Texas Tech basketball: Factors that led to Red Raiders’ loss at DePaul

Tech gave the ball away 22 times

Another facet of the game we discussed as we broke down the Blue Demons was the importance of taking care of the ball.  That’s a rather obvious discussion point in the game of basketball but it was of particular concern against an aggressive DePaul team that came into the game averaging 9.3 steals per game.

The Red Raiders did a poor job in that regard on Wednesday as they turned the ball over 22 times, 12 of which were credited as DePaul steals.  That’s how to lose a close game on the road.

Clarke and Davide Moretti were the two biggest offenders with five each but that’s not surprising given that they are the team’s two primary ballhandlers.  Terence Shannon gave the ball away four times but that’s easier to forgive considering that without his career-high 24 points, there’s no way Tech had a shot at winning that game.

Prior to Wednesday, Tech had been averaging only 13.3 turnovers per game.  That included just nine in the previous game against Creighton.

Exceeding that total by nearly nine turnovers was disappointing.  Some credit has to go to the Blue Demons but most of these turnovers were of the careless variety.

For instance, there was the time Kevin McCullar simply dropped a pass that hit him in the hands as he was in the corner where he might have had a look at a three-pointer.  Or there was the play on which Moretti fouled out, a play in which he picked up a foul without the ball when for some reason, he decided to just run right over his defender as he tried to get into position for a screen.

Moretti was frustrated all night because he felt like the officials did not call the game the same way on both ends and one could see why he thought so.  But as an upperclassman and this team’s most experienced player under Beard, he has to be more composed.

In giving the ball away 22 times, the Red Raiders played right into DePaul’s hands.  They made life easier on the home team by failing to ensure that the vast majority of their possessions ended with decent shots and that’s not how to win on the road.