Texas Tech basketball: Suffocating defense leads to rout in opener

The Texas Tech basketball team used a suffocating defensive effort to rout Incarnate Word 87-37 in the 2018-19 season opener Tuesday night.

During last season’s Elite 8 run, the Texas Tech basketball team became known across the college basketball landscape for its defense, which was arguably the best in the nation.  Tuesday night, the current version of the Red Raiders carried on that tradition holding Incarnate Word to just seven second half points in a 87-37 season opening victory in Lubbock.

The Red Raiders led 39-30 at intermission in a game that saw Tech jump out to an early 9-0 lead.  But in the second half, Tech ratcheted up the defense behind a dominating performance from one of the offseason’s most important roster additions.

Senior graduate transfer Tariq Owens, who led the Big East last year with 2.8 blocks per game while playing for St. John’s, recorded six blocks including three on one possession, in the second half.  Making the start in his first game for the Red Raiders, the 6-foot-11 forward added five points, four rebounds and an assist.

The Red Raiders’ other highly-regarded graduate transfer, Matt Mooney added 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals in his Red Raider debut.  And as expected, Lubbock’s, Jarrett Culver led the way offensively with 16 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists.

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It was a dominating effort that saw Tech shake off a sloppy first half that included ten turnovers allowing UIW to remain within striking distance.  But after the break, Tech committed just four turnovers while overwhelming the Cardinals with a swarming defense.

Antoine Smith Jr. led UIW with 16 points but no other Cardinal was able to reach double-digits.  For the game, Tech held Incarnate Word to just 26.5% from the field and 2-13 from three-point range.

The game turned at the beginning of the second half when the Red Raiders went on a 17-2 run over the first five minutes of play.  During that stretch, Culver, Davide Moretti and Brandone Francis all hit three-pointers and Owens had his second dunk of the game.

But the defining moment of the game was Owens’ own personal block party.  With Tech leading 54-32, Owens blocked a jump shot attempt by Cody Graham.  UIW got the loose ball but only to have Owens block two-consecutive shots by Smith.

The third block started a Red Raider fast break that saw Culver convert a layup off an assist from Owens would add two more blocks in the next two minutes to push his total to six, two shy of his career high of eight which he recorded against Georgetown last season.  It was the third time in his career that he’s had six rejections in one game.

That is what Chris Beard brought Owens to Lubbock to do.  After losing Zach Smith and Zhaire Smith from last year’s team, Beard knew he would need a big-time rim protector and it looks like he may have found the best in the nation.

As the Red Raiders look to replace six of last year’s top eight scorers, there will be times where the offense dries up as it did in the later portion of the first half.  But what must be a constant is the Texas Tech defense, which looks like it will once again be the trademark of the program in 2018-19.