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Seniors’ Day: Gotcher and Williams lead Texas Tech basketball to big win

By Matthew Conner

Mar 5, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Devaugntah Williams (0) and guard Toddrick Gotcher (20) are presented their jerseys on senior day before the game with the Kansas State Wildcats at United Supermarkets Arena. Texas Tech defeated Kansas State 80-71. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Devaugntah Williams (0) and guard Toddrick Gotcher (20) are presented their jerseys on senior day before the game with the Kansas State Wildcats at United Supermarkets Arena. Texas Tech defeated Kansas State 80-71. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas Tech basketball defeated Kansas State 81-70 in the regular season finale.  The victory virtually assures that Texas Tech, which was picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason coach’s poll, will receive a bid to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The best play senior Texas Tech guard Toddrick Gotcher made on the day of his last home game had no impact on the Red Raider’s 80-71 over Kansas State. Rather, the highlight of his day came in the post game celebration.

After thanking the Texas Tech crowd for being the village that raised him, Gotcher dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend Kelly McQuaid. Putting the diamond ring on the finger of his new fiancée was the capstone moment of a day Gotcher will never forget.

In addition to getting engaged, Gotcher led the Texas Tech basketball team to a win that by all accounts secured an NCAA Tournament birth for the Garland, TX native and his teammates. It is a feat that even the most ardent Texas Tech basketball supporter would not have predicted in November as the Red Raiders were coming off of last year’s 13-19 season that saw head coach Tubby Smith’s team go 3-15 in the Big 12 conference.

After falling behind Kansas State by as many as 12 points in the first half, Gotcher and fellow senior Devaugntah Williams sparked a 25-5 run to end the half and give Texas Tech an improbable 36-28 halftime lead. The two seniors combined for 33 points on the afternoon, including a team-high 20 points from Williams.

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It was the first time the junior college transfer had scored 20 points in a game since Texas Tech’s victory over Texas on January 2nd to open Big 12 play. As Kansas State started the game hitting its first six shots, Williams was virtually the entire Red Raider offense hitting his team’s first three shots to keep the Wildcats within reach.

Ultimately, Texas Tech would come to life taking its first lead on a Gotcher layup with 2:06 left in the opening half. From there, the team danced all the way to a victory and for all intents and purposes, a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore guard Keenan Evans tied Williams for the team-high in points with 20 of his own. Forward Zach Smith was once again a dot-it-all player with 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks and an assist.

With a 19-11 overall record and a 9-9 Big 12 mark, the Red Raiders, which sport the country’s toughest strength of schedule have put together as good of a case for an NCAA Tournament bid as any team in the nation. The Big 12 is rated as the top conference in the country and considering that last year saw two teams with 8-10 conference records (Texas and Oklahoma State) earn a trip to big dance, Texas Tech should be squarely in the field of 68 after posting a .500 record in league play.

Four wins over teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI rankings, Oklahoma (No. 5), Iowa State (No. 19), Texas (No. 23) and Baylor (No. 25) are enough to ensure that the Red Raiders are off the bubble and can look forward to the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. This will be the first time Texas Tech has been in the tournament since 2007 when Bob Knight was at the helm of the team.

Since then, the program has seen 4 different head coaches (Pat Knight, Billie Gillespie, interim head coach Chris Walker and Tubby Smith) struggle to bring Red Raider basketball back to relevance. Toddrick Gotcher has been involved with all four.

Recruited by Pat Knight, Gotcher went through three different head coaches in three years (2011-12 to 2013-14). Yet, throughout the most turbulent time in modern program history, Gotcher was nothing but a fantastic representative of Texas Tech earning two masters degrees and All-Big 12 academic honors.

Now, Gotcher will have the opportunity every college basketball player longs for. He will participate in the NCAA Tournament as a senior and more importantly, he has left a legacy as part of the team that helped bring Texas Tech basketball back from the abyss.

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But while the NCAA Tournament is the big dance college basketball programs strive to reach each season, Gotcher now has a much bigger dance to prepare for. The one with Kelly McQuaid at his wedding.

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