How about a Morning Stake? yesterday I made a mistake and said that Kansas didn’t make the tournament and that is quite wrong. The Jayhawks are in the tournament, but they are likely without their best player in Jalen Wilson who has had to quarantine.
A few NCAA articles for your perusal. CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone lists 20 teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the NCAA Tournament and Texas Tech is at #18:
This isn’t a vintage Chris Beard team but it is equipped as one of the more ready-made tourney contenders he’s had during his tenure at Texas Tech. That’s because this team thrives on forcing turnovers and has a star in Mac McClung who is capable of catching fire and trading blows with any player in America.
This article from Three Man Weave on the South Region was just terrific. You’ll spend half an hour here (or maybe longer). Here’s a bit about Utah State, but you’ll enjoy reading this I think:
To beat TTU, USU cannot simply rely on Queta scoring on the block. Craig Smith does actually implement a beautiful motion offense that emphasizes cutting, it just hasn’t been efficiently carried out this season. USU ranks 112th in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom – it simply doesn’t have the high-end level of offensive talent to score on a consistent basis.
Utah State’s style of offense is more sustainable than Texas Tech’s at least. Instead of isolation, USU relies on catch-and-shoot, passing, and cutting to score. The Aggies rank 17th in assist rate this season and move the ball well on the offensive end.
Would you like some people telling you how awesome you are? Well, the New York Post thinks that Texas Tech is the Final Four pick:
The Big 12 will have a team cutting down the nets. Just not the team anyone expects. Baylor doesn’t even get to the second weekend. Texas Tech is the last team standing, riding the hot hand of Georgetown transfer Mac McClung and coach Chris Beard’s typically stingy defense. McClung sends Arkansas home in the second round with a late jumper and the Red Raiders dominate the paint against Ohio State in the Sweet 16, leading to an Elite Eight matchup with North Carolina. Texas Tech’s pressure gets to the Tar Heels’ young guards, and Beard and Co. reach their second straight Final Four.
Matt Wells and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson immediately went to the transfer market to fill holes.
The Red Raiders inked a pair of fourth-year sophomores in Rayshad Williams (UCLA) and Malik Dunlap (NC State). The two have nearly identical numbers in the past two seasons. Williams recorded 39 tackles over that span while Dunlap was able to add one more to his tally. The duo awaits waivers from the NCAA.
The biggest pickup for Tech was former Duke player Marquis Waters, who made the decision to follow his old defensive backs coach with the Blue Devils, Derek Jones. The 2021 season will be Jones’ second at Tech in the same role.
The final bit of football news is that according to Football Scoop head coach Matt Wells has hired Temple’s on campus of recruiting, Jes Hryn in the same position, to most likely replace Christina DeRuyter (I know one person who is upset that Christina left). From what I can tell, Hryn graduated from Alabama and was at Temple for a couple of years. That’s going off of memory because Temple deleted her profile.