ACU, #21 Texas Tech to meet for first time since 1957

ABILENE — The ACU Wildcats take on their first nationally ranked NCAA Division I opponent in more than 33 years Friday when they play No. 21 Texas Tech in their final non-conference game of the season at United Supermarkets Arena.

Game time is set for 2 p.m. and can be heard on 98.1 FM The Ticket or viewed on FOX Sports Southwest Plus or on the FOX Sports Go app.

The Red Raiders and Wildcats have met 35 times in the series that dates back to the 1922 season. However, Friday's game will be the first between the teams on the hardwood since Tech's 93-59 win over the Wildcats on Dec. 2, 1957, in Lubbock. Texas Tech has won 10 straight in the series with ACU's last win coming in a 32-22 decision on Jan. 11, 1938, in Lubbock.

The last time ACU took on a nationally ranked team was Dec. 8, 1984, when the 19th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks knocked off the Wildcats, 84-72, in Lawrence, Kan.

Following Friday's contest, the Wildcats will be off until opening Southland Conference play on Thursday, Dec. 28, at New Orleans, which last year won both the regular season and post-season tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats have three players who have averaged in double figures headed by Jalone Friday's 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
 
Jalen Lewis has secured 13.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He has knocked down 62.5 percent of his field goals. Tevin Foster has dialed up 11.8 points per game followed by Jaylen Franklin's 9.1 points and 5.1 assists per game.

The Red Raiders (10-1) have outscored their opponents by 22.6 points per game margin which is tops in the nation. Texas Tech also is among the nation's Top 10 in turnovers margin (+6.6 – 6th), field goal percentage defense (36.6 – 7th), scoring defense (59.7 PPG – 8th), turnovers forced (19.2 – 10th) and steals per game (10.0 – 10th).
 
Keenan Evans has managed 17.0 points per game which is tied for fifth on the Big 12 leaderboard and tucked away double figures in 10 of 11 games. He has climbed up to No. 27 on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,125 career points. Evans also has provided 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
 
Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith continue to impress through the team's opening 11 games with 10.4 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. The duo has reached double figures a combined 14 times. Smith has strung together a six-game run in double figures. He has notched 12.2 points per game on an efficient 27-of-39 shooting clip during the stretch.

Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard is in his second season as the Red Raiders' head coach and is an impressive 28-15 in those two seasons. He was an assistant coach at ACU in the late 1990s under then-head coach Shanon Hays when current ACU head coach Joe Golding was the team's point guard.

ACU associate head coach Brette Tanner worked for Beard in 1999-2000 at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College when Beard was the head coach, and ACU assistant coach Ted Crass was on Beard's staff at Arkansas-Little Rock in 2015-16 when he led the Trojans to a 30-5 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.