Game Links:
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: I’m going with Donovan Atwell, but could give it to JT Toppin as well. Just spreading the love a bit. Atwell finished with a team-high 17 points on 5 of 13 from the floor.
The Motion:
- Texas Tech scored 43 points in the first half, 30 in the second. Colorado scored 27 in the first and 44 in the second. Talk about holding onto your butts, that was an all sorts of terrible second half and the play-by-play guy said that Texas Tech survived and that is absolutely true, by the thinnest of margins. Texas Tech shot 47% in that 1st half, only to then shoot 35% in the 2nd, and also sent cold from beyond the 3-point line, 47% and then 21%. Making problems worse was the turnovers, just 2 in the 1st half, but this little Colorado press created 7 additional turnovers. Size will do that, but that’s not an excuse.
- Conversely, that Texas Tech defense was great in the 1st half. The Buffs shot just 35% and 20% from deep, but the 2nd half was a team that shot 45% and 36%. The big key is that Texas Tech kept putting CU on the line and they didn’t have an answer for that freshman point guard #2, Johnson, who went 13 of 13 from the line all by himself in the 2nd half and the team went 14 of 16.
- Akunetok was back, but he played just 3 minutes and his defense is incredibly rough. The reason he didn’t play more was because he simply couldn’t guard the post. So having height is great, but McCasland quickly recognized that CU was sending the ball into that 270-pound center who scored all of his points when Akunetok was in the game. He has to be better.
- I will reiterate that Anderson is such a talented player, but there are games when it is painfully clear that this team needed a 2nd ball-handler and Houston was a game where that was true and the 2nd half of this game was also true. Anderson was doubled, either getting the ball out of bounds or as soon as he crossed halfcourt and there were times where the ball never saw him again in a position to shoot. Having a guy that could set him up would make that easier. I know that this is all spilt milk and I am sure you are tired of me banging this drum. I’m tired of writing about it to be honest, but I think it is something to watch when we see the roster construction next year.
- LeJuan Watts and Toppin had a double-double, Watts had 11 points on 5 of 14 with 11 boards and 6 assists with 4 turnovers. Toppin had 16 points on 7 of 14, 7 offensive boards, and 13 rebounds total with 4 assists and 3 turnovers.
- It’s not that Colorado did something crazy in the 2nd half other than making a concerted effort to get to the line. They were never that bad of a shooting team in the 1st half and regressed to what they are in the 2nd. This was always a really good offensive team. I don’t think that Texas Tech’s defense amped things up in the 2nd half, but thought that those 1st half rotations were great. Sometimes it is effort, sometimes the other team plays well and sometimes it’s both. I also think that as good of an effort that I think that Petty makes, he has to start figuring out how to be a ball-handler and initiate the offense for this team to take that step. He can’t be a stand-alone jump shooter that just camps out waiting for Anderson to get him the ball. Texas Tech already has Atwell to do that, Petty should be able to do more and don’t know he’s not able to do that.
- Some final stats. Texas Tech out-rebounded a much bigger team by 10, 46-36, including 16 to 7 on the offensive boards. For the game, Texas Tech was 4 of 10 from the free throw line and already mentioned that Colorado was 19 of 22. That’s a disparity. Anderson was 1 of 3 from the charity stripe.
- Head coach Grant McCasland: “You’d rather win and learn than lose and learn. That’s what this team needs to do.”
- Advanced Stats: Atwell +6.0; Toppin +1.4; Anderson +0.3; Bryan +0.2; Petty -1.7; Watts -2.6.
- Up next? Texas Tech heads back home to host Utah on Wednesday, January 14th, tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on Peacock.
Highlights