9-0: I didn't get a chance to either watch the game or listen to the game, but I'll throw up some post-game thoughts and feign some sort of expertise. Another nice win, on the road, and for those of you just checking in on things, the Red Raiders beat TCU 80-70 (Box Score).
Down from 14: That appears to be the theme of most of the game stories (LAJ's Courtney Linehan and FWST's Stefan Stevenson and TR's RRR also has post game thoughts). Head coach Pat Knight told his team to keep it close:
"If you can just keep this between four and six points you have a chance to do this," Tech coach Pat Knight told his team in the midst of its 9-0 run to close out the first half. "That was huge, because if we let them go on a run or hit some more shots on us then it would have been really hard for our guys to come back."
And TCU head coach Jim Christian had this to say about PF D`Walyn Roberts, who had 19 rebounds, 9 of them offensive, and 9 points:
"He’s not very big, but he’s very athletic and aggressive," Christian said of the 6-foot-7 Duncanville graduate. "He’s a great player and he’s going to do that when you don’t put a body on him and let him roam free, and that’s what he did."
And PK had is proud of Roberts' performance:
"I’m just glad people are finally noticing what D’walyn does," Knight said. "It’s the stuff that helps you win games. Sometimes it’s not the stuff that’s going to make SportsCenter, but it makes me happy."
Without Ray: This story by LAJ's Courtney Linehan wasn't published until after I posted yesterday's DD, but it essentially details the situation of PF Corbin Ray, who suffered a concussion in a scrimmage, and is still expected to miss another month. PK had this to say about Ray and his situation and the type of skill-set that Ray brings:
"The kid competes. He wants to play; that’s why he came here," Knight said. "You’ve got to be careful because he’s one of those kids who will tell you what he thinks you need to hear so he can play, not thinking about his own health. We’re taking it slow this time around to be sure."
Snip
"He’s not a post threat, really, but he can guard the post really well because he’s more athletic so he can get around the big guys," Knight said. "He’s really good at facing the basket and passing. From a defensive standpoint we don’t lose anything when he’s in, but from an offensive standpoint he’s different because he can set back screens and hit 3s."
Davis 1st Team All-American: Congrats to S Cody Davis for being named first team All-American by Phil Steele publications. Steele also released his All-Big 12 teams and there are a number of Red Raiders represented as Steele goes 4 teams deep. DT's Adam Coleman talked with Davis about how he plays (there's also some quotes from other players about Davis):
"Just flying out to the ball," Davis said. "Being around the ball, just trying to make the secure tackle whenever it comes my way.
"But I’m still looking for my interception. I’m so hungry for it."
Initial Bowl Allotment Sold Out . . . Not So Fast: LAJ's Don Williams wrote last night that Texas Tech has sold out their initial bowl allotment, but then Texas Tech posted that the the allotment has been replenished.
MSU Suspended Players: FWST's Dwain Price writes that head captain Mike Leach had this to say about the Michigan St. suspended players and how that can affect a team:
"Sometimes a team gets better by getting rid of some folks,'' Leach said. "The other thing is those guys have a funny way of being available by the time you play them, so who knows?''
DT's Alex Ybarra talked with some of the players about the same topic, and LB Bront Bird feels that the backups are just as good as those players suspended:
"This is a Division I level, and that’s a big conference," linebacker Bront Bird said. "The guy (who was suspended), his backup is probably just as good as him. I honestly don’t pay too much attention to all that, and I don’t think we as a team should either."
Snip
"Suspensions are tough for a team, you can either keep moving and try to fight forward or some teams it can ruin their season," Bird said. "Obviously, I have no idea what their mindset is. Yeah they can be tough, but if you’re mentally tough, I’m sure their group will push through it and they’ll be just fine."
Hawaiian Trip: It appears that the coaches will be taking a trip to Hawaii to recruit LB V.J. Fehoko, who is the brother of Texas Tech's own LB Sam Fehoko, and was also named as the High School Athlete of the Year. I wish the coaching staff well in their travels.