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The Fastbreak | Inevitable Last Place Finish in the Big 12

Basketball
DanSwany

The Fastbreak | Inevitable Last Place Finish in the Big 12

Weekly update for the Red Raiders basketball team… hot topics, quotes, stats, and more.

Hot Topics

Tommy Magelssen of the Dallas Morning News tells us how it is in his article after the TCU loss on Wednesday…

That clinches it. Texas Tech did more than tie its longest losing streak of the season (six games). Wednesday’s loss clinched a last-place Big 12 season for the Red Raiders (12-17, 2-14), who have taken a step back finishing in ninth place each of the past two seasons. Texas Tech won six Big 12 games in Tubby Smith’s first season, but Year Two has been a season-long education session for the most inexperienced team in the conference. The Red Raiders showed some flashes in league play, including an upset over then-No. 8 Iowa State Jan. 24, but it’s been a league slate marred by poor shooting (again evident Wednesday), turnovers and blowout losses. Though the Red Raiders had played well in the past week, Texas Tech takes over the bottom of the Big 12 for good from TCU (17-11, 4-11).

It’s depressing to acknowledge this fact, but sometimes reality just stinks! I truly believed that we would finish above TCU this year in the Big 12 rankings at the end of the regular season. But, even if we miraculously knocked off OSU and Baylor to wrap up the regular season we might as well get it straight and be expecting to play the #7 seeded team in the Big 12 tournament.

In case you forgot, the Big 12 tournament kicks-off the 1st round with #8 vs #9 and #7 vs #10. Oklahoma State, K-State, and Texas are all floating around the #7 spot to end the season. I’m not going to get my hopes up… but how great would it be to get a chance to knock UT (preseason #2 pick in the Big 12 & nationally in both polls #10 in the country) out of the conference tourney? It would really make the sting we have all felt as Red Raider basketball fans this year hurt a whole lot less if we took advantage of that sort of opportunity. We can all dream can’t we?

Alumni Game

Some awesome news from the Texas Tech Athletics website is that there will be a Red Raiders Alumni Game…

Texas Tech is expecting over 120 men’s basketball alumni this weekend, as the Red Raiders host Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raider alumni, which will feature nine decades of former players, have agree to play an alumni game following the Texas Tech-Oklahoma State matchup. The Red & Black Alumni Game presented by Geico will tip just minutes after the conclusion of the men’s game.

The two alumni teams will be coached by Texas Tech’s all-time winningest coach Gerald Myers and National Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Knight. Meyers skippered the Red Raiders from 1971-1991, while Knight walked the sideline from 2001-2008.

Some of the other names that are expected to be at the alumni game are Bubba Jennings, Phil Wallace, Ricky Guy, Koy Smith, Lance Hughes, Guy Clayton, Darryl Dora, Wally Dunn, Jesus Arenas, Tanner Ogden, Trevor Cook, and Michael Prince. Such a terrific list with many more that are expected to show. This is a type of thing I really wish I was in Lubbock to witness. So many great Texas Tech legends will be there on the court Saturday.

Quotes

After the loss to TCU…

“They didn’t give up. We got beat pretty bad, but it still could have been worse. I thought our kids showed a lot of heart to press, try to force some turnovers, get the ball to the basket. That was what we were trying to do.” – Coach Tubby Smith

After the overtime loss to OU…

“(The game in Norman) hurt us. We knew. We marked it on our calendar that we couldn’t do that again. We have to play focused and tough and together in order to compete.” – Toddrick Gotcher

“I’m really proud of how we came out and competed today after getting manhandled in Norman. I was really pleased with our effort, and we showed a lot of toughness. I’m so proud of (the freshmen) with how they competed. They honored the team and honored the program with their effort today.” – Coach Tubby Smith

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