Baylor 65, Texas Tech 61
- Initially, this game looked like Baylor was going to blow the doors off of Texas Tech, but Baylor went cold (partly due to some terrific defense) and Justin Gray got hot and Texas Tech found themselves with a one point lead at one point in the first half. Texas Tech battled and I was really happy to see that. This was the kind of game where Texas Tech could have been killed, but they kept possessions close and Baylor couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn, but they had so many more opportunities that this was the difference in the game, that and free throws.
- Gray finished with 12 points, all coming in the first half and that was somewhat of a bummer. He was really great, but Texas Tech couldn’t find him any shots. Gray finished with 12 points on 6 of 9, plus 4 rebounds 2 assists and 3 turnovers.
- Baylor was absolutely a monster on the boards, out-rebounding Texas Tech by 10, and they shot 26 of 28 free throws and that was the difference in the game. If Motley flinched, a foul was called and Texas Tech ended up with four players with four fouls, all of Texas Tech’s big guys. Texas Tech only shot 10 free throws for the game despite driving, but Baylor is so tall and so big, it’s darn near unfair.
- Aaron Ross got his tail in gear finally and was one of the better offensive threats in the game, something that hasn’t happened in quite a while. Ross finished with 14 points on just 7 shots and he shot half of the team’s free throws, going 5 of 5.
- Baylor is not the #5 team in the nation with that offense. There were times, when they were orderly and got the ball to Motley and thins looked good, but there were other times where they just looked like an absolute mess and some of that credit goes to the Texas Tech defense that flipped between zone and man defense (man most of the time). But overall, their offense just didn’t look good. Maybe Texas Tech taking their time with possessions caused Baylor to get out of sorts, but that’s not the type of offense that gets very far.
- Chris Beard was proud of the effort of the team, and I was too.
“I’m proud of our guys, and I enjoyed sitting on that bench tonight watching those guys compete against a really good team,” Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said. “Congratulations to Baylor, I thought they came out ready to play. I like Scott Drew. I don’t know him that well. I was in this league when he got the job a long time ago. I’ve just watched him from afar, and I’ve got a lot of respect for what Baylor does. They’ve got good players, and they put their players in situations to play. He’s a positive guy, and his teams don’t beat themselves. We took a step forward tonight but life in the Big 12 – sometimes you can play well, but you don’t get the results you’re looking for. Congratulations to Baylor.”
- Texas Tech’s next three games are LSU, Texas and the Oklahoma. This is a huge three-game stretch.
Let’s take a look at Coach Beard’s post game press conference following tonight’s action in Waco. #WreckEm #4to1 pic.twitter.com/WwJoyYFWlH
— TexasTech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 26, 2017
There were no highlights on YouTube, but here are the highlights on ESPN.
Guess who? #WreckEm #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/75c01IMuJE
— TexasTech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 26, 2017