TRENDING FOR TEXAS TECH
Turnovers | We need to get these turnovers down a bit. We are averaging almost 20 TO's a game and this is not going to cut it when conference play starts. I know we have beat the point into the ground about how we are a young team, and with the little experience we have together on the court is the biggest factor contributing to all the TO's. But, our guys sometimes get in a rush and make some ill-advised passes that go zipping by a teammate who isn't ready for it. Luckily the games have been against teams who were struggling getting the ball in the hoop. But when we get to a game against a team that is having a pretty good shooting day, we would get beat. Plain and simple, our guys will get better with the on court team chemistry. It's just something that I would like to see reduced by the 10th game of the season.
FG % | Our team is 3rd in the nation on our field goal per game makes average. That totally rocks! It is really hard to beat a team that is hitting a lot (over 50%) of their shots. How do you stop guys that are making ever other shot they throw up at the hoop. We keep doing this and cut down on the turnovers and you will see us with quite a few more wins then most would think we will end up with.
Intensity | The team intensity is just amazing right now. With all the things going on with the football team not getting a whole lot of wins this year, the basketball team seems to be a breath of fresh air. If you guys watched all the games last year with what was happening with Pat Knight it seemed to our team just kind of gave up during the middle of the season. Then, all our fans started criticizing the coaching which seemed to translate to the team when the started to get down in a game. So far, our fans and players are seemingly feeding off each others energy to stay intense in the games. It's an awesome thing to see happen, and will be testing in the tournament games we will play in this week. Momentum during a game can easily win or lose the game for you, and if you go into the game without a positive attitude and high intensity then you will probably just get frustrated and shut down when the games on the line.
Rebounding | The rebounding problem is also something that drives me nuts. We need to block out hard when the shots go up. If your not fighting for every rebound then you don't need to even bother to play the game. I'm a firm believer that you don't need size to block out and get in position to rebound the ball. It's about how bad you want it and what you are willing to do to GET THAT ROCK! Also, you have to be aware of where the ball is and when to anticipate the shot going up. Again, our team is young and will learn how to anticipate shots for positioning yourself under the basket, but it's something that we need to do better on or it could lose those closer games that are on the line. I want to see a little more aggression from Lew down fighting for the boards.
Backcourt Defense | I feel our backcourt defense is good at times but we let our man get too many baseline drives. This will get cleaned up a little as the guards get use to Division 1 college basketball. Is it just me or do you guys see a lot more drives and slashes to the rim then you feel comfortable with? I could go on and on about how a defense could improve, but this is something that can get more worried. If you force the other team to take a lot more mid-range shots and three pointers that game gets a lot easier to win. And when we get into these conference games with even faster and more skilled guys at the guard position the cuts and drives to the hoop just gets harder and harder to defend against.
BIG 12 REPORT
Top Matchups in the Big 12 This Week
#21 Missouri VS. #18 California | Tuesday, November 22nd. A really good Missouri squad takes on a red hot California team. Be watching for Missouri to use their high speed attack mode to throw off the Cal team from getting settled down to control the game.
Oklahoma State VS. Stanford | Wednesday, November 23rd. Both teams are looking to stay undefeated, and I have Oklahoma State picked this year as the sleeper in the Big 12. Also, I'd like to see them keep doing good after the tragic plane crash that the program is having to deal with.
Big 12 Player of the Week
J’Covan Brown | The junior guard from University of Texas had a game with 35 points (5 three pointers made), 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Then the next game, he had 25 points (5 three pointers made), 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. He is excellent with the ball and fun to watch, can't wait to see him as the season goes on because I think he may be the best player in the Big 12 or at least has the potential to be. He does lead the nation in points per game, which is pretty impressive even if it is a Longhorn that's doing it.