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

Isaiah Joe – Arkansas

Technically, Arkansas freshman guard Isaiah Joe was not the Razorback’s best offensive weapon this year.  That distinction belonged to forward Daniel Gafford, who led the Hogs with 16.9 points per game.

But Joe had a historic freshman season in Fayetteville where he set a freshman 3-point record with 113, breaking the mark of 102 set by one of the greatest long-range shooters in NCAA history, Scotty Thurman.  Averaging 3.3 makes per game from long-range and shooting 41.4%, Joe had only two games this year without a 3-pointer and, as you might expect, one came in Lubbock.

In Tech’s 67-64 win over Arkansas in the Big 12 / SEC Challenge, Joe scored just five points (tied for his second-lowest point total of the year) while missing all five of his 3-point shots.  The Red Raiders currently rank No. 16 in the nation against the 3-point shot allowing opponents to shoot just 30% from deep but at the time they shut down Isaiah Joe, Tech’s 3-point defense was the best in the country.

Joe had an astounding season that included a game with 10 3-pointers and two other games with seven.  But like so many players this year, he was unable to contend with Texas Tech’s dominant defense which neutralized one of the top shooters in the nation.