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Texas Tech basketball: Why the Red Raiders will be much better in 2020-21

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 25: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders gestures during the first half of the college basketball game against the Kentucky Wildcats on January 25, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 25: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders gestures during the first half of the college basketball game against the Kentucky Wildcats on January 25, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Fox announcer interviews Mac McClung #2 of the Georgetown Hoyas (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Fox announcer interviews Mac McClung #2 of the Georgetown Hoyas (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Mac McClung is a closer

Assuming that Mac McClung is granted his eligibility waiver by the NCAA, it will mean that the Red Raiders will have what they didn’t this season, a closer.  That could make the difference in a few critical wins.

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We’ve already mentioned this a bit in this piece but Tech simply couldn’t close out close games this year.  That was due in large part because the Red Raiders had no one like a Keenan Evans or Jarrett Culver to turn to when the game was on the line.

Make no mistake, McClung would be that player next year.  That’s because he has two essential elements that every closer needs, extreme confidence, and the ability to beat defenders one-on-one.

If you didn’t check out our scouting report on McClung from earlier this week, it might be worth your time because it will show you why he’s the type of player you want with the ball in his hands in the final possessions.  In that article, we talk about how he came up huge against a very good Creighton team as he scored six points in the final two minutes to help Georgetown pull off the upset.

In addition to McClung, freshman Nimari Burnett, as well as sophomore Joel Ntambwe, also have the type of games that lend themselves to making plays in one-on-one situations.  That will give Beard more options in tight contests, which will only make the end of game scenarios more fruitful as well.

Looking back at the 2016 upset of No. 3 OU. dark. Next

The one way for Tech to improve most next season will be for Beard’s team to figure out how to close out tight games.  In 2019-20, Tech lost three overtime games and four more by five points or less.  In virtually every one of those games, there were opportunities for victory that the Red Raiders let slip through their hands so if that changes in the upcoming season, we will enjoy 2020-21 far more than we did this past season.

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