Texas Tech basketball: Players that have to step up to stop losing streak

Kyler Edwards needs to be a more efficient scorer

Last year, senior Matt Mooney was the offensive x-factor for the Red Raiders.  When he scored efficiently, Tech was almost impossible to beat.

This year, it feels like that player may be sophomore Kyler Edwards.  A quick glance at last week’s box score might suggest that Edwards was not too bad in Vegas.  He had 10 points against Iowa and 14 against Creighton.

The problem was that he was not an efficient shooter, especially from deep.  In the two games, he made just 9-25 shots, including only 3-14 from 3-point range.

That can’t continue for this team to be at its best.  Edwards and Moretti are the only proven 3-point shooters this roster has currently, though freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey has proven capable of knocking down shots from outside thus far. (For what it’s worth, Ramsey was 1-5 from behind the arc against Iowa before leaving the game with an injury.)

Here’s what’s troubling about Edwards’ season thus far.  After shooting 41.3% as a reserve last year, his shooting percentage has dropped to 32.9% this year.  That includes a drop from 44.9% to 25% from 3-point range.

Now, we all saw Brandone Francis shake out of a midseason shooting slump from deep to become one of last year’s best outside shooters and a key scorer off the bench.  Thus, there’s plenty of time for Edwards to find his confidence again as well.

But it is fair to wonder if the increased responsibility on the sophomore, who is starting for the first time as a Red Raider while also being expected to become a leader as one of only two returners from last season’s rotation, is taking its toll early this year.

This year, Edwards has to be a steadying influence, which is quite a bit to ask of a sophomore.  But given that he will almost always be on the floor with at least a couple of freshmen, he’s going to be a player that his teammates look to when the game is either getting away or in the balance.

Last year, we saw Mooney come through time and time again when his team was struggling.  But he was a senior.  Asking Edwards to fill that role is tough but given the lack of experience on this roster, it’s what the Red Raiders’ second-leading returning scorer has to do.