Texas Tech basketball: 5 turning points in the 2018-19 season

Going toe-to-toe with Duke showed that the Red Raider could be elite

Just prior to Christmas, the most high-profile non-conference game in program history took place as the Red Raiders took on No. 2 Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York.  And though Tech fell 69-58, they proved that this year’s team was once again capable of competing with the best teams in the nation.

Duke entered the game featuring four freshmen stars including three players expected to be selected in this year’s NBA lottery.  And they were the top scoring and rebounding team in the nation at the time they came up against the Red Raiders and their stingy defense.

And after jumping out to an 8-0 lead, Duke looked like they might overwhelm the Red Raiders with their talent and athleticism.  But Tech, as it did so often this year, found its footing and fought back to lead 29-28 at the intermission.

In fact, the Red Raiders held the lead until the 6:53 mark of the second half and were within three points until the final three minutes.  Though I despise the idea of the moral victory, this was as close as Tech could get in that regard because of the positives that came from trading blows with Duke.

This nationally televised ESPN game gave the Red Raiders an opportunity to announce to the nation their status as a legitimate national factor and that’s exactly what they did.  Plenty of media members in attendance that night took note of how the Red Raiders frustrated Duke (they drew five fouls from Zion Williamson including four charges) and gave the young Blue Devil stars trouble all night.  And the few thousand Red Raider fans that made the trip to New York City raised so much hell during the game that even ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe gave them some love on Twitter.

And the best player on the floor that night for either team was Jarrett Culver.  With 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block the Lubbock native elevated his status as a NBA prospect by showing out against a team loaded with NBA talent.  Even Coach K was gushing about Culver in the postgame press conference.

This was the first loss of the season for a Red Raider team that had won each of its first ten games by double-digits.  But in going toe-to-toe with Duke and pushing them to the limit, Chris Beard’s team gained a ton of confidence and earned some serious credit on the national scene.  And in holding Duke to 69 points, Tech showed that their defense could contain one of the most lethal offenses in the country.

As the season progressed, the Red Raiders continued to improve while Duke did not seem to evolve nearly as much and had the two teams met in the Final Four (which would have happened had the Devils beat Michigan State in the Elite 8) it would have been a fascinating rematch.  But as it stands, the first and only time Tech and Duke have met on the hardwood proved to be a true turning point this year as the Red Raiders showed that they were able to hang with any team in the country.