Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders thrive on shutting down opposing stars

All season, the Texas Tech basketball team had done a fantastic job of shutting down opposing teams’ stars and forcing other players to carry the offensive load.

What makes the game of basketball so different than most other team sports is that with only ten players on the court at a time, the best player on a team can single-handedly take over games and carry his teams to victory.  But Chris Beard and the Texas Tech basketball team has become adept at locking down the opposition’s best scorers.

Beard knows that in college basketball, teams usually have only one or two dynamic players capable of taking over a game whereas in the NBA, most teams feature a handful of players that can go off each night.  So Tech has made its living by forcing teams to beat them without the benefit of a huge game from their best players.

While team defense is the Red Raiders’ main goal, when you watch the nation’s most efficient defense closely, you will see that the star player on the opposing side usually has the defense shifted in his direction.  If he is a perimeter player, Tech will work harder to deny him the ball and when he does make a move to the rim, the Red Raiders are willing to leave less dangerous players to add extra support.

In the post, Tech does a great job of providing timely help defense.  Rather than going with the traditional straight-double team, Tech likes to let a post player begin to make his move before sending help, usually from the baseline side.  This strategy makes it tough on the offensive player because he has already made up his mind to shoot the ball and when the late help comes his way, it forces him to change his motion often resulting in tougher shots as it is usually too late for him to adjust and kick the ball out to an open shooter.

This isn’t to suggest that the Red Raiders have not been burned at times this year.  Sometimes a player is simply so unconscious that he can beat even the best defensive strategies as was the case when Oklahoma State’s Lindy Waters scored 26 points in Lubbock when he drilled seven 3-pointers, most of which were fiercely contested.

But as we saw in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Tech has the ability to neutralize some of the best scorers in the game.  Let’s take a look at some of the most impressive defensive performances the Red Raiders have turned in against elite offensive talents this season.