No. 1: Tariq Owens
If Tariq Owens doesn’t sprain his ankle against the Spartans in the Final Four, Texas Tech beats Virginia by at least 10 points. You will never convince Red Raider fans otherwise.
Not having the player who had set a school record with 92 blocks in one season at full health to anchor the defense completely altered the way Tech played that game. Virginia knew that Owens was hobbled and they exploited him to the point that Beard had to sit his most unique and versatile defender for the entire second half and OT.
More from Wreck'Em Red
- Texas Tech football: Red Raider fans need to know about these Mountaineers
- Texas Tech football: Red Raiders land first commit for class of 2025
- Texas Tech football: Why have the Red Raiders struggled on the road under McGuire?
- Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders can compete for a Big 12 title
- Texas Tech football: Plenty of questions remain as conference play arrives
We may never see another Tariq Owens. They just don’t grow on trees 6-foot-11 guys who can jump that high and get off the floor that fast.
With a wingspan well over seven feet, he was the ace in Tech’s defensive hand. Able to guard any player on the court, he was also a human eraser who could cover his teammates’ mistakes thanks to his uncanny ability to come all the way across the floor and block a shot at the rim.
Like Mooney, Owens played at three different schools, Tennessee, St. John’s, and Tech. He was a force at the latter two and as a Red Raider, he became the poster child for what Beard can turn a transfer into.
He averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and a ridiculous 2.4 blocks per game. That included a school-record 8 blocks against Memphis in early December of 2018.
Never was his importance move evident that in the Elite Eight victory over Gonzaga. After Tech had struggled to contain the Bulldogs’ star forward Rui Hachimura, who was too big for Jarrett Culver to handle, Beard put Owens on the West Coast Conference Player of the Yeard and that turned the game.
Owens took Hachimura out of his game thanks to his length and quickness and it allowed Tech to prevail. Of course, Owens’ legendary block of a Hachimura 3-pointer and the subsequent save of the ball to give Tech possession will forever be one of the most iconic plays in program history (even if his foot was out of bounds when he saved the ball).
Chris Beard made Tariq Owens and Matt Mooney college basketball stars. In turn, they made Texas Tech a prime destination for top transfers and we continue to see that come to fruition this offseason. Hopefully, one or all of the players on their way to Lubbock this season will find the type of career renaissance at Tech that Mooney and Ownes did.