NIT Quarterfinals: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have had a roller coaster type season. After coming out of the blocks with a 9-0 record, they stubbed their toe against a feisty Wichita St squad. Their only other pre-conference game loss was to a New Mexico Lobo’s team that ended up as a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. However, the Red Raiders obviously weren’t ready for the grueling grind of the Big-12 this year as they went just 4-12 in conference which left them out of the “Big Dance” all together. After an impressive win against a good but unfocused Seton Hall squad, they struggled to put away a scrappy Jacksonville. Now they will take on the Mississippi Rebels who have had a similar fate this season.

The Rebels weren’t nearly as bad as Tech in conference play, but they did not have 1 win against a team with a winning record in conference. Luckily they faced Alabama, Auburn and LSU twice to get them well past the 20 win plateau, but the selection committee saw through their record. This game should be a shootout as neither team likes to play defense.

The Ole Miss offense is led by point guard Chris Warren. Warren averages over 17 points and 3.6 assists per game, and has the ability to score from anywhere on the court. Terrico White is the other half of what is a solid guard combination. His 15 points per are second on the team as well as his 4.5 rebound per game. Forward Murphy Holloway is a solid contributor in both points and rebounds, but tends to be flat footed on defense. Allowing 70 points per game is never good, but especially in the SEC where many teams play a defensive style of basketball.

One opponent the Rebels won’t mind seeing in the NIT tournament is Texas Tech. Tech allows just under 76 points per game, and have given up over 80 fifteen times this year. Despite the obvious lack of defensive effort, it should be a field day for the Red Raider offense as they have 7 players that average around 7 points or better per game. Their offensive attack is led by John Roberson (14.9 ppg), and Mike Singletary (14.6 ppg). If they can get Mississippi to play at their pace, they will have a great chance of pulling out a win.

Many teams that get caught running with Tech generally find themselves on the wrong side of a blowout. However, if the Rebels can establish themselves on defense early in the game they are certain to get more stops than Tech. This should be one of the more entertaining games of the NIT tournament, because these are 2 squads that are more than capable of taking the tournament Championship.

Related posts:

1. Virginia Tech Takes on Rhode Island in NIT Quarterfinals
2. NIT 2nd Rd Showdown: Connecticut v. Virginia Tech
3. Texas Tech gets Fresh Start with Tommy Tuberville
4. 7/10 Seed Match-Up: Oklahoma St/ Georgia Tech
5. Wichita St vs. Alabama in NIT Championship Game

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