Texas Tech basketball visits Texas: Scouting report, predictions for Big 12 opener
Life in the post isn't the easiest thing for a big fella, even if you're 7-feet tall.
Warren Washington has been accustomed to being the biggest player on the floor so far in his tenure with the Texas Tech basketball team. He'll still hold that distinction when the Red Raiders pay the 20th-ranked Texas Longhorns a visit for the Big 12 opener on Saturday, but he'll have more than one body to account for.
The Longhorns (11-2) feature a pair of lengthy and bouncy bigs in 6-foot-11 Kadin Shedrick and 6-foot-9 Dylan Disu. To combat Texas big bodies, Washington and backup Robert Jennings know they'll have to be the aggressors.
"I think we need to keep doing a better job of being physical and rebounding for sure," Washington said. "I think we're ready to play the type of teams that are bigger just because I feel like we have a team that can switch. We can really fly around, so I feel like it's really not going to be that big of a difference."
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Washington — who's averaging 9.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in 13 starts — has been a mainstay in the Tech rotation since his arrival to Lubbock. Jennings, meanwhile, has seen his playing time expand since the season-ending injury to Devan Cambridge.
Jennings missed a good chunk of preseason practice with an injury and is just now starting to round into form. While healthy, Tech utilized Cambridge as a small-ball 5 man to spread teams out. In his absence, coach Grant McCasland has opted to have a true big on the floor at all times, giving Jennings more responsibility.
"One thing I've always talked to Coach Mac about is being a defensive help for the team," Jennings said. "Coming off the bench, I gotta bring energy, especially with Dev going down. I have a bigger responsibility to be able to fly around, defend different positions, being physical, crash the boards, so basically on the defensive end, that's the biggest part of why I feel like I help the team right now, and just bringing my energy."
Shedrick, a transfer from Virginia, averages 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, having blocked 17 shots on the year. Disu missed Texas' first nine games but has averages of 11.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. Dillon Mitchel, a 6-oot-8 forward, has started every game and leads the team in rebounding (9.3 per game) and blocks (19).
Regardless of Cambridge, the Red Raiders were always going to be on the smaller side in terms of roster build. McCasland built the team to play around that, utilizing the likes of Darrion Williams and even Washington to be facilitators out of the post — Washington had a career-high five assists in the win over North Alabama.
That playmaking has elevated Texas Tech's offense as of late. During the team's six-game winning streak, the Red Raiders have assisted on 64.5% of their made field goals and have reached 20 or more assists in three of their last four games.
"I just feel like it goes to show the chemistry is getting even better," Washington said. "We're getting more comfortable with each other, and it really just also goes to show how much freedom McCasland really has given me here. He believes in my ability of facilitating, facilitating offense and getting everybody involved."
Trends to watch
The four combined losses for Texas and Texas Tech have all been against Big East opponents. The Longhorns' setbacks have been to Connecticut and Marquette, while the Red Raiders have fallen to Villanova and Butler.
Pop Isaacs — who averages a team-high 15.8 points — earned Big 12 player of the week honors for securing back-to-back 20-point performances. He poured in a career-high 28 points against Sam Houston and followed it with 21 against North Alabama. Over the last four games, Isaacs has converted 40.6% of his 3-point attempts, hitting multiple triples in each contest — his longest stretch of the season.
More: Free throws key to Texas Tech basketball's six-game win streak, Big 12 potential
Texas is led in scoring by Oral Roberts transfer Max Abmas. The 6-foot guard averages 17.2 points on the year and shoots 38.3% from 3.
Prior to last year's loss, the Red Raiders had won four straight games in Austin and own a 10-4 record against the Longhorns since the 2017-18 season.
Key statistic
With Mitchell and Shedrick, Texas is one of the top shot-blocking teams in the country. The Longhorns are 12th nationally, averaging 5.8 rejections per contest. That could be a problem for Texas Tech, which has been prone to having shots blocked.
Tech opponents have blocked 4.1 shots per game on average and the Red Raiders are 322nd in the percentage of time their shots have been blocked, according to KenPom as of Wednesday.
Score prediction: Texas 77, Texas Tech 70
Bottom line: Texas Tech opens Big 12 play on the road for the third year in a row and has lost each of its last three league openers.
Big 12 Men's Basketball
Texas Tech at No. 20 Texas
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Moody Center, Austin
TV: ESPN 2
Records: Texas Tech 11-2, Texas 11-2
Notable: Texas Tech has won three of the last four meetings and owns a 10-4 record over the Longhorns since the 2017-18 season. The Red Raiders have won four of the last five contests in Austin.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Scouting report: Post play a focus when Texas Tech basketball visits Texas
