Texas Tech basketball: What we learned in the two losses in Vegas

Once again, this team will go as far as the grad transfers can take it

After unprecedented success in the grad transfer market last year, Texas Tech was the catalyst in a revolution when it comes to how teams view putting together a roster.  Thanks to the roles that Mooney and Owens played last year, teams across the nation began treating the grad transfer market like NBA free agency.

This year, Beard has doubled-down on that philosophy with Clarke and Holyfield.  And these two games showed us that this team will only go as far as they carry it.

With seven freshmen and nine underclassmen on the roster, this year’s grad transfers might be even more important than last year’s were.  They must give this team the grit and composure that only players in their fourth year can provide.

While Clarke was fantastic in Vegas, Holyfield was not.  Against Iowa, he had a decent night with 10 points and 5 rebounds but he struggled against 6-foot-11 Luka Garza who had 17 points and 12 boards.

But what is most puzzling is that Holyfield had just two points and five rebounds against a Creighton team that has less size than Tech.  Some of that had to do with foul trouble, which has been an early problem for him but he has to be more aggressive offensively as he took just one shot on Friday.

Coming into the Vegas trip, the transfer from Stephen F. Austin was second on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game.  But after getting off to a start that saw him average 18.6 points and 5 rebounds in the first three games of the year, he’s scored just 6.2 points and grabbed 4.5 rebounds since.

It was disappointing to see the mid-range game that he displayed early on fail to travel to Vegas.  That’s part of his game that is essential for this team because he has to be able to pull opposing big men away from the rim on defense.

Tech is about to face two extremely difficult games in 6-0 DePaul at their campus and soon-to-be No.1 Louisville in New York City.  This is where Clarke and Holyfield have to take over ownership of this team and prevent it from a four-game free fall.