LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas Tech head basketball coach Grant McCasland says the No. 19 Red Raiders have a great opportunity in front of them, when they take on No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York Saturday evening.
“For us, to have these kind of games is great, but our intent isn’t to play in them. Our intent is to win them,” McCasland said.
Texas Tech is coming off a 101-90 victory over Northern Colorado, a game in which the Red Raiders’ defense continued to struggle despite the offensive output.
“This group is continuing to grow,” McCasland said. “And this will be nothing different than how do we get our best effort in this one. And it doesn’t matter if we’re playing Northern Colorado or Duke.
“I mean, we should go out and compete and do everything we can to help our team win. So, you know, we’re traveling and we’re playing in a new road environment that this group has not played in.”
The matchup against the Blue Devils represents a significant step up in competition for Texas Tech as they prepare to face one of college basketball’s premier programs on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
“And how do we handle a hostile crowd? Because I’m sure there’ll be plenty of Duke fans in the building,” McCasland said. “Travel, prepare yourself, play a great team on the road, and scrap and find a way to win. And so, that’ll be the message to this group. And that’s what will step onto the floor on Saturday night with that approach.”
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be on ESPN, radio broadcast on the Texas Tech Sports Network.
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