Texas Tech basketball: Why the Red Raiders lost to the Cowboys

The Cowboys owned the glass, especially when it came to offensive rebounds

Oklahoma State doesn’t have a ton of height.  But what the Cowboys do have an excess of is full-grown men who can move players out of the lane the way we saw Norense Odiase do just that a year ago for the Red Raiders.

Thus, with T.J. Holyfield playing just 14:44, the Red Raiders were pushed around all afternoon when jockeying for rebounding position.  As a result, the Cowboys held a 37-22 edge on the glass.

What’s more, OSU collected 15 offensive rebounds.  That’s 4.3 more than the Pokes average on the year.  Meanwhile, Tech pulled down only eight offensive rebounds.

In the end, the Cowboys had a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points.  That was a huge key in this three-point game.

Of course, the most important rebound of the game was an offensive board that OSU’s Jonathan Laurent grabbed in the final 30 seconds off of a Lindy Waters airball.  Out-muscling Kevin McCullar, the senior not only came down with the rebound but he drew a foul from McCullar.

Going to the line, he made two free throws to give his team a three-point lead which ultimately proved to be too much for Tech to overcome.  It was his third offensive rebound of the day.

In fact, OSU had three players with at least three offensive boards, including Cameron McGriff, who had a team-high four.  Meanwhile, no Red Raider had more than two.

In recent weeks, Tech has been much more competitive on the glass against elite rebounding teams like Kentucky, West Virginia, and Kansas but on Saturday, the Red Raiders were dominated on the glass the way they were so often in January when they couldn’t seem to compete with teams that had size advantages inside.

While the OSU size advantage wasn’t necessarily height, it was in bulk and strength.  Thus, they absolutely owned the glass and that was a huge reason they beat the Red Raiders.