Texas Tech basketball: Kyler Edwards adjusting to Big 12 play

Texas Tech freshman guard Kyler Edwards has been a nice role player this season for the Texas Tech basketball team but life in the Big 12 is proving to be a new challenge.

Everyone knows that the Big 12 is one of the most demanding and physical leagues in college basketball. And after getting off to a fast start to his Texas Tech basketball career, true freshman Kyler Edwards is finding the transition to conference play quite a challenge.

Thus far, Edwards has gone scoreless in two of the Red Raiders’ three Big 12 games. After going 0-5 at West Virginia on January 2nd, he put up nine big points against Kansas State only to go 0-3 Tuesday night against Oklahoma.

That marks a significant downturn in his offensive production from where it was in non-conference play. In Tech’s first twelve games, Edwards averaged 7.6 points per game, more than double his Big 12 average.

Four times he hit double-digits in the non-conference portion of the schedule. His season high thus far was his 19-point outburst against Northern Colorado and he has three other games of 10 points. What’s more, he added six points against Duke at Madison Square Garden showing that he can compete against elite talent.

But the rugged Big 12 defenses have certainly made it far tougher for Edwards to contribute offensively. His shooting percentage has dropped from 46.3% to 16.6% as he has gone just 2-12 from the field in the Red Raiders past three games.

Much of his decreased production has been a result of Chris Beard shortening his regular rotation as the competition has increased. Edwards was forced to play 32 minutes against West Virginia in the Big 12 opener as both Norense Odiase and Tariq Owens spent considerable time on the bench before each big man eventually fouled out.

But in the past two games, Edwards has averaged just 14 minutes per game, down from 20.7 in non-conference games. What’s more, his 13 minutes of action against Oklahoma were his fewest this year.

This is not to suggest that Edwards is overmatched. Rather it is an indication of how tough life in the Big 12 can be. Fortunately, he has found a way to contribute in other areas.

More from Wreck'Em Red

Against West Virginia, he had three rebounds and two steals and against OU he had a steal and a block as he has continued to show improvement on the defensive end of the court. Perhaps more impressive has been his ability to take care of the basketball.

After turning the ball over twice against the Mountaineers (which was not an inordinate amount of turnovers given the number of minutes he played) he has not given the ball away since. Turnovers are always a concern for freshmen, especially guards, and earlier this year Edwards was a bit loose with the ball.

In nine of the team’s first thirteen games, he turned the ball over at least once, including three times against both Duke and Northwestern State. But the fact that he has taken better care of the ball in Big 12 play despite facing two of the nation’s best defensive teams in Kansas State and Oklahoma, is proof that he is maturing and that the game is beginning to slow down a bit for him.

As fans, we often place too much of an emphasis on scoring. Certainly, contributing offensively is key for the Texas Tech role players because Jarrett Culver needs help in that department. But it is important to note the other less obvious aspects of the game that are just as important when it comes to winning.

Next. Brandone Francis breaks out of slump. dark

Kyler Edwards is working his way through the most physical and defensive-minded basketball conference in the nation for the first time. It is important that he continues to give the Red Raiders a scoring option as he has all season as the team’s leading bench scorer, but as he continues to figure out where his offense will come from, he must continue to be solid in the other areas of the game as he has been in the past two Big 12 games.

Home/Texas Tech Red Raiders News