Wreck'Em Red
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Texas Tech basketball: The defining moments of the 2019-20 season

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: A video is played and flames shoot up as the Texas Tech Red Raiders are introduced before the college basketball game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on January 29, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: A video is played and flames shoot up as the Texas Tech Red Raiders are introduced before the college basketball game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on January 29, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Matt Coleman III #2 of the Texas Longhorns is fouled while shooting by TJ Holyfield #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders  (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
Matt Coleman III #2 of the Texas Longhorns is fouled while shooting by TJ Holyfield #22 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders  (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

T.J. Holyfield blocks three shots in the final 30 seconds vs. Texas

One time that this year’s Red Raiders did secure a win in the final seconds of a game was down in Austin.  In Tech’s 62-57 win, T. J. Holyfield played the role of hero despite scoring just two points.

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On defense is where he came up huge as he registered five blocks on the afternoon, three in the final 30 seconds as his team was nursing a one-score lead.  Though the grad transfer had some big offensive showings in his lone season in Lubbock, it was his block party in Austin that will be his enduring moment with the program.

Remember that this game saw UT jump out to a 27-11 lead early.  But Tech was able to storm back in the second half and lead for much of the last 10 minutes.

Still, UT didn’t go away and took a late one-point advantage.  But Kyler Edwards gave his team the lead 58-57 with an off-balance layup at the 1:48 mark setting the stage for Holyfield’s heroics.

With 31 seconds to go, Holyfield rejected a Matt Coleman layup at the rim.  Coleman had a nice 17-point effort that day but couldn’t put his team over the top thanks to Holyfield’s help-side defense.

However, he had another shot to win the game on that same possession because UT corraled the offensive rebound.  But again, he was rejected by Holyfield at the rim.

After Moretti hit a pair of free throws to put Tech up 60-57, Coleman again tried to get a quick bucket but a third time, he was turned away by Holyfield, this time sealing the win for the good guys.  You have to wonder if the UT guard had nightmares of the Red Raider forward that night.

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Holyfield didn’t get enough credit for his work in protecting the rim this year.  Averaging a career-high 1.6 blocks per game, he was Tech’s leader in that category and the three huge swats he had in Austin gave us one of this year’s best moments.

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