INTRO

• “Texas Tech is in the Final Four”

BASKETBALL

• “No Middle” defense
  • Averaging 7.4 steals pg (#54 nationally); 15.7 turnovers forced pg (#22); Tariq Owens 88 blocks
  • Tech opponents averaging 57 pts; 37.4% FG; 23.4% 3PT
  • Switch on everything, no weak link in defense; switched less on Gonzaga in second half as part of adjustment
  • Weakest part of TTU defense is rebounding, rank #131 (MSU is #6)
• 3 point shooting
  • Texas Tech is 17-0 when making at least 7 3-pointers
  • Tech has 6 players who made at least 20 3-pointers this season; four are shooting 38% or better (Davide Moretti 46.3%; Kyler Edwards 43.8%; Deshawn Corprew 40.8%; Matt Mooney 38.1%)
  • Tech averages 7.2 make 3-pointers on 19.6 attempts pg, ranks #67 nationally in 3PT%
    • Tech fell below that in games vs NKU, Buffalo, and Michigan
• Sweet Sixteen Wrap; defeated Michigan 63-44
  • https://texastech.com/boxscore.aspx?id=14439&path=mbball
  • We went into this game worried about Michigan’s defense and Moretti’s inaccuracy beyond the arch (0-7 from 3pt in first two games)
  • Moretti ended up with 15 points on 5-7 shooting (3-4 3PT) 2-2 FT
  • Initially felt that rebounds would tell the story. Michigan still outgained TTU 35-31 on the glass.
  • TTU was up 8-6 after 11 min – 14 total points. This. Is. March.
  • TTU allowed 16 points in the first half while scoring 24
• Elite Eight Wrap; defeated 1 seed Gonzaga 75-69 on Saturday
  • https://texastech.com/boxscore.aspx?id=14452&path=mbball
  • Tech outscored Zags 40-32 in second half
  • Culver 19 pts; Mooney 17 pts; Moretti 12 pts
  • First time in the tournament this year to allow 60 or more points; to no. 1 offensive efficiency ranked team
  • 19 points below Gonzaga season scoring average
• Final Four
  • Tech’s path to the Final Four; eliminated BPI teams 2, 8, & 22
  • MSU eliminated 3, 24, 53 (best win was 1 point)
  • Virginia (9, 29, 34; best win in OT); Auburn (7, 5, 18)
• Matchup with Michigan State, Sat. 4/6, 7:49 p.m., US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis; defeated 1 seed Duke 68-67 on Sunday
  • Guard Cassius Winston averaging 19 ppg in tournament
  • ESPN Jeff Borzello “How the Final Four Teams Were Built (ESPN Top 100 Recruits)” Michigan State: 7, Texas Tech: 0
  • Detroit News James Hawkins “Texas Tech’s Chris Beard admires Tom Izzo and Michigan State, won’t let them be cowed by Spartans”
    • Beard’s admiration of Izzo
    • MSU terminology “Michigan State toughness” “Tom Izzo rebounding”
    • Beard: “The last two years, when we get to March, no matter who’s in front of us, we’ve played against a team just as good in the Big 12. So as  as Michigan State is – and believe me, they’re really, really good, obviously – we have played teams this year, Kansas State and Iowa State, we have played Duke in non conference. So for us, it’s another great game.”
  • BPI 39.3%; FiveThirtyEight 46%; Haslametrics 66.3 – 65.8; Las Vegas MSU -155 (Tech +135), -3 (implied odds MSU 60.8 – 42.6 TTU)
• Texas Monthly Dan Solomon “A Handy Guide to Hopping on the Texas Tech Basketball Bandwagon”
• Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) has had excellent articles on The Athletic profiling Mooney, Moretti, Culver (today), and chronicling how TTU made it to Minneapolis

FOOTBALL

• DeMarcus Fields has returned to the team and is practicing (suspended with Da’Leon Ward, Joseph Wallace, Corey Fulcher)
• There was a scrimmage in Lubbock on Saturday, apparently
  • https://texastech.com/news/2019/3/30/football-wells-takes-in-first-scrimmage-to-start-spring-series.aspx
  • Coach Wells, “”I liked the way the defense tackled,” Wells said. “I thought we tackled well in space. I thought Ta’Zhawn Henry ran with good balance. He had some runs with good vision and good balance. SaRodorick (Thompson) made a nice run on the touchdown run. Those were the three things that stood out the most to me.”
• Midland Scrimmage this Friday (April 5th) – 7pm – Grande Communications Stadium
• Spring Game Sat (April 13th) – 2pm – The Star in Frisco

BASEBALL

• 19-7 (3-3); def. UNM 15-6
• Went 2-1 in Manhattan
• Playing at New Mexico tonight (7pm) and tomorrow (2pm)
• Back at home against KU this weekend (Texas Tech TV only)

QUESTIONS

https://twitter.com/LSRR07/status/1113134262113521666

GOIN YARD

WHAT WE LEARNED

Someone made a Spotify playlist of Coach Beard’s Fireside Chat recommendations (thank you, Tyler): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ZGvcIKRDpQrRLjWvKLpYR?si=3p66KYZ-RWqNT9XhurK-yQ