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Texas Tech basketball: Looking back at top 5 games of 2018-19

By Matthew Conner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Texas Tech 80, Iowa State 73

Entering the final game of the regular season, the Texas Tech basketball team needed one more win, its ninth-straight, to secure a share of the conference title.  But to do so, it would take a victory at Iowa State, where Tech had won only four times in program history.

And considering that the Cyclones had already beaten the Red Raiders in Lubbock back in January, there was reason to wonder if Beard’s team was up to the task.  Thankfully, the Red Raiders’ best player came up with the best game of his career and one of the best performances in program history.

Jarrett Culver scored 31 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists to help carry his team to a Big 12 title, the first in Tech hoops history.  Meanwhile, Davide Moretti was a capable Robin to Culver’s Batman performance by scoring 20 points including four 3-pointers.

But if Tech thought that the Cyclones were going step aside for a Red Raider coronation, they quickly found out that they were mistaken.  ISU jumped out to an 8-0 lead sending the Hilton Coliseum crowd into a frenzy and drawing a quick timeout from an angry Chris Beard.

Fortunately, his team found its footing and trailed just 36-34 at the break.  And in the second half, Culver went to work.  Repeatedly driving to the lane, the sophomore from Lubbock was unstoppable on his way cementing the Big 12 Player of the Year award.

The back-and-forth game was tied at 65-65 with just 3:37 remaining when Tech rattled off seven unanswered points thanks to a huge contested 3 by Brandone Francis, a timely shot by Culver and two free throws from Owens.

But the hone team was able to cut the lead to just three points in the final minute.  Again, Culver went hard to the rim for a layup to push the lead back to five and when he drained two free throws with 29 seconds to play, the game was essentially sown up.

Though the Red Raiders would go on to greater heights this season, the significance of a Big 12 title should not be lost.  Along with Kansas State, Tech will forever be remembered as the team that ended Kansas 14-year run of Big 12 titles.  And it was fitting that a kid from Lubbock was the one who put his team on his back to get there.

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