Texas basketball preview, prediction: Can Longhorns get needed win at Texas Tech?
Once road warriors in the Big 12, Texas has now lost its past two games away from Moody Center by a combined 40 points. The latest blowout loss on the road came Saturday at Kansas, where the Longhorns couldn’t overcome a cold first half in an 86-67 setback. Can Texas (17-10, 6-8 Big 12) find its groove in perhaps its last visit to Texas Tech (19-8, 8-6) Tuesday at 8 p.m. (ESPN, 1300)?
Here's what you need to know about the matchup:
More: Hunter Dickinson helps Kansas Jayhawks muscle past Texas Longhorns in Big 12 basketball
Big 12 Tournament: Texas, Tech fighting for seeding
Forget the NCAA Tournament; it may be harder to garner a high seed at the upcoming Big 12 Tournament March 12-16 in Kansas City, Mo., based on the quality and quantity of the conference teams. That makes Tuesday’s game particularly important for both Texas Tech and Texas. The Red Raiders are currently tied for fourth in the conference standings with Baylor and TCU, and the top four seeds in the standings get a bye until the conference quarterfinals. Texas and Kansas State are tied for ninth, a game ahead of Cincinnati and Central Florida. The bottom four seeds — currently Cincinnati, Central Florida, Oklahoma State and West Virginia — must play in a four-team first round on the first day of the Big 12 Tournament.
More: Texas basketball needs Tyrese Hunter at his best to make the NCAA Tournament | Golden
Tyrese Hunter: Guard a bright spot in Kansas loss
There weren’t many bright spots for Texas in Saturday’s loss at Kansas, but guard Tyrese Hunter showed his mettle in a game where backcourt mate Max Abmas continued to struggle. Hunter converted 4 of 8 field goals, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, while matching forward Dillon Mitchell for team-high honors with 12 points. He also added four assists with just two turnovers and two steals in 34 minutes. Abmas, who reached double-figure points in the first 24 games of the season, had a season-low five points against Kansas and now has three consecutive games with single-digit points.
More: Where Texas basketball stands in updated March Madness bracket predictions
Texas Tech: Red Raiders hope to bounce back from road loss
Days after an emotional win over TCU, Texas Tech fell flat in a 75-61 road loss at Central Florida on Saturday. The guard tandem of Pop Isaacs and Joe Toussaint, who combined for 36 points in Texas Tech’s 78-67 win over Texas in Austin on Jan. 6, shot a combined 4-of-19 from the floor and 1-of-14 from 3-point range while scoring 11 total points in the loss. The Red Raiders had to play without guard Chance McMillian, who averages 10.1 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. He remains questionable with a hip injury.
Texas vs. Texas Tech prediction
Texas Tech. The Longhorns’ offense has hit a dry spell at the worst possible time while shooting less than 42% in four of the past five games. They’ll need Abmas to break out of his prolonged scoring slump if they hope to upset the Red Raiders before a rabid crowd eager to send Texas off to the SEC next season with a loss.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball preview, prediction: Longhorns visit Texas Tech
