Texas Longhorns Hoops @ Texas Tech Red Raiders: Preview & Open Thread

The Texas Longhorns (14-16, 6-11) mercifully bring their regular season to a close with a conference finale against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-18, 3-14).

Somewhat surprisingly, the Longhorns still have something to play for. If Texas wins and West Virginia loses to Iowa St., the Longhorns will garner the 7th seed in the Big 12 Tournament. Either a Texas loss or West Virginia win would keep Texas in the 8th seed, and the Longhorns would play the Red Raiders in the opening round. The winner of the 7-10 game plays the 2 seed, while the winner of the 8-9 game plays the 1 seed.

The top of the standings are in flux as well. Kansas and Kansas St. are currently tied for the Big 12 lead, with the Jayhawks holding the tie-breaker. A Kansas win over a fading Baylor team or a Kansas St. loss to Oklahoma St. guarantees the Jayhawks the 1 seed.

As for the actual game below, Texas Tech is fairly terrible. The Red Raiders have played 10 games since losing to Texas on January 26. In those 10 games, Tech is 1-9, with the only win coming against cellar-dwelling TCU. In Tech's latest game at Kansas, the Red Raiders managed to lose by a whopping 37 points.

It's a game Texas should win, and it would sure be swell to close out the regular season on a winning note.

LINEUP

PROJECTED STARTERS

Texas: G - Myck Kabongo (#12 - So.) | G - DeMarcus Holland (#2 - Fr.) | F - Jonathan Holmes (#10 - So.) | F - Ioannis Papapetrou (#33 - Fr.) | F - Connor Lammert (#21 - Fr.)

Texas Tech: G - Josh Gray (#5 - Fr.) | G - Dusty Hannahs (#2 - Fr.) | G - Jamal Williams, Jr. (#23 - Jr.) | F - Jordan Tolbert (#32 - So.) | F - Dejan Kravic (#11 - Jr.)

BENCH

Texas: G - Javan Felix (#3 - Fr.) | G - Julien Lewis (#14 - So.) | G - Sheldon McClellan (#1 - So.) | F - Jaylen Bond (#5 - So.) | C - Prince Ibeh (#44 - Fr.) | C - Cameron Ridley (#55 - Fr.)

Texas Tech: G - Daylen Robinson (#10 - Jr.) | G - Toddrick Gotcher (#20 - Fr.) | G - Ty Nurse (#4 - Sr.) | F - Jaye Crockett (#30 - Jr.) | F - Kaydor Tapsoba (#10 - Jr.) | F - Clark Lammert (#35 - So.)

INJURIES/ISSUES

Texas: N/A

Texas Tech: G - Trency Jackson (#1 - So. - Out for Season - NCAA Eligibility) | G - Aaron Ross (#15 - Fr. - Out for Season - Torn ACL)

TEXASSPORTS.COM MEDIA/NOTES

TEXAS (14-16, 6-11)
vs. Texas Tech (10-18, 3-14)
Saturday, March 9, 2013 • 3 p.m. CT
Lubbock, Texas • United Spirit Arena

TV: Big 12 Network > view affiliates
WatchESPN.com
Dave Armstrong (play-by-play), Stephen Howard (analyst)
Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network
Craig Way (play-by-play), Eddie Oran (analyst)
Satellite Radio: XM 202 / Sirius 216
Streaming Audio: TexasSports.com
Live Stats: GameTracker