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Texas Tech basketball: 3 reasons Red Raiders were able to beat Kansas

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders goes in for the dunk against the defense of Ochai Agbaji #30 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half of the game on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Kansas 91-62. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders goes in for the dunk against the defense of Ochai Agbaji #30 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half of the game on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Kansas 91-62. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

KU freshman Ochai Agbaji had only two points

For all the talk about what Kansas has lost during the course of this year (Udoka Azukuike, Silvio de Sousa, Lagerald Vick), the emergence of true freshman guard Ochai Agbaji has been a huge boost for Bill Self’s team.

Averaging 10.1 points per game on the season, he entered Saturday’s game coming off of three-straight double-digit games, including two twenty-point games in his last three outings.  But Tech was able to key on the 6-foot-5 slasher and keep him out of the lane.  As a result, he had to settle for outside looks.  He finished the night shooting just 1-6 from the field for just two points.

Originally, the plan was for Agbaji to redshirt this season but he burned his redshirt on January 29th and has since worked his way into the starting lineup.  Prior to Saturday, he had made at least two field goals in all but one of his 12 games this year.

And he has become invaluable to a Jayhawk team that has become rather pedestrian at the guard position.  With Vick out of the lineup for personal reasons and Marcus Garrett returning to action but still slowed by a sprained ankle, Agbaji needed to shoulder a huge part of the offensive burden against the stingy Texas Tech defense.

Of course, Chris Beard was well aware of that fact and he tailored his game plan to neutralize Agbaji.  By taking KU’s second-biggest offensive weapon out of his game, the Red Raiders were able to severely limit what the Jayhawks were able to do offensively and it resulted in a season-low 62 points for the second-highest scoring team in the Big 12.

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