Kansas vs. Texas Tech Preview
Lubbox, TX (AP) – After receiving some much-needed support from teammates and fans, Kansas’ Thomas Robinson returned the favor by lifting his team to a lopsided win.
The second-ranked Jayhawks might need Robinson’s help again as they try to earn their first victory at Texas Tech in coach Bill Self’s tenure Tuesday night.
Current college basketball odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made Kansas 13.5-point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against Texas Tech. Current college basketball public betting information shows that 71% of more than 385 bets for this game have been placed on Kansas –13.5.
After losing his maternal grandparents in a span of two weeks, Robinson’s 43-year-old mother, Lisa, died of an apparent heart attack in his native Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21.
Jayhawks players and coaches joined their sophomore forward in the nation’s capital for Thursday’s funeral. Robinson then scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to the court, a 90-66 rout of visiting Kansas State on Saturday night.
“I felt that I owed it to all the fans and all the people across the country that have helped me get through this hard time,” he said. “I know my mother wouldn’t want me to sit around crying forever, but I keep going on and striving to reach my goals.”
Kansas is seeking a seventh straight Big 12 title but trails Texas entering what Self called “the biggest week of the year.” After facing Texas Tech, the Jayhawks (20-1, 5-1) travel to Nebraska, which upset then-No. 13 Texas A&M this weekend, on Saturday and welcome their rivals – No. 14 Missouri – on Monday night.
“In the next nine days, there’s a good chance we will know a lot more about our conference chances,” Self said.
Kansas would enhance those title hopes with its first road win over the Red Raiders (11-11, 3-4) since March 3, 2003. Self is winless in three trips to Lubbock, but Kansas beat Texas Tech twice last season by a combined 38 points.
Marcus Morris scored 20 points to lead the Jayhawks to an 89-63 home victory and was one of five players in double figures – along with twin brother Markieff – as they claimed an 80-68 win en route to the Big 12 tournament title.
While Kansas has dealt with off-court struggles, the Red Raiders appear to have put their on-court troubles behind them with a season high-tying three straight wins.
Mike Singletary scored 25 points and John Roberson hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left in overtime in Saturday’s 75-74 home win over Oklahoma State. Singletary, averaging a team-best 14.3 points, had a season-high 33 in his team’s previous game, a 92-83 victory at Iowa State on Wednesday night.
“When you win three games in a row in this league, you have to be playing pretty pleased,” coach Pat Knight said. “But, then again, when you go back and look at the game, we made some bad mistakes that almost cost us the game. But what they are doing now is that after they make a mistake or someone takes a shot at us we are able to bounce back … the bad body language and all that, and that’s kind of gone.”
Knight’s team is trying to win four straight for the first time since its 9-0 start last season. Having won six consecutive road games, Kansas is seeking its longest streak there since an 11-game run following a loss at Texas Tech on Jan. 20, 2007.
The Jayhawks lead the series 19-4.
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