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Texas Tech basketball: The best moments of Davide Moretti’s Red Raider career

By Matthew Conner

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Davide Moretti #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders cuts the net after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Davide Moretti #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders cuts the net after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Davide Moretti #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
Davide Moretti #25 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

A dagger 3-pointer against Kansas State in 2020

The next time the Wildcats came to Lubbock, they were in last place in the Big 12.  However, they still managed to give Tech all the trouble the folks in the United Supermarkets Arena wanted.

In fact, midway through the second half, the Wildcats had a chance to tie the game. With Tech ahead 44-42 with 9:59 to play, Jahmi’us Ramsey turned the ball over leading to a breakaway for Cartier Diarra.

This time, the KSU guard tried to showboat by throwing down a windmill dunk…which he missed.  Kyler Edwards grabbed the rebound and sent it up the floor to Moretti, who calmly drained a 3 from the top of the key.  Tech would never be threatened again.  (To see this play, click here and move to the 1:16:29 mark.)

What’s more, Diarra would not only see his evening end as a result of that play, it would be the beginning of the end to his days as a KSU Wildcat.  Earlier in the game, the star guard and his head coach, Bruce Weber, had engaged in a verbal confrontation during a timeout which resulted in Weber slamming his stool to the ground in frustration.  There’s no question that these events soured the relationship between the two and were significant contributors to Diarra’s decision to transfer to Virginia Tech this offseason.

But let’s get back to Moretti because this was the type of cold-blooded play that he was known for.  That night, he was not on his game as he shot just 5-12 overall and 4-10 from 3-point range but he was still a positive factor for his team.

When he had a chance to make a game-changing play, he was on the mark.  That was indicative of the clutch gene that he seemed to possess and it was a reason that Red Raider fans loved him so much.  It was also a reason that the rest of the fanbases in the Big 12 felt like he had been terrorizing them for half a decade….especially the fans in Manhattan, Kansas.

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