DePaul basketball travels to the United Supermarkets Arena to take on their first road game of the season against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Read below for a full DePaul vs Texas Tech prediction and preview.
This will be the first high major test for the team this season, as well as a preview for how they shall fare playing in a hostile environment. A true test for head coach Chris Holtmann in his first season leading the Blue Demons.
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, DePaul basketball heads on the road to Lubbock, Texas to face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
DePaul looks to extend their winning streak to eight-straight following their recent victory over the Valparaiso Beacons 89-70. For the Red Raiders, they’re looking to extend their winning streak to three games after their recent victories over the Syracuse Orange (79-74) and a blowout victory over the Northern Colorado Bears (89-64).
This will be the third time in DePaul basketball history that the team will take on the Red Raiders. The last time these two programs faced each other was in the 2019-2020 season, where the Blue Demons had a close 65-60 victory over the Red Raiders.
A win against this team would also be DePaul basketball’s first road victory since the 2021-2022 season, which was a victory over the rival Loyola-Chicago Ramblers.
General Information:
Teams: DePaul (7-0) and Texas Tech (6-1)
Tip-Off: 8:15 p.m. CST (9:15 p.m. EST)
Where to Watch: ESPNU
Latest on Texas Tech basketball:
The Big 12 is one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball, and the Red Raiders remain one of the best. Besides a shocking 78-77 upset defeat to the Saint Joseph’s Hawks several weeks ago, and their close win over the Orange, all of their wins have been the results of blowout scores.
One example is earlier in the season, when the Red Raiders destroyed the Wyoming Cowboys 96-49 to give them their third-straight win of the season. J.T. Toppin was the star of the rodeo, scoring a game-high 24 points. He also recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds, leading his team in that category.
In their recent victory over Northern Colorado, Toppin wasn’t the leading scorer. In fact, he had a rough shooting night, only scoring 11 points while shooting 3-11 (27%) from the field. He made up for this by being a defensive beast, tallying 15 rebounds (10 defensively) for a double-double.
Darrion Williams was the leading scorer for the Red Raiders, tallying 21 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his own double-double. He also was a threat from the perimeter, shooting 3-5 (60%) against the Bears.
As a team, Texas Tech was a threat from the field and the perimeter, shooting 26-56 (46.4%) overall and 13-23 (56.5%) from long range. That will be a key test against DePaul basketball’s three-point defense, which is ranked 31st in the country allowing an average of 27.4% from beyond the arc, according to ESPN.
Latest on DePaul basketball:
Holtmann previously stated in the postgame press conference after their recent win over the Beacons that this road game is needed for the team. DePaul basketball has won seven-straight games this season, all at home. So this will be an early test before conference play begins.
Isaiah Rivera led the team in scoring against Valparaiso with 19 points and four rebounds. He shot 7-10 (70%) from the field and 3-4 (75%) from beyond the three-point line. This was a huge improvement compared to his matchup against Northern Illinois, where he only scored five points while shooting 28.6% overall and not making a single three-point shot.
Conor Enright continued to show the rest of the Big East Conference why he shouldn’t be discounted. He scored six points, while distributing a team-high eight assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one block.
In terms of shooting, the Blue Demons continue to launch missiles against their opponents. Against the Beacons, the team shot 52.5% from the field and 42.9% from long range. A concerning stat though was how the team shot 68.4% against their opponents.
This season, the team is averaging 69.6% from the charity strike, which is 227th in the nation according to ESPN.
Based off of how the recent scores for both teams have fared, this could be a challenging, tight game for each side. DePaul has the edge in overall shooting percentages and is slightly behind the Red Raiders in that regard.
Overall, the team is 18th in the nation (50.4%) in shooting percentage. From long range, the Blue Demons are ranked 10th (41.2%) from three, while their opponents are ranked eighth (42%) from beyond the arc.
DePaul could win this one close because of the depth of their bench and how well they shoot the ball. However, this opponent will be the toughest challenge yet for DePaul basketball.
Prediction: DePaul by 5