Game Links:
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: Come on down Kyler Edwards! I thought that was the best game I’ve seen Kyler Edwards play, maybe ever. It’s always been a consistency thing for him, but yesterday, he was unbelievable, 19 points on 6 of 9, 3 of 5 from three, 4 boards, 3 assists, no turnovers and a steal.
The Motion:
- As a team, I thought that this was as good of an offensive performance than I can recall. Everyone was hitting on all cylinders, the team shot 59% from the floor, absolutely blazing, with four players scoring in double-figures. The group looked like they were ready and willing to run as well as, which was a bit different than the normal offense that they’ve been content to run.
- Kevin McCullar played a lot of point forward, right? Bringing the ball up and setting up the offense? Did I dream that? I don’t think that I did. And the offense has really swung really well, the ball wasn’t standing in one spot very long, the whole idea of dribbling a hole in the ground never works.
- The defense was /chef’s kiss/ Rotationally, it was absolutely incredible, but that’s what happens when you have guys that can pretty much guard every position. The switching was darn near flawless.
- Mac McClung could have been the player of the game in most normal nights, going 8 of 10 from the floor and that mid-range game was great. The 3 turnovers was he only flaw.
- Another great game was from McCullar, scoring 15 points on 5 of 8 from the floor, with 11 boards, 1 turnover, a killer block, and 2 steals were so good. And this doesn’t even mention the defense.
- A sneaky really good game from Terrence Shannon, 11 points on 3 of 8, so that’s not great, but he had 6 assists, 5 boards, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. The 6 assists were something that you don’t see from Shannon very much, but that’s part of the ball swinging to the open man, which Shannon did multiple times. That’s beautiful basketball.
- Texas Tech averaged 1.379 points per possession on the road compared to .941 to Iowa State. ISU simply got out-shot yesterday. Not only that, but Texas Tech going to the line and making 86% of their free throws with 21 attempts compared to just 7 attempts for Iowa State was significant. I’d also add that Texas Tech scored 24 points off of 15 ISU turnovers, compared to just 4 for Iowa State. That’s largely because Texas Tech only had 1 turnover in the first half. Another big deal was the points in the paint, 42-22 for Texas Tech. Another huge stat differential, 17 fast break points for Texas Tech compared to 2 for Iowa State.
- Head coach Chris Beard won his 200th game as a college coach yesterday.
- Head coach Chris Beard:
“Road wins are something you always remember. Tonight we had some awesome individual performances. There was a lot of unselfishness out there tonight. It was a great road trip for our team as they continue to come together as a team and roles continue getting defined.”
“I really don’t have a Plan B without Kyler playing his best. When he plays like he did tonight I think we can beat anyone in the Big 12 which translate to us being able to compete with anyone in the country. There are not a lot of excuses with Kyler. When he plays well he keeps that humility and when he struggles from time-to-time, he just goes back to work. I enjoy watching him play well because I know how much work he puts into it. He’s a tough guy who is running his own race in life and basketball. He’s a guys I have a lot of respect for.”
“Kevin is just scratching the surface. He played well tonight, but there’s going to be a night where he’s playing at a whole other level. He’s a versatile player who can influence the game in a variety of ways. He can go out there and score, but he understands how to get people involved and get our offense going. He’s a really good player and it’s great to see it open up and slow down for him. He’s just getting started and can play a lot better than he did tonight. I have high expectations for that guy.”
- Up next? Texas Tech travels again to Austin to take on the Longorns, Wednesday, January 13th at 8:00 p.m. Game is set to be broadcast on ESPN2.
Highlights