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Texas Tech basketball: Ranking the Chris Beard transfers

By Matthew Conner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts with Tariq Owens #11 and Matt Mooney #13 in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts with Tariq Owens #11 and Matt Mooney #13 in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Matt Mooney #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Matt Mooney #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Matt Mooney

Matt Mooney was supposed to be a pure scorer when he transferred to Texas Tech from South Dakota.  But while he was the third-leading scorer on the 2019-20 team, he was so much more than that after Beard and assistant coach Mark Adams got ahold of him.

With an unusually long wingspan, he became one of the best defensive guards of the Beard era, something that he was not known for prior to coming to the South Plains.  Averaging 1.8 steals per game, he was a nuisance for any ball-handler.

Of course, he could put the ball in the bucket as well.  After a bit of a slow start to the year in which he struggled to get out of his own head and just play his game, he turned it on just in time to help the Red Raiders win nine-straight games to close out the regular season and claim a share of the conference title.

He played the role of the hero in helping Tech break a 22-year losing streak in Austin as he scored 22 points for the first time that year. He later equaled that season-high in the most important of games.

Against Michigan State in the Final Four, Mooney was able to take up the slack for a struggling Jarrett Culver.  Hitting 8-16 shots including 4-8 from 3-point range, the Chicago native took his game to another level on the biggest of stages.

Mooney wound up playing for three different schools in his career.  He started at Air Force where he spent just his freshman season.  Then, at South Dakota, he became one of the best mid-major players in the nation but he never got to the NCAA Tournament.

He did just that at Tech and he helped carry the Red Raiders on a magical run.  In fact, if the No. 1 player on this list would not have gone down, Mooney and Francis would be Final Four legends to be remembered for all-time.

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