How to Watch Northwestern vs. Texas Tech in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Championship: Preview, TV channel, streaming, radio

One day after using hot three-point shooting to dispatch La Salle, Northwestern will face a much tougher test against an experienced Texas Tech team in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off championship game.

This is a big one for Northwestern. The Wildcats have an opportunity to claim a trophy, and while earning hardware in November doesn’t compare to doing so in February or March, winning a non-conference tournament has been one of this team’s goals all offseason. Northwestern will be especially motivated to finish the job at Mohegan Sun Arena after blowing a late lead in last year’s Legends Classic title game.

It’s also a big game because of the caliber of the opponent. Texas Tech is 3-0, ranked No. 30 in KenPom (six spots ahead of NU) and looks to have a real chance to make the NCAA Tournament in coach Chris Beard’s second season. With a loss to Creighton already, Northwestern will ideally win at least two of its three remaining non-league games against strong competition. After this neutral-site game against the Red Raiders, those final two come on the road at Georgia Tech and Oklahoma. That makes this game both a loss you’d like to avoid and — if Texas Tech can go 9-9 or so in the Big 12 — a potential resume-boosting win.

Lastly, in their first nationally-televised game of the season, the Wildcats can remind people that despite a somewhat shaky start to the year, this team is seriously talented.

With four senior starters, Texas Tech is just as experienced as Northwestern. It coasted through easy matchups with South Alabama and Maine before beating Boston College 75-64 in Saturday’s other semifinal. This game will feature an outstanding matchup of senior point guards with Bryant McIntosh facing off against the Red Raiders’ Keenan Evans. Both players paced their teams in scoring on Saturday; B-Mac led NU with 21 and Evans went off for a career-high 29. Evans is a dangerous three-point shooter who can also get into the lane and draw fouls.

This game almost certainly won’t be as run-and-gun as the Creighton game was, with two teams that like to run their half-court offense and a projected final of 72-71. Northwestern’s strong offense, which is nearly back at full health after the return of Aaron Falzon (11 points, 3 for 5 from deep vs. La Salle), will face its toughest test of the season against Texas Tech’s defense, which has held opponents to 21.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc so far. One place the Red Raiders have struggled defensively is on the glass; they’re allowing offensive rebounds on nearly 30 percent of opponents’ shots, which ranks in the bottom half of D-1.

Broadcast Information

Game Time: 4:30 p.m. central

TV: ESPN2

Online: WatchESPN

Mobile: ESPN App

Radio: WGN 720

KenPom prediction: 71-72 (46% chance to win)

Betting Line: TBD