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Texas Tech basketball: What we want to see in the season opener

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 02: General view of a rack of Under Armour basketballs taken before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns on January 02, 2016 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech won the game 82-74. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 02: General view of a rack of Under Armour basketballs taken before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns on January 02, 2016 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech won the game 82-74. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 08: Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders slam dunks in front of Andrew Jones #1 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 08, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 08: Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders slam dunks in front of Andrew Jones #1 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 08, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

The Texas Tech basketball team will open the 2020-21 season on Wednesday and when they do, here’s what we hope to see.

We’ve arrived at the eve of the 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball season and that’s reason for all Red Raiders to rejoice.  That’s because this could be a banner year for Chris Beard and his program as Tech opens the season ranked as high as no. 13 in the preseason polls.

Of course, we were supposed to be well into the season by this point in November.  But because of the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to wait three extra weeks for the season to begin and that’s been tough to endure for a fan base eager for the return of winning to the Texas Tech athletic department.

All-time, the Red Raiders are 68-27 in season openers.  What’s more, Tech is riding a 20-game winning streak in the first game of the year.  The last time the program started the season 0-1 was in 1999 when the Red Raiders lost to Bob Knight and Indiana in the first official game played at United Supermarkets Arena.

This year’s opener isn’t expected to be much of a contest though.  In fact, the ESPN.com matchup predictor gives Tech a 97.4% chance of taking down the visiting Northwestern State Demons.  But that doesn’t diminish our excitement for the season’s first game as there are plenty of reasons for Tech fans to tune in.  So let’s look a what we want to see from the Red Raiders when they take on Northwestern State.

Cohesion

The most important aspect of the game that we should hope to see Wednesday night is cohesion.  That’s going to be important to monitor given that this roster is bringing in seven new players and welcoming back two more in Joel Ntambwe and Tyreek Smith who did not play last year.

Everything Tech does, on both ends of the floor, requires cohesion.  The motion offense is one predicated on movement, screening, and anticipation rather than isolation and one-on-one play.  Thus, look to see how well the Red Raiders move the ball and how well those off of the ball move to get open.

If we see a ton of possessions in which the shot clock winds down and the Red Raiders seem to be just standing around or passing the ball back and forth with no purpose, it will be a sign that the cohesion is not where we want it to be.

However, if the assists numbers are high, it will be an indication that this revamped roster has already started to gel.  Last year, Tech averaged 15.4 assists per game, 27th-most in the NCAA.  In the opener, Beard’s team had 25 against Eastern Illinois.  Keep an eye on that stat in this year’s opener as well.

Also, look to see how many charges the Red Raiders draw.  That’s a pillar of Tech’s defensive system and a sign that the defense is functioning as a unit.  Anything over three charges would be a great starting point.

The reality of this season is that in the third game of the year, Tech has a showdown with no. 17 Houston in Fort Worth.  Thus, there is little time for the Red Raiders to come together as a team and that’s why we should pay close attention to how cohesive this team looks in the first game of the year.

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