LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Some events are adjusting due to the weather, including Saturday’s basketball game between the Houston Cougars and the Red Raiders.
“We want people safe and ready to go on Saturday, loud on Saturday morning, loud at the game on Saturday night,” said Robert Giovannetti, Texas Tech’s senior associate athletics director.
No. 12 Texas Tech is set to host a rematch with No. 6 Houston this Saturday. The Cougars and Red Raiders faced off in a back-and-forth matchup Jan. 6, with Houston coming out on top 69-65.
Saturday will see the ESPN College GameDay crew make their first appearance for basketball in Lubbock since 2018, which has Giovannetti excited for another big game in the Hub City.
Weather forces changes to traditional Raiderville setup
“It’s a great atmosphere. GameDay know when they come here, they’re gonna be treated well by the community, they know it’s gonna be exciting, they know that students are really gonna get into it,” Giovannetti said.
Normally, students would see Raiderville tents as they wait for a chance to see the GameDay crew in person, but the forecast makes it too dangerous this weekend.
“Just for safety issues, health reasons. You don’t want a bunch of tents out there with space heaters, it just causes a lot of issues,” Giovannetti said.
GameDay schedule and ticket information
The USA will open at 9 a.m. for the GameDay show. The show will run from 10 to 11 a.m., with West Lot parking free for the public until noon.
For students, attending GameDay will get them a wristband for the game, which has a new tip-off time of 1 p.m.
“We want students to know, we want them there, we’re encouraging them to be there. We can get a lot of them in and we hope they realize that and this is a huge basketball game for coach McCasland and the Red Raiders and we need them there on Saturday. They certainly make a difference in the atmosphere in the arena,” Giovannetti said.
Despite the weather, the USA looks to be rocking Saturday, and Tech wants fans to be a part of it.
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