Game Links:
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: This was easy. Donovan Atwell, holy smokes, he was so good yesterday, 26 points, 8 of 11 from the field, 6 of 9 from deep, made all 4 free throws, and played defense like his life was depending on it. Atwell has 100 3’s for the year, which is the single-season record, passing Cory Carr who had 94.
The Motion:
- That was a bit cathartic I think, for the fans, for the team, for McCasland and the coaches. It was good to see them understand that they are capable. The offense seemed to have a lot more movement and a lot more actions to work different match-ups and that seemed to work. For me there were a few things that led to a 28-point win. Texas Tech was really getting after it defensively. I’ve never seen Texas Tech block so many shots, 8 on the night. The other thing is that Kansas State plays atrocious defense. Don’t get me wrong, Texas Tech was feeling it, but the Wildcats lose players consistently.
- Four of the 5 starters were 27 of 45 from the floor, that’s 60%. It starts with having just 6 turnovers for the day. Anderson had 9 assists and the team had 18. There was significant ball-movement that led to those 18 assists. Texas Tech scored 1.493 points per possession. That’s excellent after being below 1 against Arizona State.
- We saw Bamgboye get the start and he played 21 minutes. Moseley had 13. Akuentok had 14. That’s basically where Toppin’s minutes went. Combined, they had 15 rebounds and 18 points. That’s not going to happen every night, but that was a nice debut. The thing that makes great players like Toppin so great is that they are consistent and that’s the separator. These guys will have to do this game-in and game-out.
- We talked about how these players would need all squeeze a bit more from their game and that’s exactly what happened. Watts stepped up significantly yesterday, scoring 19 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, a block, and a turnover. He needed a feel-good game and that’s what he got. There are times where I wish he wasn’t so hesitant to just take shots, but that’s being picky.
- Akuentok was celebrated in the locker room yesterday and Atwell was celebrated on the court. It’s good to celebrate all of those things.
- Texas Tech out-rebounded K-State by 12, 40-28 and that, along with the fast break points, which was in favor of Texas Tech 12-3, were the two big markers. Other than of course, Kansas State just didn’t shoot that well in comparison, who made 55% of their shots, the Wildcats only made 44% and 30% from deep.
- Anderson stepped up as well, he had a quiet 1st half, scoring just 5, but then he exploded for 16, and he had 5 assists in the 2nd half and zero turnovers. That’s how good he was. He did look for his shot a bit more and I’m okay with that. I should mention that Atwell only shot twice in the 2nd half, Texas Tech was carried by Anderson and Watts, who scored 13 points on 4 of 6 from the floor. The switch flipped for both of them for sure.
- Head coach Grant McCasland: “After a really trying week and our game on Tuesday it was really special to be back in the USA. It felt like there was a genuine belief and energy from everyone who was there to support us. The students were amazing and I’m really thankful. Our team came together and played for each other. It really says a lot about this group and how much they love each other and how competitive we were through a tough game and situation. I’m thrilled with the outcome.”
- Advanced Stats: Atwell +7.6; Anderson +6.6; Watts +2.4; Bamgboye +2.1; Moseley +1.2; Akuentok -1.6; and Petty -3.8.
- Up next? Texas Tech will host a surging Cincinnati team on Tuesday, February 24th with tip-off at 6:00 p.m. and the game on ESPN2.
Highlights