Texas Tech basketball: Turning points in Red Raiders upset of No. 1 Cardinals

Benson’s block to end the first half gave Tech momentum

How many times this year has it felt like Tech has given up a big shot at the end of either half?  For instance, Long Island nailed a 3 at the first-half buzzer to take a surprising 42-41 lead into the break and of course, DePaul hit a 3 with seven seconds to play to send that game to OT.

But on Tuesday, Red Raider cult hero Avery Benson prevented Louisville from carrying some much-needed momentum into the intermission.  With his team holding a 31-28 lead, the sophomore walk-on denied Lamar Kimble at the rim as the horn sounded for his second block of the half.

Don’t underestimate the importance of that moment.  Games often turn on what happens on the last possession of the first half because big shots can often lead to huge turns of emotion in the arena and that wave often seeps into the lockerroom.

Tech had fought its tail off to claw its way to a 3-point lead over the top team in the polls and carrying a lead into the break was a validation of those efforts.  It was an opportunity for Beard to show his team that playing with its hair on fire will lead to victory and that belief was evident after the intermission.

Think about how different the two teams would have felt if Kimble had converted that layup and been fouled by Benson to tie the game.  At that point, Louisville head coach Chris Mack could have told his team that they played their worst half of the year and were still tied.  But instead, his team had to spend the break trying to figure out why they were trailing an unranked team that was lacking its best player.

Benson’s earlier bock on Jordan Nwora was the more remarkable of his two blocks because he skyed to stuff a future NBA player in mid-air.  But his rejection of Kimble to end the first half was a huge statement in Tech’s win.