Texas Tech Basketball Opens Big 12 Play in Ames With 7 Players
When the Red Raiders were scheduled to open Big 12 play on January 1st, the Red Raiders had their game postponed due to positive cases inside the Oklahoma State Basketball program. Heading into the Red Raiders adjusted Big 12 conference opener against the Iowa State Cyclones it's the Texas Tech program that's dealing with COVID-19.
According to a press release from the Basketball Program, there are multiple players out due to COVID-19.
Here's the full release:
"The Texas Tech men’s basketball team will compete with seven available players tonight at Iowa State after five student-athletes were unable to travel to Ames, Iowa due to health and safety protocols.
Players available for the Red Raiders are Kevin Obanor, Davion Warren, Clarence Nadolny, Bryson Williams, Marcus Santos-Silva, KJ Allen and Adonis Arms.
Kevin McCullar and Mylik Wilson are with the team in Iowa but will be unavailable to play due to injury.
No. 25 Texas Tech and No. 11 Iowa State are scheduled to play at 8 p.m. at the Hilton Coliseum."
Terrence Shannon Jr. was already out with a back injury, but with him not traveling to Ames with the team it seems like he's in the health and safety protocols with Daniel Batcho, Sardaar Calhoun, and Chibuzo Agbo.
The biggest missing pieces here are Shannon and McCullar, who is out due to an injury unrelated to the protocols.
To beat a really talented Iowa State team, who hasn't won a Big 12 game since 2020, the Red Raiders will need huge games from transfers Bryson Williams, Davion Warren, and Kevin Obanor. They'll also need the biggest game of Clarence Nadolny's career who might play the entire game with how short-handed the team is at guard.
The sleeper here that could benefit most from the short-term expanded role is Adonis Arms who has flashed in the past several weeks and will get plenty of opportunity to do more of that against Iowa State.