Game Links: The Texas Tech website is down, so I’m linking to the recap and box score from ESPN. Not sure what the problem is, but I was unable to access the official site at 4 this morning.
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: Despite not getting the start, Terrence Shannon, Jr. had 22 points, leading the team, went to the line 12 times, making 11, grabbed 6 rebounds, had 1 terrible turnover (3 total though), and 3 steals.
The Motion:
- I thought that Beard might start Edwards again over Burton and that ended up happening. That wasn’t the only move in the starting lineup as Micah Peavy got the start over Terence Shannon. After the game, head coach Chris Beard said that it was Shannon that approached Beard about making the change and going to the bench.
- So what did Shannon do? Well, he played really well and led the team in scoring, went to the line, played really hard and I’m pretty well here for this.
- I thought that Mac McClung and Carlos Santos-Silva were absolutely terrific. Santos-Silva was great in the first half, overall he scored 14 points, surprisingly only had 2 rebounds, which is shocking, 2 assists, a turnover, and 3 steals. Super-active all over the place. McClung was incredibly solid and super-efficient to boot. 16 points on 6 of 11, 4 boards, 2 assists, and 1 turnover. I thought McClung’s ability to get to the rack and score was really something.
- Micah Peavy is really special defensively. He can guard a ton of different players and is really terrific on the perimeter.
- I’d also state that McClung getting better defensively is really something. I don’t know that NBA teams are paying attention, but it’s pretty obvious about how he’s really rounding out his game, from his passing to his defense, and his ability to get to the rim, they’re all getting really good. Oh, and McClung doesn’t miss assignments defensively.
- Jamarius Burton being unwilling to really shoot at all maybe exhibits why he wanted to sit out and work on his game. Burton is a fine player, but him being uncomfortable shooting a mid-range jump-shot is a problem.
- Some stats. Texas Tech was pretty terrible from the three-point line, only 4 of 18 from beyond the arc. That’s a huge problem and I thought this team would be a better shooting team. Nice to see the team keep the turnovers under 10, only 9 for the evening. Texas Tech had 12 offensive boards and only allowed 7 by KSU. The bench point battle was 28-10 in favor of Texas Tech. Defensively, there are things to work on as Kansas State was pretty efficient offensively, averages 1.127 points per possession, while Texas Tech was at 1.262. Nijel Pack can play. I’m super-impressed by him.
- Have we reached the point where we know who Texas Tech’s Big Three are? McClung, Shannon, and Santos-Silva. If these guys don’t do their thing on a nightly basis, then it’s going to have to be someone else who steps up and plays to that elite status. Those three are the key I think.
- Head coach Chris Beard:
“You guys know we’re always kind of tinkering with our starting lineup to see what can give us the best chance on any given night. TJ actually came to me as a veteran player and said, ‘Hey coach, whatever you need tonight.'”
- Up next? Iowa State in Ames on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Game set to be broadcast on ESPN2.
Highlights