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The Morning Stake | 2019.04.03

The Morning Stake
Seth C

The Morning Stake | 2019.04.03

Leading Off

Content. I hope you enjoy content because you’re getting a snootful today.

Texas Tech Track and Field

Texas Tech Golf

Texas Tech Tennis

Texas Tech Softball

Texas Tech Baseball

Texas Tech 15, New Mexico 6. The Red Raiders hammered the Lobos, 15-6 (Recap | Box Score) with Byrce Bonnin earning his third win of the year, going 5 inning and allowing 5 runs, walking 3 and striking out 2. John McMillon came in relief going 2 innings, allowing 3 hits and no runs while striking out 2, and Ryan Sublette finished the game out giving up a run in 2 innings. New Mexico went through 6 pitchers last night. The offense belted out 14 hits, including 4 home runs, Cole Stillwell had 2 of them, Cameron Warren had 1, and Dru Baker had 1. Every starter recorded a hit. Texas Tech will play today at 2:00 p.m.

Texas Tech Basketball

Celebrate!

#4:1 or #4to1. This has been somewhat funny since Chris Beard was hired. So Twitter has this deal where there are certain characters can be hashtagged so you can easily search them. Chris Beard has always tweeted “4:1” but this isn’t searchable and can’t be hashtagged. Over the weekend, Texas Tech was given their very own hashtag “4to1” and if you hashtag it, the double-t will magically appear. Still today, Beard either doesn’t care or isn’t going to change this late in the year because he still uses “4:1” even though it won’t be hashtagged.

Links! Well, I’m highlighting some of these. Soak it in while you can, savor each story and appreciate each and every insight into your Red Raiders.

  • UPROXX’s Martin Rickman – Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver Is Just Getting Started

    That part goes unnoticed at times when evaluating draft prospects. Analytics matter, production matters, but a prototypical top pick needs a combination of those tangibles and a desire to get better. Scouts have a tough job when evaluating guys, and in a Process-based world where picks are scrutinized more and more, minimizing that risk matters. Do you go with a higher ceiling guy who hasn’t quite put it all together, or someone with elite production who is already who they’re going to be?

    Culver finds himself somewhere in the middle, and that makes him such an interesting player to project at the next level. The stats are there, both in traditional and advanced metrics, but he also has the drive to get better. Having just turned 20 years old, and potentially still growing, with an Olympic caliber athlete in his family (his brother Trey, a two-time indoor high jump NCAA Champion), it’s easy to see why even scouts who are torn on where to draft Culver are still fans of his game.

  • FloHoops’ Kyle Kensing – ‘Kill Drill’ Helped Form Texas Tech’s Nation-Leading Defense:

    It’s called “Kill Drill,” and the grueling premise lives up to its billing.

    “There’s 90 seconds on the clock, and sometimes it’s full-court, sometimes it’s half-court,” Texas Tech center Malik Ondigo said of the defensive practice drill the Red Raiders’ head coach Chris Beard runs. “If [the offensive players] score, they get the middle, they get an offensive rebound, the clock starts over. You can be in that pit for about 40 minutes straight of just going. They have no mercy with it.”

    “There are times I think, ‘Why?’” Ondigo said.

    Questioning the value of a drill that demands a defense get a stop, deny the boards, even keep the ball out of the middle for triple the length of the collegiate shot clock is understandable. The practice might seem especially outlandish in the offseason months.

  • Abilene Reporter-News’ Joey D. Richards – Abilene Christian’s Joe Golding roots for his good friend, Texas Tech’s Chris Beard (This is a terrific article because we find out who is in Chris Beard’s inner circle, which includes Abilene Christian head coach Joe Golding, Angelo State head coach Cinco Boone, Texas A&M Commerce head coach Jaret Von Rosenberg, South Plains College head coach Steve Green, and Texas-Arlington head coach Chris Ogden)
  • The Ringer’s Shaker Samman – What to Expect From Michigan State, Texas Tech, Virginia, and Auburn in the Final Four
  • Express-News’ Mike Finger – Chris Beard proving Texas Tech could have staying power:

    Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller was there back then. As an assistant at UTSA in 1996, Keller was one of Beard’s San Antonio running buddies, and he learned rather quickly that the Georgia-born, Texas-raised basketball savant usually could read people much better than they could read him.

    “Don’t get it twisted,” Keller said of the Texas Tech coach Tuesday. “He’s smart like a fox.”

    By next Monday night, that fox will have either a national championship trophy or a whole bunch of lucrative job offers, and possibly both. And if Beard is really as smart as his old friend says he is?

    He might realize his dream job is the one he already has.

  • Corpus Chsiti Caller times’ Quinton Martinez – March Madness: Edwards, other newcomers adopt Texas Tech’s defensive mentality:

    “I never played defense in high school,” Edwards said. “Coming here coach (Chris Beard) wanted me to pick up full court.

    “That blew my mind.”

    Edwards is one of several Red Raiders who have had to adopt a different mindset since arriving on campus in Lubbock, joining one of the top defensive teams in the nation.

Texas Tech Football

David Yost Mic’d Up.

Saddle Up, Episode 3. Episode 3 of Saddle Up was last night with much of the focus on the defense and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson. The big takeaway for me is that there are probably two theories about how to play defense if you aren’t a perennial power: 1) wait for the offense to make a mistake; or 2) try to force the offense to make a mistake. Last year the defense definitely waited for the opposing offense to make a mistake and this year, the team will take chances to force turnovers. This even went so far as to take a pass interference in the end zone if it looks like the opponent will score a touchdown. Take the penalty and live to try to make another play.

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