Perhaps one of the more impressive wins of the season and by all accounts a well played game by our Red Raiders. I did not see the game, I don't have ESPNU, so my reaction is based off of the boxscore. Also, make sure and check out this ESPN video of highlights from the game and Coach Knight's post-game press conference.
Let's get to the review.
| Player | Comment |
| Trevor Cook | Only played 16 minutes and also turned the ball over twice. |
| Esmir Rizvic | Apparently got the start and finished with 6 points and 5 boards, this is not a bad game for Rizvic. |
| Martin Zeno | An incredible 15-19 from the line, must have driven to the bucket like there was no tomorrow. Finished with 25 points and had his usual 5 TO's. |
| Alan Voskuil | Another quiet and efficient game from Voskuil, finishing with 13 points and 4 boards. |
| John Roberson | Another solid game from Roberson, didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but did finish with 17 points 4 assists and only 2 TO's. |
| Rogdrick Craig | Minimal minutes. |
| D'Walyn Roberts | Perhaps his best game of the year, finishing with 7 points and 4 boards. Needs to work on the free throws, only 3-8. |
| Mike Singletary | Productive minutes again, despite playing 8 minutes, he finished with 5 points. He knows how to score. |
| Damir Suljagic | Minimal minutes. |
| Charlie Burgess | Coach Knight gave credit to Burgess for the defensive play on Jackson and so will I. Pretty quiet day otherwise. |
What Texas Tech Did Right:
- Stopped Jackson: As Coach Knight mentioned, the team was able to hold Jackson to onlyl 9 points on 3-12 shooting. Coach Knight gave credit to Zeno and Burgess and I would also think that Zeno's offensive game play, driving to the bucket, possibly tired out Jackson and at the very least got him in foul trouble where he may have played a little more tenatively.
- Turnovers, Glorious Turnovers: I mentioned before the game about how nice it would be for Texas Tech to continue to force their opponent into turnovers and what do you know, UTEP had 23 turnovers for the afternoon. Only 16 points resulted from those turnovers, but I'll take it. Although the turnovers didn't result in the poor shooting, UTEP also only shot 41% from the field for the game. Another sign that the defense continues to play well.
- The Big Three: With the emergence of Roberson as a legitimate 3rd scoring option, this team has really taken off. No longer is Texas Tech dependent upon Zeno to score or Voskuil to hit his jumpshots. Adding Roberson to the mix has made this team a more versatile offensive team and a more difficult team to beat.
What Texas Tech Did Wrong:
- Free Throws: Still not quite there in terms of percentage at the end of the day (64%). Much of this can be laid at the feet of D'Walyn Roberts who missed 5 of 8 free throws
- Roberson Can't Fall In Love With The Three: As much as I've appreciated Roberson's resurgence which has corresponded with the team's better play, I don't want Roberson to fall in love with the outside jumper and 3-point shot. I know that's a big part of his game, but if he starts to struggle from the outside, then continuing to drive to the bucket will only help his offensive development.
- I Guess This Is It: I guess we have our frontcourt. Rizvic received the bulk of the minutes in the frontcourt, along with Cook, and Roberts, but ultimately, this might just be your frontcourt, with an occasional appearance from De Bem and Suljagic.
Up Next: Texas Tech @ Oklahoma State, January 12, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. (Television - CBS).