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Texas Tech basketball: Good, bad, and ugly from win over SHSU

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Chris Beard directs his players of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Chris Beard directs his players of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the college basketball game against the Northwestern State Demons at United Supermarkets Arena on November 25, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Nov 27, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats guard Zach Nutall (10) takes a shot over Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Nimari Burnett (25) in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats guard Zach Nutall (10) takes a shot over Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Nimari Burnett (25) in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

The ugly: What the Tech defense did to Nutall

While Peavy’s poor performance did not hurt his team, the same can’t be said of the struggles of SHSU’s best player, Zach Nutall.  Though he finished with a respectable 14 points, he did not get there efficiently nor did he find his scoring touch until after the game had been decided.

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Remember that in the season opener against SMU, the 6-foot-3 junior guard scored 36 points on 12-23 shooting.  That included 6-12 from behind the arc.

But the Red Raiders made it a priority to keep him from repeating that performance and he struggled to shake free on Friday.  He shot just 5-17 from the floor and 0-3 from deep as the Red Raiders took him out of his game plan.

In the first half, as the Red Raiders seized this game by the throat, Nutall was held to four points, all on free throws.  When his team needed him to be a savior and stop the bleeding, he couldn’t answer the call.

Tech might do that to plenty of players this year.  After all, the length and athleticism that Beard has at his disposal are at levels the likes of which we’ve not seen in his tenure on the South Plains.

Last year, Nutall averaged 15.4 points per game as a true freshman and earned all-conference honors.  Thus, he entered this year with high expectations and he is considered as much of a star as there is in the Southland Conference.

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But we’ve seen through the years that, under Beard, Tech is typically able to choke the life out of the opposition’s best player, especially if there isn’t a secondary star to help alleviate the pressure.  Nutall found that out the hard way on Friday afternoon as he had an ugly showing against a defense that is likely to humble many guards this year.

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