A really nice win all the way around. There were some defensive issues, but I think a big part of that was the small lineup that eventually got the win, so I'll take it. Here's the boxscore. Let's get to the review:
| Player | Comment |
| Martin Zeno | A little ragged, but I thought he did a nice job of helping break the press all night and 24 free throw attempts is crazy. |
| Damir Suljagic | Not a bad line from Damir, 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. I would take that every day from Suljagic. |
| Trevor Cook | Minimal minutes. |
| John Roberson | This guy is seriously turning a corner, he is officially ready for Big 12 play with 25 points for the night and 6 beautiful assists. Hardly noticed the 4 TO's. |
| D'Walyn Roberts | Minimal minutes. |
| Mike Singletary | No easy buckets with Singletary around the rim. Loved his aggressiveness even if the stat line isn't impressive. |
| Charlie Burgess | Did a pretty good job defending and being that extra ball handler the entire game. Had 4 assists and 0 TO's. |
| Alan Voskuil | I could have sworn that Voskuil only took 2 shots, but he actually took 8 and made 3-5 from beyond the arc. And 5 TO's with no assists isn't good. |
What Texas Tech Did Right:
- Roberson: I thought Roberson was really good tonight. Not only did it seem like he urned the ball over very little, but he was in control the entire game. There was one stretch in the 2nd half where Burgess was handling the ball and I kept thinking that Roberson needed to have the ball. I loved the fact that he was a scoring threat all night. Best game of the year for Roberson.
- Zeno Carried the Team: Although I thought that the team did a much better job of spreading the scoring load, Zeno carried this team emotionally and physically for much of the 2nd half. I can't wait to check out the splits for the 1st and 2nd half, where I am sure it will reveal that Zeno was an absolute beast in the 2nd half on the line.
- Not Slip Sliding Away: I'm sure that you were thinking the same thing that I did, that the 1st half comeback by Missouri was a precursor to what would eventually happen and that the Red Raiders would eventually give up the lead. I loved this team's resiliency tonight and thought they did an excellent job of forcing Missouri into bad shots and long droughts where they didn't score. Lots of credit should go to Suljagic who was the sole inside presence for most of the game.
What Texas Tech Did Wrong:
- Really Good But Not Great: I loved almost all of Roberson's game except for two plays near the end of the 2nd half and I realize that I'm picking here. When Roberson swiped at the ball to give nameless Missouri guard a chance at a 3 point play I screamed at my television for Roberson to give him the opportunity for the 3 point play. Next was the turnover on the out of bounds where Roberson essentially traveled. We need Roberson in the game for the entire game and he can't afford to take any naps. I thought he did a great job, but I just thought that those two plays at the end of the game were a little disappointing.
- Rebounding, Again: I thought it was a fairly critical coaching error on Missouri's part to not at the very least crash the boards. Texas Tech isn't a good running team, although I thought that the first part of the game Texas Tech showed an ability to get some easy buckets, especially with Voskuil on the wing, but Missouri won the rebounding battle by 13 and had they crashed the boards, I think Missouri would have had a much better chance of winning this game.
- Some Need to Practice Free Throws: Part of me understands how Zeno could miss 5 of 24 free throws and Roberson to miss 2 of 12, but Burgess, Voskuil and Suljagic really need to make sure that they concentrate on their free throws. Voskuil typically shots 80% from the line, but those 3 were 7 of 14 from the line. Those free throws could have really come back to haunt the Red Raiders.
Up Next: Texas Tech @ Texas, January 26, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. (Television - ESPN Plus).