Two of the best offensive teams in the Big 12 Conference collide Saturday when No. 3 Iowa State takes on host Texas Tech at Lubbock, Texas.
The Cyclones head to West Texas as the league’s highest scoring team at 86.3 points a game, with the Red Raiders No. 2 at 85.5 points a contest. The teams are both in the top 12 of scoring in the nation heading into Friday’s Division I play.
The high-octane output has been key the last week for both teams.
Iowa State (13-1, 3-0 Big 12) is on a 10-game winning streak and has scored 74 points or more in all three conference wins. The most recent was an 82-59 romp against Utah at home on Tuesday.
Beating the Utes is something that Texas Tech has in common with Iowa State. The Red Raiders (11-3, 2-1) earned a 93-65 victory at Utah last Saturday, followed by a come-from-behind 72-67 victory at BYU on Tuesday. It was the first time Texas Tech overcame a halftime deficit to prevail this season.
Perimeter shooting helped fuel the win at BYU. Texas Tech knocked down 10 of 28 attempts (35.7 percent) from outside the 3-point arc, the ninth time this season it has made at least 10 shots from deep.
The Red Raiders have hit the fourth-most 3s in the Big 12 this season (136) and rank second in 3-point accuracy (39.4 percent). It is part of an offense that leads the conference in overall shooting (51.2 percent).
Texas Tech’s Elijah Hawkins was a spark at BYU with six 3-pointers and 22 points, while Darrion Williams scored 18 points with seven rebounds and four assists. The duo ranks second and fourth in the Big 12 in assists per game (5.6 and 5.2, respectively), while JT Toppin leads the Red Raiders with 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game.
“I think a key to our team is how well we’ve handled the ball and not turned it over,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “It comes down to not trying to make too big of a play and just making the next simple play.”
That approach will be vital against the Cyclones, who have gone from being one of the stingiest defensive teams in the Big 12 to one of the best with the ball in their hands.
Five Iowa State players average in double figures, paced by sixth man Curtis Jones at 16.6 per game after scoring 23 at Utah, and Keshon Gilbert at 16.2 points. Iowa State averages 17.1 assists per game.
“There is an unselfishness to their team that you appreciate,” McCasland said. “That’s the same thing I hope would be said about our group.”
As well as the Cyclones has played on offense, taking on the Red Raiders present some challenges.
“Their activity level of their five men makes it not real easy to get into the paint,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We’ve got some more physicality and size at the four and five position. Their guys play extremely hard, so we’re going to have to match that effort and one-up that effort, be relentless and physical and be there every single possession.”
The Cyclones haven’t won in Lubbock since the 2018-19 season, prior to Otzelberger’s arrival. Since then, the Red Raiders have won eight of the last 11 games overall between the teams.
–Field Level Media
