Texas Tech Hoops | 5 Things

No games this week, but I hope everyone had a great Christmas break! Get ready for next week when Tech plays their last non-conference game on Monday against Mount St. Mary’s before Big 12 competition opens up.

1. Dejan Kravic Improving | He has been doing well in the last few games and it is getting noticed. Last game against Arizona State he recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. In the LSU game he finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. Our center spot this year has been one of the weakest positions on the court, but Kravic might have picked the right time to turn it on with Big 12 play coming up.
2. Two Straight Losses | Tech is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season. It was against two very talented teams, and the home loss to LSU was a heartbreaker that could have gone either way. With a lot of time off and the last win going against Central Arkansas on December 15th, I hope the guys have kept their focus. I wouldn’t want to have a collapse against Mount St. Mary’s on Monday. We need to really have a good game to get the guys pumped with some confidence before #14 Iowa State next Saturday.
3. Outside Shooting | Against LSU shooting 7.7% (1-13) from downtown is embarrassing. I’ve brought it up more than once, but I am not sold on us being in most games against Big 12 teams with the lack of being a legit three-point threat. We do not have the frontcourt on this team to do all the heavy lifting when our backcourt can’t hit an outside shot. I still am waiting for one of our guys on this team to get on a hot streak from beyond the arc for multiple games.
4. Gotcher in Starting Lineup | For the last two games Toddrick Gotcher has started over Dusty Hannahs. I am a fan of this move by Tubby Smith for a couple different reasons, but mainly because I think Gotcher brings more defense with his game onto the floor than Hannahs. Gotcher is a bigger, stronger, and a more all around talent basketball player than Hannahs. The argument can be made that we have lost the games that Gotcher has started, but I think we had a better chance to win them with Hannahs coming off the bench. This is also a good move to light a fire under Hannahs to start making his three-pointers and push Coach Smith to get him in the game when needed (win his starting job back).
5. Attendance at the USA | A hot topic for fans is that our attendance is still not what was expected when bringing Tubby Smith into the United Spirit Arena. With the Holidays it can bring a dwindling attendance when the students are out of town. But, the interesting time to watch what the attendance numbers do is when we get into the Big 12 games in Lubbock. This season our conference is extremely good, if you haven’t been watching the other teams in it I suggest you start. We have some incredible players in this league that should draw a crowd on their individual names alone. That and the opportunity to pull off a huge upset and rush the court will generate some excitement around town. I get the feeling the fans might begin showing up for games real soon. Maybe not to jam-pack the arena, but at least to make more noise than the past few seasons.