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| Virginia Tech -2.5 | -110 | 2nd Half |  | 2.00 | 1.82 | NCAA | Spread |
| Virginia Tech PK | -110 | Game | | 4.00 | 3.64 | NCAA | Spread |
| Texas Tech +1.5 | -110 | Game |  | 2.00 | 1.82 | NCAA | Spread |
Texas Tech (6-4)
Texas Tech at UNLV
Saturday, December 17 2005 - 10:00 PM ET
Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV
DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 17th, 10:00 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Thomas & Mack Center (18,500) -- Las Vegas, Nevada. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: Texas Tech 6-1, UNLV 2-1. Away Record: Texas Tech 0-1, UNLV 0-4. Neutral Record: Texas Tech 0-2, UNLV 0-0. Conference Record: Texas Tech 0-0, UNLV 0-0. Series Record: Texas Tech leads, 2-0.
GAME NOTES: The UNLV Runnin' Rebels will try to put the brakes on their current five-game losing streak when they host Bob Knight and his Texas Tech Red Raiders tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. After opening the season with two straight victories, the Runnin' Rebels have fallen flat, losing five straight contests, which includes a tough 72-67 setback to Minnesota last Saturday. Since the 2003-04 season, the Rebels have played extremely well at home, posting a 13-3 ledger in non-conference action. UNLV, which begins a five-game homestand tonight, has recorded a sensational 66-22 overall mark in front of the hometown faithful dating back to the beginning of the 2000-01 season. As for the Red Raiders, they snapped a brief two-game slide with a 103-50 thrashing of UT-Pan American last time out. Texas Tech started the season 2-2 before winning tree straight contests against Furman (83-74), Morehead State (76-42) and TCU (81-54). Since taking over as head coach, Knight has led the Red Raiders to an impressive 47-11 record in non-conference action. This is the first meeting between these two schools in more than 20 years, the last being back in 1973. The Red Raiders have won both previous encounters, posting a 67-53 victory in 1971 and an 82-72 win two years later.
Despite being just 6-4 on the season, the Red Raiders have played well at both ends of the court, averaging 74.9 ppg behind 45.3 percent shooting from the floor, while holding their opponents to just 65.2 ppg thanks to just a 40.4 showing from the floor. In the team's last contest, a 53-point victory over UT-Pan American, the Red Raiders were sensational in hitting 62.9 percent of their total shots, which included a 9-of-20 showing from long range. Tech was also solid at the defensive end, holding UTPA to an anemic 28.3 percent shooting effort. The Red Raiders also recorded 16 steals and forced a whopping 31 turnovers. Jarrius Jackson, who leads the squad with 18.2 ppg, paced the Red Raiders in the victory, scoring 22 points while dishing out six assists and collecting six steals. Dior Lowhorn added 19 points, while Terry Martin tallied 13 points in the win. Martin Zeno, who is posting 15.7 ppg this season for Tech, finished the game with just four points in 13 minutes of action.
While the Rebels are averaging 71.4 ppg this season, the team's problems has come at the defensive end where it is allowing 71.6 ppg behind 45.1 percent shooting. In the five-point setback to Minnesota last time out, the Rebels permitted the Golden Gophers to connect on 43.9 percent of their shots from the field, which included a 5-of-13 showing from long range. Offensively, UNLV played well, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, which included a 10-of-22 effort from beyond the arc. Michael Umeh, who is averaging 14.0 ppg for the Rebels this season, paced the team with 19 points, while Curtis Terry added 12 points. Louis Amundson tallied 11 points for UNLV, while Dustin Villepigue contributed 10 points and nine rebounds. On the season, Amundson has been the best player on the UNLV roster, as the forward is averaging a double-double with 16.4 ppg and 10.9 rpg.
While the Rebels are home and have played extremely well at the offensive end for much of the season, they just aren't up to par with a team as productive as this group of Red Raiders.
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PLAY OF THE NIGHT:
Saturday, December 17 2005 - 10:00 PM ET
Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV
The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 17th, 12:30 a.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Thomas & Mack Center (19,522) -- Las Vegas, Nevada Television: ESPN. Home Record: VaTech 7-1, Stanford 2-1. Away Record: VaTech 0-2, Stanford 0-2. Neutral Record: VaTech 0-0, Stanford 0-0. Conference Record: VaTech 0-1, Stanford 0-0. Series Record: Virginia Tech leads, 1-0.
GAME NOTES: A couple of schools meeting for the first time since 1972 square off at the Thomas & Mack Center tonight, as the Virginia Tech Hokies battle the Stanford Cardinal in the Las Vegas Showdown. These two teams have met on just one other occasion, with the Hokies claiming a 77-71 victory all the way back in the 1972 ODU Tournament. The Hokies enter tonight's bout with a two- game win streak, which includes a 73-64 triumph over St. John's a week ago. With that triumph, the team improved to a solid 7-3 overall, although that does include a 0-2 mark away from home. As for Stanford, it has stumbled out of the gate, losing three of its first five games. The team is coming off a 13-day break, as it was last in action on December 4th, that being a 64-58 setback to UC-Davis. It was the second straight loss for the Cardinal, which denied head coach Trent Johnson his 100th career victory. Stanford has competed in the Las Vegas Showdown (formerly Las Vegas Shootout) twice before, beating UNLV (77-66) in 2002-03 and falling to BYU (76-81) in 2001-02.
The Hokies are guided by the trio of Coleman Collins, Zabian Dowdell and Deron Washington, and all three have made significant contributions to the team's scoring average of 72.5 ppg on 47.6 percent shooting from the floor. Collins is tops on the club in both scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg), and he is making good on 56.1 percent of his total shots. Dowdell ranks second in scoring with 15.9 ppg while adding 3.3 apg to his stat line, and Washington generates 12.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Collins poured in a game-high 21 points to lead Virginia Tech to a nine-point win over St. John's last time out. Dowdell added 18 points and five assists, while Washington chipped in with 10 points. The Hokies shot a solid 52.9 percent from the floor in the contest and made 15-of-24 free throws. The team also forced the Red Storm into 18 turnovers, while committing just nine miscues itself.
One of the main reasons for Stanford's poor start has been subpar shooting, as Johnson's club is hitting just 41.0 percent from the floor and a dismal 27.6 percent from long range. Matt Haryasz can't be faulted for any of the team's early season woes, as he leads the club in scoring and rebounding with his double-double average of 19.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg. Dan Grunfeld is second with 16.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg, but he is shooting just 36.5 percent from the field. Chris Hernandez has been responsible for getting the ball to Haryasz and Grunfeld and has done so for a team-best 4.2 apg. He is also chipping in 11.0 ppg. In the club's previous contest, Haryasz poured in 20 points and ripped down nine caroms, but it wasn't enough in a six-point loss to UC-Davis. The Cardinal shot 43.9 percent from the field, but went just 1-of-15 from long range and 7-of-15 at the foul line. The team was also outrebounded 40-33 in the setback.
Stanford could be the most disappointing team in the nation thus far, as it was picked by many to finish near the top of the Pac-10 standings this season. The team has not only lost three games already, but each setback has come to much lesser competition. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has played extremely well in the early stages and nearly knocked off top-ranked Duke. The Hokies have the advantage in the low post and with a big game on the boards, they should prevail over a Cardinal club that has been out of action for quite some time.
