Texas Tech basketball: What Red Raiders must do to beat Duke
Dictate the pace of the game
What makes this game so fascinating is the contrast in styles. Whichever team dictates the pace of the game will most certainly prevail.
Duke ranks 16th in the nation in possessions per game with 78.4. Meanwhile, you have to go all the way down to No. 288 to find Tech at 69.7.
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When Duke is at its best, it is the college basketball version of the “Air Raid” rarely challenging the shot clock. Transition baskets and kick-out threes off of dribble penetration are what Coach K has specialized in for quite some time.
Tech can’t get sucked into that trap. If Duke hits a few early shots and the crowd at MSG gets amped up, Chris Beard must keep his team composed and remind them to play their style of game.
Beard’s motto of 4:1 has tons of different applications but it would be a great ratio of passes to shots tonight. Tech needs to make Duke defend for at least 25 seconds on each possession.
The motion offense can work wonders against an overly aggressive perimeter defense like Duke’s and moving the ball will be key to getting good shots against a team that leads the nation with 8.1 blocks per game.
Next. Kyler Edwards off to fantastic start. dark
Playing under control will be critical tonight. Tech must not only protect the ball, it must make certain that it works the clock and executes in a manner that keeps this game in the 70’s or 80’s. If Tech can turn this into a wrestling match rather than a dunk contest, the Red Raiders will have a fantastic opportunity to bring home a program-defining win.