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Texas Tech basketball: Why no one wants to play the Red Raiders right now

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: Forward TJ Holyfield #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders watches a three-pointer go in the hoop against forward Logan Routt #31 of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half of the college basketball game on January 29, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: Forward TJ Holyfield #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders watches a three-pointer go in the hoop against forward Logan Routt #31 of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half of the college basketball game on January 29, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Guard Tyrese Mackey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats shoots over forward TJ Holyfield of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Guard Tyrese Mackey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats shoots over forward TJ Holyfield of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

T.J. Holyfield is giving Tech a true presence in the paint

It was just a few weeks ago that Red Raider fans were obsessing over the status of forwards Joel Ntambwe and Tyreke Smith, neither of whom have played all year but both of whom we hoped would be saviors in that they could give this team some much-needed help in the paint.

But now we know that the 6-foot-9 Ntambwe will not play this year because the NCAA has refused to grant him eligibility after transferring from UNLV and the 6-foot-7 Smith is going to redshirt as he continues to work his way back from a broken foot.

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While either one of those players could be an asset this year, the good news is that about the time we learned that Ntambwe had exhausted his appeal process with the NCAA, senior forward T.J. Holyfield began to take his game to a completely new level.  Since then, Tech has gone from having almost no post presence to having the best post player on the court most days.

In the last five games, Holyfield has scored 12.6 points per game to raise his season average to 9.3.  In that span, he’s had four double-digit games including two that topped the 20-point mark.

But ironically, his two-point effort against Texas might have been his most impactful performance of the year.  That’s because, in Austin, he blocked a season-high five shots including three in the final 31 seconds when his team was protecting a one-score game.

As we noted earlier, he has averaged 3.9 blocks per game since the Kentucky game.  But that’s not the only way he’s making an impact.

Averaging 6.3 rebounds since he managed just two against TCU on January 21st in Fort Worth, he’s become one of the reasons his team is more capable of competing on the glass than it had proven to be for most of the season.

If Holyfield is going to be both a legitimate shot-blocker and a high-volume rebounder, all of a sudden the advantage that many teams expected to have over Tech in the post is greatly diminished, if not neutralized completely.  That’s proven to be the case in recent games as Holyfield as outplayed some of the Big 12’s best big men.

Monday against TCU, he had 10 points, three boards, and three blocks while the Horned Frogs’ 6-foot-11 Kevin Samuel mustered a mere four points.  In Austin, as Holyfield had five blocks and eight rebounds, 6-foot-9 Longhorn forward Jericho Sims and 6-foot-11 Kai Jones combined to put up just six points, six rebounds, and one block.

Against Kansas in Lawrence, Holyfield had his best all-around game of the year with 19 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks.  Meanwhile, 7-foot Kansas center Udoka Azubuike mustered just five points to go along with eight boards and a single blocked shot.

The game prior, Holyfield outshined star West Virginia freshman Oscar Tshiebwe.  Tech’s senior big man gave his team 11 points, five rebounds, and four blocks while the 6-foot-9 Mountaineer forward managed just four points, three boards, and two blocks.

Tech’s greatest weakness this year has been in the paint.  But despite playing with a harness on his surgically-repaired right shoulder, T.J. Holyfield has been playing like one of the best forwards in the Big 12 and it has transformed his team into a dangerous squad.

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There’s obviously a long way to go in the college basketball season and in a year defined by parity, anything can happen meaning that Tech’s recent run of excellent play could come to an end each time that Beard’s team takes the floor.  But the memory of last year’s dominant run through February and March is still fresh in everyone’s mind and those who are starting to see some similarities between this version of the Red Raiders and last year’s national runners up are not crazy in believing that no team in the nation would want to see Tech on their schedule on in their bracket come March.

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