The Texas Tech Red Raiders near the end the regular season with a trip to Ames to face an Iowa State Cyclones team that is a perfect 15-0 inside Hilton Coliseum.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are nearing the end of what has been a rollercoaster season for the Elite Eight finishers from last year.
The loss of All-American forward JT Toppin is a brutal blow, but No. 16-ranked Texas Tech has remained steady in their games since his ACL tear.
They'll need to be at their ultimate best Saturday for a trip to Ames, Iowa to face the No. 4-ranked Iowa State Cyclones at historic Hilton Coliseum.
Tech enters with a 21-7 overall record and 11-4 mark in Big 12 play, good enough to be included in a four-way tie for second place in the conference. Iowa State is 24-4 overall with that matching 11-4 record in the Big 12.
The Cyclones do most of their damage at home, commanding a perfect 15-0 record at Hilton this season.
"They're one of the best defensive teams in the country and one of the most connected," Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said about his opponent. "They haven't lost a home game and present all kinds of challenges. They have great senior leadership, are tough and are competitive in every aspect of the game. They're really well-coached and these games are always about staying together and finding a way to be connected through adversity. We're going to have to play our best to put ourselves in position to win the game."
McCasland's biggest key to this one? Managing the environment and controlling possessions.
"The biggest key is handling their pressure, not turning the ball over. Got to make sure you make the right play and the simple play, but you gotta be in attack mode, you can't be on your heels. And how well do we guard the 3-point line, and [play] physical, can rebound and finish possessions.
"You just gotta stay engaged and fight the entire possession and the entire time to give yourself a chance to win."
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The Red Raiders hope to carry winning momentum from their last game into Saturday's road contest. On Tuesday, Texas Tech earned an 80-68 victory over Cincinnati that was starred by Christian Anderson lighting it up from all over the floor.
Anderson played all 40 minutes to score a game-high 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting (3-of-8 3PT) to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists. It's his ninth double-double of the season and first with points and rebounds.
McCasland holds a 72-27 record at Texas Tech head coach and coach his 100th game for the Red Raiders to close out the month of February at 3 p.m. The game will broadcast live on CBS.