 points against the Retrievers, and Heath’s 25 points were a season high.
“The coaches and the team were telling me to be aggressive,” Heath said, per the Georgetown athletics website. “We knew it was going to start with me and Primo right here so we just wanted to start early.”
Heath tallies 14.4 points per game, while Spears leads the Hoyas with 16.9. Brandon Murray, who’s missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, is second on the team with 15.4 points per game and shares the team lead in assists per game (4.4) with Spears.
Wednesday’s matchup will be just the third meeting between Texas Tech and Georgetown. The Hoyas are 2-0 against the Red Raiders, with victories in 1986 and 1996. Both of those wins came in the NCAA Tournament.
–Field Level Media
