Texas Tech basketball: The good, bad, and ugly from victory over Northwestern State

The bad: Injuries to McCullar and Goldin

There wasn’t much that happened on the court that we could put in the category of being bad.  However, prior to the game, it was observed that sophomore guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and freshman center Vlad Goldin were both out of action.  That was certainly a disappointing development given how excited Texas Tech basketball fans were to see each on the court this year.

McCullar was observed to be on crutches and wearing a walking boot leading many to fear the worst.  But Beard had some good news on that front after the game.

"“Kev rolled an ankle,” Beard said.  “Certainly disappointed for him and our team but pleased that it is something that we’re going to be able to get under control. “I would tell you this, Kev had as good of an offseason as I’ve seen in my years of college basketball…Kev was gonna start this game, the first game of his sophomore season, he’d earned the right to do that so I was disappointed in this adversity but in no way will it define him…He’ll be back sooner than later.”"

McCullar is going to be a key to this team’s success in 2020-21.  He’s the best on-ball defender the roster has and the way he ended last year playing the best basketball on the team has elevated expectations for his second season in the program.

Those expectations have also been amplified by the fact that Beard has repeatedly pointed out that McCullar is in the best shape of his life after his first healthy offseason in two years.  Thus, it is rather ironic that an injury kept us from seeing the new and improved McCullar in the opener.

As for Goldin, the 7-foot-1 true freshman, his injury also appears to be not too serious in nature.

"“Vlad has an issue with his hand…” Beard said.  “…I’m not a doctor.  I don’t know if we’re talking day-to-day or week-to-week but those guys will be back there as soon as they are 100% cleared…neither one of them should be a long-term injury."

While it is nice to hear that Goldin will be back, we must remember that Big 12 play begins in the middle of December this year so time is limited for him to get his feet wet prior to conference action.  And games like Wednesday’s blowout would have been a great opportunity for the Russian native to gain invaluable experience.  Thus, even though his hand injury may be short-term, it could have long-lasting implications on his development as it pertains to this year.