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Texas Tech basketball: How the Red Raiders took apart Iowa State

By Matthew Conner

AMES, IA - FEBRUARY 22: Michael Jacobson #12 of the Iowa State Cyclones takes a shot as TJ Holyfield #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders blocks in the first half of the play at Hilton Coliseum on February 22, 2020 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - FEBRUARY 22: Michael Jacobson #12 of the Iowa State Cyclones takes a shot as TJ Holyfield #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders blocks in the first half of the play at Hilton Coliseum on February 22, 2020 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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George Conditt IV was a non-factor

Given Tech’s propensity for being dominated on the boards, there was reason to fear George Conditt IV.  The 6-foot-10 sophomore has the size of other players that have had huge offensive rebounding days against the Red Raiders and at 7.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, he’s no slouch.

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But on Saturday, there was a point in the second half when the Chicago native had played only four minutes and had picked up three fouls.  In all, he saw only 10:50 on the floor while scoring just one point and grabbing only three rebounds.

It was nice to enjoy a Saturday in which Tech was not beaten up on the glass by an opposing center.  We’ve seen big men like Kentucky’s Nick Richards, TCU’s Kevin Samuel, West Virginia’s Derek Culver, Iowa’s Luka Garza, and Baylor’s Freddie Gillespie all punish Beard’s team on the offensive glass but that didn’t happen in Ames.

In fact, the Red Raiders outscored ISU 14-13 in second-chance points.  That was despite pulling down five fewer offensive boards.

Conditt is an underrated component of the ISU team.  He averages 1.7 blocks per game to lead the Cyclones and he is second of the players currently playing in rebounds.

Next. Tech blows out Iowa State in Ames. dark

Given Tech’s struggles against opposing post players, it was fair to believe that if the Cyclones were going to win this game, their big sophomore center would play a huge role. But he was essentially a spectator in this game and by the time he got the bulk of his minutes, his team was so far behind that nothing he could have done would have made a difference.

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