Texas Tech basketball: Most highly-anticipated non-con games in U.S.A. history
12-3-09: Tech topples No. 12 Washington in OT
If there was a high point of the Pat Night era of Texas Tech basketball, it would have been the night in December of 2009 when the Red Raiders took down No. 12 Washington in OT 99-92. It was perhaps the only signature victory of the younger Knight’s time as head coach.
Point guard John Roberson had 25 points and Brad Reese had 17 as five Red Raiders got to double digits. That was needed to withstand the 31-point outburst of Washington’s Quincy Pondexter, who would go on to become a long-time NBA player.
That night, Tech was 29-39 from the line to offset a 4-12 shooting night from behind the arc. It was enough to help the Red Raiders get to 8-0 on the year.
Initially, it looked like OT wasn’t going to be necessary as Tech’s Mike Singletary appeared to win the game on a last-second 3-pointer. But the miraculous running shot was determined to have been too late and an extra five minutes were needed.
In a scene reminiscent of Tech’s 2008 football victory over Texas when the students twice stormed the field before the game was over forcing Tech to have to kick off from its own 7-yard-line, the Red Raider students stormed the court after Singletary’s bucket only to have to return to their seats.
In the OT, Tech outscored Washington 19-12 in what was a high-scoring extra period. And don’t be quick to dismiss how good of a win this was for Tech, especially given the talent on that Huskey team.
In addition to Pondexter, Washington also featured point guard Isaiah Thomas, who has had two All-Star seasons in the NBA. That night, he scored 18 points and two assists in 38 minutes of action.
Unfortunately, Tech would not ride that win to any significant long-term success. They would drop their first game of the year two games later against Wichita State and eventually, they failed to get to the NCAA Tournament as they concluded the season with a run to the NIT quarterfinals. Still, this win over a very good Washington team proved to energize the home fan base as few non-conference wins had prior to Beard’s arrival.