Texas Tech basketball: What we learned from loss to No. 2 Duke

The Texas Tech basketball team’s loss to Duke on Thursday was its most revealing game of the season thus far helping us learn that Jarrett Culver is elite as is the Red Raider defense.

The Texas Tech basketball team has fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten after Thursday night’s 69-58 loss to No. 2 Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York.  Leading 55-53 with 6:25 to play, Tech had an opportunity to pull off the upset.  Unfortunately, the Devils closed the game on a 16-3 run to make the score look more lopsided than the game actually was.

"“Great, great game,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Tough to score for both teams. Both teams are such good defensive teams and played their butts off. The Garden was electric. … We beat a really good team tonight.”"

After Duke jumped out to an 8-0 lead, Tech answered with a run of its own to take its first lead at 12-10 with 12:10 to go in the first half.  That lead would grow to as much as seven points before the Devils cut Tech’s advantage to 29-28 at the break.

But in the second half, the Duke defense was able to stifle the Red Raiders on its way to forcing 24 turnovers.  It was Tech’s most turnovers in a game this year and double the team’s average of 12 per game.

Throughout the night, Tech was unable to handle the length of the Blue Devils’ perimeter defense which was lead by point guard Tre Jones.  The 6-foot-2 true freshman was the catalyst for Duke’s second half run scoring four points, grabbing a defensive rebound and coming away with a steal in a key stretch that saw Duke cut a seven-point Red Raider lead to just two points at 42-40 with 12:43 to play.

It was a moment when the Red Raiders were unable to capitalize on their biggest lead of the second half and that cost them dearly.  Jones helped turn the tide of the game through his excellent play on the defensive end with six steals to go along with his 13 points.

Though Tech was able to hold the other Duke freshmen stars Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett to 19.1 points below their combined season average of 57.1, Jones helped spark his team with arguably his best all-around game of the season.

For the second-consecutive year, Tech suffered its first loss of the season at Madison Square Garden.  Last year’s 89-79 loss to Seaton Hall provided Chris Beard with some teaching opportunities that helped set the tone for the program’s first ever Elite 8 appearance.

There is no way to know if another such run in March is in the cards this season but after going toe-to-toe with Duke, we know that Texas Tech is capable of playing with anyone.  Let’s take a look at what else we learned from last night’s contest.