Game Links:
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: I typically don’t split this because I think that’s sort of cheating, but I get to make the rules. I’m going to go with Marcus Santos-Silva, who had 18 points on 9 of 13 with 7 rebounds for the evening, AND Mac McClung who was had a tough time hitting anything in the second half, but was absolutely clutch at the free throw line when it mattered and that late drive for a layup was a beaut. Mac had 16 points, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, and a block to boot.
The Motion:
- Some of you may be upset that I didn’t choose Terrence Shannon, Jr. as the other player of the game, and normally he would, but he’s gotten more accolades (as if players really care about the Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game) so I’m just sharing the wealth. Shannon’s exploits absolutely keep Texas Tech in this game, ridiculously efficient in that he made 8 of 12, including 2 of 4 from deep, a rebound, 2 turnovers, and 2 steals.
- I was really hoping that Kevin McCullar would play tonight, but maybe he was in a “break glass in case of emergency” type of situation and since Texas Tech will be off until the 29th, it was a gamble, but maybe it pays off long-term. Enjoy the break K-Mac.
- The story of the game for me may be the defensive effort on Manek, who was absolutely ineffective for pretty much the entire game. Finishing with 2 points on 1 of 7 with just 1 three-point look? Manek may not have a stat line like that the rest of the year.
- Kind of disparity in the free throws? It seemed like Texas Tech wasn’t avoiding contact, but it didn’t seem like those calls were really happening? It all worked out in the end, but 10 free throws for Texas Tech, a handful of them came late as a result of McClung, compared to 27 for OU.
- Texas Tech allowed the Sooners to have 14 offensive boards. I now that some of those were late as well, but that’s way too much. Granted, if Santos-Silva and Shannon play the entire game, maybe it’s not that bad, but that will likely be something that Beard will harp-on post-game.
- Kind of a sneaky-good game from Jamarius Burton who got the start over Kyler Edwards. Fran Fraschilla said that Burton is the lone point guard on the roster and I’d guess that this is what Beard told Fraschilla (Beard and Fran are friends). Another phrase for this would be “motivation” and with Edwards just going 1-4, that’s just not going to cut it. What Edwards did do is that he had 9 rebounds, so he is contributing, but he’s sort of lost his way. And Burton had just 6 points with 4 boards, and an assist. The problem is that if Burton is a true point guard, he’s not the team’s best passer. That’s McClung. I’ll be interested to see how that guard spot shakes out.
- Some stats. Texas Tech only had 8 bench points. 5 of them came from Nimari Burnett who had a nice first half. Texas Tech had 40 points in the paint compared to 20 for Oklahoma. Oklahoma had 18 fast break points compared to 7 for Texas Tech. That’s pretty unacceptable.
- The difference between this game and every other close game? McClung having the ball in his hands except for the possession that had the shot-clock violation. McClung was critical and to have a guy that can make free throws, make shots, and create for others, there’s no question for me who should have the ball in his hands.
- The last sequence was harrowing, but a win is a win (especially on the road) and I won’t complain too much about that.
- Head coach Chris Beard:
“I told the guys after the game that this might be one of my favorite wins of my coaching career,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I was disappointed after that Kansas loss. I could have coached better, we could have played better, guys could have stayed out of foul trouble.”
- Up next? Incarnate Word on Tuesday, December 29th at 7:00 p.m. in Lubbock.
Highlights