Texas Tech basketball: Kevin McCullar’s five best games of 2019-20
No. 1: @ Oklahoma State
The fact that McCullar seemed to show up in games when most of his teammates played poorly is a testament to his consistency, which is something never to be taken for granted from a freshman. That was the case in Stillwater when he had a season-high 15 points to go along with five rebounds, both of which led the team (Davide Moretti also had 15 points that day) in a 73-70 loss.
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That would be the last game of the year he would come off of the bench. He would take the place in the starting lineup of fellow freshman Terrance Shannon Jr., who struggled with just three points and two rebounds against the Cowboys.
Playing what was at the time a season-high 29 points, McCullar provided his team with a much-needed spark against a team that was just 3-8 in Big 12 play when the game began. Eleven of his points came in the second half when he was 4-5 from the field.
He briefly tied the game at 60 when he hit a layup with just over seven minutes to play. Just over a minute later, he pulled Tech to within two points at 64-62 with a dunk off of an assist from Jahmi’us Ramsey.
Then, with 3:02 to go and Tech down 66-64, he came up with a key steal. Unfortunately, his play didn’t lead to any points as Davide Moretti missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.
Finally, when the game was on the line, he came up with another steal that led to two free throws to put his team down just one point at 70-69. But unfortunatley, his efforts just weren’t quite enough to prevent the upset.
Still, this was the day that McCullar proved ready to be a starter for this team and it was the first time that many fans started to take him seriously as a foundational piece of the program’s future. Now, he is set to head into his sophomore year with the benefit of what should be his first healthy offseason in the Texas Tech strength and conditioning program and the gains he makes as an athlete should be noticeable.
Next. Terrance Shannon Jr.s five best games. dark
However, he must also continue to develop his offensive game. He shot just 28.6% from three-point range and he must work tirelessly to develop his jump shot because that is the weakest part of his all-around skill set. If he becomes just an average shooter next year, he will take yet another massive step forward and he could wind up being one of the key players on what is expected to be a very good Red Raider team.