Senior guard Toddrick Gotcher comes up big in win over No. 3 Oklahoma

When the core of a college basketball team is comprised of four sophomores, there will be times during the season when that team must have a senior leader step up. Though his stats in Texas Tech’s upset over No. 3 Oklahoma last night will not grab headlines, senior guard Toddrick Gotcher was arguably the most important player on the court for the Red Raiders.

The Garland, Texas native finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and two assists. But these statistics do not tell the true story of how important Gotcher was for Tubby Smith’s club as it knocked off its third consecutive top-25 opponent.

In the era of fantasy sports many fans have come to take for granted important elements of the game such as solid defense. Last night, Gotcher was charged with guarding Oklahoma’s star Buddy Hield for the majority of the game.

Hield is leading the Big 12 with 25.2 points per game and scored 30 against Texas Tech in the first game between the two teams in January. After Hield scored the Sooner’s first ten points of the game in the first five minutes of action, Gotcher and his teammates limited the Sooners’ star to only six points for the remainder of the night.

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Gotcher was a pest all night forcing Hield to take contested shots and making the national player of the year front-runner exert maximum effort to get shots. Hield was held to 6-16 shooting and 3-10 from three-point range and one must acknowledge that the man-to-man defense Gotcher played against Hield for the majority of the evening was a huge element in holding the Sonners’ star in check.

Yet Gotcher’s defense on Hield was not the only manner in which the senior led his team to victory. Without question, Gotcher made the two most crucial and spectacular plays of the game, both of which were key turning points in the Texas Tech victory.

One of the most important times in a basketball game is the end of the first half. Teams that score at or near the first half buzzer carry a tremendous amount of momentum into halftime and that momentum often sets the tone for the start of the second half.

Last night, Gotcher made a spectacular play to end the first half and send Texas Tech to the locker room on a high note.

With Texas Tech leading by one point, Gotcher corralled a defensive rebound with under four seconds to play in the half. Relying on his senior experience, Gotcher knew that he had time to drive the length of the court for a buzzer-beating layup.

That play gave Texas Tech a three-point halftime lead but more importantly, it sent gave the Red Raiders tremendous momentum at the half. The home crowd was in a frenzy and the body language of the Red Raiders showed that they believed in their ability to win the game. Meanwhile, the Sooners slumped into the locker room knowing that they were in for a dogfight.

In the second half, Gotcher again turned the game in Texas Tech’s favor with one of the best plays in recent Red Raider basketball memory.

With 8:32 left to play in the game and the Sooners up 50-49, Texas Tech turned the ball over leading to a four-on-zero Oklahoma fast break. However, Gotcher, who was farther behind the play than any of his teammates, sprinted back to deflect a lazy Oklahoma pass.

Then, as the ball was headed out of bounds, Gotcher had the presence of mind to save the ball and toss it to Aaron Ross near mid court. On the ensuing possession, Texas Tech point guard Keenan Evans hit a 3-pointer to give Texas Tech the lead.

Gotcher’s hustle resulted in a five-point swing in the game. This exchange would prove to be critical in what ended up being a two-point victory.

Most players in Gotcher’s position would have simply conceded the layup. However, the senior Texas Tech guard put everything he had into stopping the OU fast break and in doing so he altered the outcome of the game.

For the second time on the evening, Gotcher made a spectacular play that changed the momentum of the game. His hustle on the play ignited the partisan crowd and sparked a Texas Tech run.

Next: Texas Tech sinks No. 3 Oklahoma 65-63

Toddrick Gotcher is one of the most impressive people in years to represent Texas Tech basketball. Having played for three different head coaches and experiencing some of the worst seasons in program history, Gotcher has persevered to become one of Texas Tech’s most indispensable players.

Never was that more obvious than in last night’s season-defining victory over Oklahoma.

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