Texas Tech basketball: 3 Red Raiders that must step up against Kentucky
Russell Tchewa has to play meaningful minutes in the post
At some point this year, we have to prepare ourselves for the likelihood that 6-foot-8 forward Joel Ntambwe isn’t going to be granted eligibility this year by the NCAA. And as we saw once again in Fort Worth on Tuesday, without him, this team doesn’t have the necessary size to compete.
The only answer is 7-foot, 254-pound true freshman Russell Tchewa. Most believe he will have to play meaningful minutes today against a Kentucky team that has two 6-foot-10 post players. If he doesn’t play or plays only sparingly, it will tell us all we need to know about how Beard views Tchewa’s readiness to help the program this year, and maybe forever.
It was a bit surprising to see Big Russ stay on the bench against TCU as the Horned Frogs’ big man Kevin Samuel dominated the game on his way to 11 points and 11 rebounds, of which seven were offensive boards. But maybe he wasn’t put into the game because Tech spent most of the second half in a double-digit hole and Beard needed more scoring on the floor.
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Today, Beard will likely have to live with Tchewa’s offensive flaws for stretches because he needs someone to push and shove with the UK big men, especially when starting forward T.J. Holyfield is not on the floor. The reality is that Tech won’t be able to win this game by going small with a five-guard lineup for extended stretches. Thus, Tchewa and Andrei Savrasov may both play more than we’ve seen in recent weeks and if they can at least hold their own, it could go a long way towards helping the Red Raiders defend their home court.