Texas Tech basketball: Kentucky loss felt eerily similar to National Title Game

In each game, there was one opposing player that just couldn’t seem to miss

The two most foul words in the vernacular of West Texans may forever be “De’Andre Hunter”.  That’s because the former Virginia Cavalier forward was the man who robbed the Red Raiders of the National Title last April by virtue of his 27 points.  Saturday night, the Red Raiders ran into another opposing player who couldn’t miss, Nick Richards.

Hitting 7-11 shots from the floor and 11-14 free throws, the 6-foot-11 Kentucky star was the best player on the court.  With 25 points and 14 rebounds, he was a riddle Tech couldn’t solve.

Kentucky went to Richards time and time again and he most usually delivered.  Of course, in OT he had seven of his team’s twelve points including five that came at the line.  It seemed like every time UK needed a bucket, Richards delivered.

The same was true of Hunter in Minneapolis.  Every fan remembers his 3-pointer to tie the game with just seconds remaining.  (Why Jarrett Culver helped off of Hunter when Tech was up three points will remain something we long struggle to understand.)

That night, Hunter hit four of his five shots from behind the arc while also knocking down seven of nine free throws.  That helped him establish what would be his career-high in points while at Virginia and it just so happened to be enough to deny the Red Raiders the National Title.

Likewise, Richards’ 25 points on Saturday equaled his career-high and was just enough to push his team past Texas Tech.  However, we likely won’t be using his name as a profanity the way we do De’Andre Freaking Hunter.