Box Score | Post Game Quotes
THE RESULT | GOOD DEFENSE, OR CAN UTA JUST NOT SHOOT | Let's focus on some good news. There's probably not a right answer, but Texas Tech held UTA to 29.3% shooting from the floor for the night, which is outstanding. Of course, a big part of this is that UTA looked like they couldn't hit the broadside of the barn. It's one of those things that you don't want to give too much credit to the defense, but there should be some credit. They were better. The bad news is that this was maybe the worst game games I've ever seen from Texas Tech from a turnover perspective. The first 12 minutes of the game were pretty much a waste of time because both teams couldn't hold onto the ball. The main culprits were PG John Roberson (4 TO; 6 Ast) and SF Mike Singletary (6 TO; 0 Ast). Had Roberson not played last night, I don't think it would have made much of a difference as he still can't hit much of anything (2-10; 6 Pts) to contribute offensively.
Per LAJ's Courtney Linehan, there were some injuries to the backcourt. SG David Tairu suffered a concussion late in the first half, although he's not expected to be out long, SG Mike Davis had surgery yesterday for a fracture in his foot and PG Javarez Willis has been suspended by head coach Pat Knight for academic reasons. Willis has met NCAA requirements, but hasn't met PK's expectations and the suspension could be over quickly.
Tech coach Pat Knight said Willis does not meet Texas Tech’s academic requirements, which are higher than the NCAA’s. As soon as the freshman point guard shows progress he will be able to return to the court, which Knight estimates could be within the week.Davis fractured his fifth metatarsal and had a pin implanted earlier Wednesday. He will miss four to six weeks of competition, a blow considering Tech has come to rely on him as a defensive stopper and energetic spark off the bench.
Tairu’s concussion is not considered serious, but limited him to six points in 13 minutes before leaving the bench for most of the game.
Head Coach Pat Knight
"I just think we just hit a little rough patch and we've played some tough teams. We haven't been playing up to our potential and that starts on defense with everyone. Once we start playing defense, then we are a solid team. Our offense will come but it always starts with defense and getting stops."
MVP | SF Brad Reese I really tried to focus on Reese defensively last night and although I still think he can be a bit slow defensively, he was very much working the help defense. A really solid game and an outstanding rebounding effort from Reese (15 Pts; 4-8 FG; 16 Reb; 3 Ast; 3 Stl; 1 Blk; 1 TO)
Analysis after the jump.
POST GAME THOUGHTS |
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GUARDS |
I mentioned this above, but I thought Roberson played one of his worst games I've ever seen. It was painful to watch him and I don't think it's a stretch to say that his head just isn't with this team. Roberson needs to figure out what he's doing wrong, which is being lazy on cross-court passes, and run the danged offense. Tairu was good when he played, although due to the concussion, he only played 13 minutes and had 6 points. SG Wally Dunn looked a bit rusty and his shot was off, but that's not a surprise. If Davis, Tairu and Willis are all out, it's going to be either Dunn or SG Jamel Outler and I think I'd trust Dunn in Big 12 conference play because he's a senior. |
FORWARDS |
SF Mike Singletary was asked to handle the ball quite a bit because of the injuries and I still don't get why he, his teammates or the coaching staff wants him to handle the ball. It's been shown over the past 3 years that he's awful handling the ball and a turnover machine. I don't get why he's handling the ball, even if it means that a relatively inexperienced guard such as Dunn or Outler is asked to handle the ball. They're guards, that's what they should do. What Singletary did well is get to the line and I can only remember 1 shot that was an outside shot, all the rest were under the basket (16 Pts; 2-6 FG; 12-15 FT; 10 Reb; 5 Off Reb; 3 Stl; 1 Blk). PF Robert Lewandowski had a good night, and he should have as he was clearly the most talented post-player on the court (12 Pts; 4-8 FG; 3 Reb; 2 Ast; 2 TO), but he should have been better on the boards. PF D`walyn Roberts didn't seen a ton of time, but he always fills up a stat-sheet (5 Pts; 5 Reb; 3 TO), although I could have gone without the turnovers. SF Jaye Crockett redeemed himself, and it's pretty clear that the staff wants him to focus on his defense. I mentioned after the UTEP game, that due to Crockett not getting back on defense, his man had up 8 straight points (including 2 3-point plays) and was promptly removed from the game. There was effort there tonight and when he got the opportunity (6 Pts; 2 Reb) he was good, finishing with the highlight dunk of the night. PF Paul Cooper is starting to look a little more comfortable in and around the post. The one thing that you can notice about his game is that almost every time a shot goes up, he turns to block out his man. The funny thing is that he didn't grab a rebound last night, but he's turning to block out his man (4 Pts; 1 Blk; 1 TO). |
COACHING |
There wasn't much coaching that PK had to do here as UTA was clearly out-matched from the beginning of the game. PK can praise his team for having a huge rebounding margin (45-34) and holding UTA to a low shooting percentage. But the 20 turnovers and 13 assists are not acceptable. |
FOUR FACTORS
Fancy basketball glossary found here.