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After a brutal six-game stretch that saw the Texas Longhorns go 1-5 while playing four games against top 10 teams, the Big 12 schedule gets easier when they host the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday night.
Tech, in their first year under former Texas A&M and Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie, has gone 7-14, including 0-9 in Big 12 play.
The Red Raiders have only one player, 6'7 210 forward Jordan Tolbert of Fort Worth, averaging in double digits. In four road conference road games, the closest they've come is a 67-59 loss to Oklahoma State.
However, while their poor record could be a nice breather for a Texas team that came up short in the last two minutes against No. 4 Missouri, No. 6 Baylor and No. 8 Kansas, it also makes Texas Tech a dangerous land mine.
Without a signature win on their resume, the Longhorns can't afford a bad loss like the Red Raiders if they want to have any chance of extending Rick Barnes school-record streak of 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
The 7:00 PM game will be televised regionally on the Longhorn Network.