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Texas Tech basketball: Chris Beard’s most important regular-season wins

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders invites students onto the court after the college basketball game against the LIU Sharks on November 24, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders invites students onto the court after the college basketball game against the LIU Sharks on November 24, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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The first-ever win for Texas Tech at Kansas

Just about every time that Texas Tech has gone to Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, the result has been hard to watch.  But in his second season, Chris Beard finally proved that the Texas Tech basketball program was capable of winning in one of the most hallowed arenas in the game.

Stunning the No. 10 Jayhawks 85-73, the Red Raiders jumped out early on the home team and never trailed.  And by the end of the evening, the No. 18 team in the country had announced its arrival on the national stage.

Evans was once again his team’s leading scorer, this time with 15 points.  Meanwhile, two less likely offensive weapons, Norense Odiase and Justin Gray each added 12.

Tech, which led by as many as 16 points in the first half, won the game thanks to its 3-point defense.  Holding KU to just 6-26 from beyond the arc, Tech was able to take away the Jayhawks’ bread and butter on offense.

Also telling was the fact that Tech somehow managed to have an edge at the line.  Going 21-25, the Red Raiders outshot KU at the stripe by four makes and had two more attempts, something that visiting teams almost never have the benefit of at “The Phog”.

But that was indicative of the different styles of play for the two teams.  Tech was the more physical team that night and it showed in all aspects of the game.

Turning the ball over just 10 times while forcing 15, outrebounding KU 44-29, and holding a 14-10 edge in assists, Beard’s team dominated just about every aspect of the game.

The win boosted Beard’s profile nationally, as well as that of his program.  It sent a message to the rest of the country, and especially the Big 12, that Texas Tech was no longer a program to be taken for granted.

This win also embued the Red Raiders with a ton of confidence.  And given that it came in just the second conference game of the season, that helped propel Tech into the conference fracas on a high note.

Since then, we know that Beard has done what no one ever thought was possible at Texas Tech.  And the first time we got a glimpse of that ability was in January of 2018 when he took his team into The Phog and came out with a win.

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