Texas Tech Men’s Basketball Falls in Austin, 62-58
By Erik Garza
A slow start and a menagerie of turnovers sink Texas Tech Basketball in the state capitol.
Texas Tech found itself trailing early and often against a mediocre Texas Longhorns’ squad that prior to last night’s game, stood at either 8-13 or 15-6.
Shoutout to the ever-endearing ESPN for that one!
Mediocre as they may be, Shaka Smart’s team managed to edge the Red Raiders down the stretch.
Texas Tech shot 21 of 59 from the field (36 percent) and struggled mightily from the three point line as they made only 6 of 21 shots taken (29 percent). Action from the charity stripe proved just as disastrous for Texas Tech as the men clad in scarlet and black shot a disappointing 10 of 19.
Texas Tech’s mental lapses returned on a night they could least afford them.
Anthony Livingston has proven to be the definition of clutch on more than one occasion so far this season, but inexplicably went 1 of 2 from the free throw stripe in the waning minute of the game.
Seconds later, Texas Tech somehow managed to lose Texas’ Eric Davis Jr. in transition and left him wide-open to sink a 3- ball from the top corner, giving the Longhorns a 61-58 lead.
Texas Tech would fall 62-58, capping off an ugly ending to what had been an ugly game for both sides. The difference in Austin proved to be Texas Tech’s inability to squeak out Big XII road victories; something they desperately need if they hope to be dancing come March.
The United Supermarkets Arena has been kind to Texas Tech Basketball, but the Red Raiders need to find a way to come out of the gate swinging on the road. Furthermore, Texas Tech simply cannot continue to throw the ball away, it is essential that they limit turnovers both at home, and on the road.
On a slightly more positive note, Texas Tech guard Keenan Evans returned after missing the LSU game. Evans lead Texas Tech with 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting, but struggled with five turnovers and shoddy performance from the three-point mark.
Zach Smith lead all players with 13 rebounds, and also accounted for 7 points on 3 of 9 shooting.
Five Quick Shots from Texas Tech at Texas
- Squad Up — Keenan Evans’ return to the starting lineup proved to be a welcomed mixed bag. Evans’ contribution to the score column kept the Red Raiders in the game for the majority of the night. However, Keenan seemed just off compared to his normal shooting percentage. Stay healthy young man.
- O Guards, Where Art Thou? — Speaking of guards, Justin Gray and Devon Thomas combined for 4 points on the night, playing 34 and 21 minutes respectively. Simply put, Texas Tech will need much more production from its stable of guards; especially if Keenan Evans is banged up.
- Opportunity Wasted — Texas Tech Basketball dropped a very winnable game against a hated rival. A Texas Tech victory in Austin would have been the first since 1996, which also happened to be a great year for American cinema; Space Jam, Jerry Maguire, and Independence Day were all released in 1996.
- Stay Greedy — Sharing is caring, just not in basketball. The Red Raiders’ carelessness with the ball played a central role in their defeat Wednesday night.
- Up Next — Texas Tech will return to the Hub City and take on the Oklahoma Sooners, Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. Television coverage will be broadcast by the ESPN family of networks.
Texas Tech fans, make sure to follow @WreckEm_Red for all of your Texas Tech Basketball coverage!