Texas Tech basketball: Brandone Francis’ 5 best games as a Red Raider

9 points vs. Michigan State in Final Four

At first glance, it might seem like a nine-point outing is nothing worth savoring.  However, when those points come on the game’s biggest stage and in a game in which scoring a basket was something akin to prevailing in hand-to-hand combat, a nine-point game is quite impressive.

In Texas Tech’s 61-51 win over Michigan State in the Final Four, Francis came off the bench to give his team nine points, two rebounds and two assists.  As the Red Raiders’ third-leading scorer on the night, he helped offset quiet performances from Davide Moretti (five points) and Tariq Owens (seven points).

Though his performance was largely overshadowed by Matt Mooney’s 22 points and Jarrett Culver’s late 3-point dagger, Francis was also a huge factor.  By himself, he outscored the Spartan bench helping Tech to a 14-5 advantage in bench scoring.

Finishing the game 4-8 from the field and 1-4 from 3-point range, Francis provided his team with critical offense to keep the game tight before Mooney and Culver provided their late fireworks.  Each of his four field goals came with the game either tied or just a one-score margin.

This was the second-highest scoring NCAA Tournament game of Francis’ career.  And by coming up big in the Final Four, he showed that not even the biggest of stages was too much for him to handle.