Pat Knight says whether Mike Singletary plays on Saturday will be “a game-time decision.”

If it’s up to Singletary, the decision will be a definite yes.

“He’s the coach so he gets to tell me what to do, but I think I’m playing,” Singletary said. “I want to play.”

Singletary has been extremely limited in practice this week after spraining his right shoulder during last Saturday’s game at Texas A&M. He was not allowed to shoot until Thursday, and only Friday began participating in the rest of the team’s activities.

Texas Tech's Mike Singletary knocks down a three pointer over Oklahoma's Tony Crocker during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, in Lubbock, Texas (Zach Long/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

As Texas Tech’s leading scorer, Singletary would be a valuable asset Saturday against Oklahoma State (16-6, 4-4 in Big 12 Conference). He had 13 points in Tech’s 81-52 loss in Stillwater, Okla., to open the Big 12 season, but averages 15.4 points per game.

Before leaving United Spirit Arena on Friday night, Singletary said he had not been informed by any coach or member of the team medical staff that he would be unable to play, so he expects to be on the court.

“(My shoulder is) just a little bit sore, but only because I haven’t done anything,” Singletary said. “I’ve been out all week. I haven’t touched the basketball. I’ve had it in a sling. It’s just sore from that kind of stuff, but it’s muscle soreness. Everything else is good, from what the trainers tell me.”

That’s good news for the Red Raiders (14-7, 2-5), who have had plenty of time this week to mull their Big 12 record. Without a midweek game, Tech spent Monday and Tuesday entirely focused on defense, which Knight said has slipped dramatically from the way the team played during the non-conference portion of its schedule.

Overall, Tech’s opponents average 74.7 points per game. But the Big 12 teams that have beaten Tech averaged 88.8 points.

“You’ve got to work on your fundamentals, break it down, get it in their minds,” Knight said. “We have a hard time carrying it over. If we could do what we did in practice we’d be in good shape.”

Even without Singletary, Knight said as many as six Raiders could score in double figures in a given game. They may have to against the Cowboys, who have six players averaging seven or more points per game.

Oklahoma State lost road games at Oklahoma and Baylor immediately after defeating Tech last month, but rebounded to win three in a row. The Cowboys come to Lubbock after losing at Missouri on Saturday and at home against Texas on Monday.

Even after dropping back-to-back road games last week, Tech is in ninth place in the league, reasonably two spots away from an NCAA Tournament ticket. Singletary said the players believe they can still get a postseason bid.

“This is a game that will get us to 3-5 if we win it, then we’ve got a lot of games coming up that are home and some winnable games on the road,” he said. “If we want to get to the NCAA Tournament, this is one of the games we have to win. That’s mainly why I want to be out there.”

If the possibility of the postseason is not enough motivation, Knight knows the memory of losing to OSU by almost 30 points will do the trick.

“You hold it against them that they got their butt kicked,” Knight said. “If that doesn’t motivate them, what does?”

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