Texas Tech defeats the No. 1 Louisville Cardinals, 70-57

Texas Tech coach Chris Beard walked off the court at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, waving his arms and hailing fans who made the trip from Lubbock to New York City.

It was a good night to be a Red Raider.

Texas Tech broke a three-game losing streak by knocking off the No. 1-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 70-57, at the Jimmy V Classic.

A relentless Red Raiders’ defensive effort helped to hold the prolific Cardinals to 34 percent shooting and only 17.6 percent from the 3-point arc.

Louisville forward Jordan Nwora, who entered averaging 21.6 points, scored 14 points on 16 shots.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the floor, guard Davide Moretti scored a team-high 18 points to lead three players in double figures.

Playing without high-scoring freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey, the Red Raiders also got 13 points from freshman Terrence Shannon, Jr., and 10 from Avery Benson.

Ramsey, who made the trip to New York, has been out three games with a hamstring issue.

Last year, the Red Raiders made a memorable run to the NCAA title game. In the aftermath, the transition has been a bit of a struggle.

They lost several key players, including Jarrett Culver, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens and Brandone Francis.

After a 5-0 start, they lost consecutive games to Iowa, Creighton and DePaul, the last two in overtime.

After beating Louisville, the Red Raiders will return home to play Southern Miss, UT-Rio Grande Valley and CSU Bakersfield.

Tech’s Big 12 opener is Jan. 4 at home against Oklahoma State.

Records

Texas Tech 6-3
Louisville 9-1