Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders that have to step up in the postseason

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Forward Chris Clarke #44 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Chris Clarke has to be a trustworthy player

The other senior on the roster, Chris Clarke, also has to take his game to a new level for Tech to have any March success. That’s because he is uniquely equipped to fill a number of roles that no one else on this roster can. But is he going to be trustworthy enough to be on the floor in meaningful moments?

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This team’s offense functions at its best when Clarke is operating as a point-forward and distributing the ball, as only he can, from the high post. That opens up the passing lanes near the rim and allows the motion offense to have far more options and refrain from becoming stagnant.

But in the four-game losing streak that the Red Raiders are currently mired in, Clarke has had more than one assist just once when he had five against Baylor. Of course, in that game, he also had a crushing turnover in the final minutes of OT when he tried to make one pass too many and find Kevin McCullar in transition rather than making the smart play and taking the ball all the way to the bucket himself.

That’s the problem with Clarke. He just can’t be trusted to make the smart play. In March, when every possession could lead to the end of your season, can Beard take such a risk as having Clarke on the court when the game is on the line?

Tech can’t afford for Clarke to continue to try to make the risky passes through traffic that usually bounce at the feet of the intended target. What’s more, Clarke is also an offensive liability because he seems even more reluctant to shoot the ball than Holyfield and Tech can’t have two players on the floor at the same time who are unwilling to take the open shots that present themselves.

But there is another important aspect of Clarke’s game and that is rebounding. Averaging 6.6 per game, he leads the Red Raiders and that’s an area of concern for this year’s team as time and again, the Red Raiders have been beaten on the boards.

Beard is fond of talking about making “March plays” and that’s something he’s likely talked to Clarke about quite often in recent weeks. Clarke leads this team in turnovers by averaging 3.7 per 40 minutes (no other Red Raider in the regular rotation averages more than Kevin McCullar’s 2.8 per 40 minutes) meaning that he is often a liability, especially in crunch time.

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Ultimately, this team isn’t going to have much of a March is Clarke isn’t at his best. But, if he can cut down on the risky plays and be a positive factor by rebounding and distributing the ball, Tech can beat any team it faces this postseason.

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