Saturday before the Texas game, the Texas Tech men's basketball team battled against UC Riverside, earning their first victory of the year, 68-56. It's early in the season, so it tough to have too many issues with the way the team played. I'd still like to see more young guys play, but like I said, it's early. Let's review:
| Player | Comment |
| Trevor Cook | I thought he had some productive minutes in the first half and couldn't understand why he was benched in the 2nd half. |
| Damir Suljagic | Perhaps his best game as a Red Raider with 6 points and 8 boards. |
| Martin Zeno | 19 points on more than 50% shooting and only 2 turnovers. |
| Alan Voskuil | I keep waiting for Voskuil to take more of the scoring load every game and had 12 points on Saturday. |
| Charlie Burgess | Saw lots of time in the 1st half, but looked a little disinterested. |
| Decensae White | Also looked a little disinterested, I was expecting a little more from him on the inside. |
| John Roberson | In his first game as a Red Raider, he had 7 points and two assists. |
| Michael Prince | Minimal minutes. |
| Mike Singletary | Minimal minutes. |
| Esmir Rizvic | Minimal minutes. |
What Texas Tech Did Right:
- Defensive Intensity: I loved Voskuil and the rest of the team's defensive intensity for most of the game. The fact that the Red Raiders were able to force 27 turnovers on Saturday is the biggest reason why Texas Tech won.
- Cook's Time: I thought that Trevor Cook had some nice minutes during the first half. He looked comfortable on the floor, is a competent outside shot, and rebounds the ball. It would seem like those are all ingredients for getting him more minutes in the 2nd half, but that wasn't the case. Cook had 5 turnovers for the game, and although I appreciate the lesson that he's got to take better care of the ball, he's going to need to play this year and you might as well work out those kinks now rather than later.
- Zeno Is Still Silky Smooth: Whether we win or lose this year, I will enjoy watching Zeno play all year because he's so dang fun to watch. I just can't recall a player with the physical talent of Zeno ever playing for Texas Tech and I really enjoy watching him play.
- Roberson Handled: I thought Roberson actually outplayed the senior Burgess for the time that I saw him play. Roberson pushed the ball up the court, seemed to be in control for the most part and played pressure defense. The only thing that he lacks is experience, but he looks like a real player.
What Texas Tech Did Wrong:
- Still Can't Rebound: Texas Tech was out rebounded by UC Riverside and this is not a good sign for the rest of the season. Riverside's tallest starter was 6-8 and the rest of the starting 5 were mid-size guards. That's unacceptable, and the same thing that happened last year cannot happen this year. This group has got to be better rebounding the ball, and that includes everyone from the guards and forwards.
- Better Shot Selection: Lots of outside shots and what seemed like few inside buckets. Granted, there were some buckets that were created off of penetration, but there was little to nothing created inside. I have high hopes that Cook or De Bem will develop into that low post scorer that would help this offense, but after not seeing De Bem play against Riverside, I wonder if we'll get to see him much at all.
Up Next: Sam Houston State.