Texas Tech basketball: Three players that Red Raiders need more from

Kyler Edwards has to play like Tech’s most experienced Big 12 player should

You hate to kick a guy when he’s down but the simple reality is that Kyler Edwards was atrocious against Kansas.  He went scoreless on 0-9 shooting and was an absolute liability to his team.  That simply can’t be the norm against ranked teams.

Don’t forget that earlier this year, Edwards scored only 5 points when Tech lost to No. 17 Houston.  And for his career, he has a history of struggling against top competition.

By my count, he’s faced 19 ranked teams in his career.  In those games, he’s averaged just 6.3 points per game.

Of course, he’s had his good moments in some of those games.  He had 12 points in the National Title Game and he scored 18 last year against no. 15 Kentucky last year.

But he has more often than not been a no-show against the best teams.  For instance, last year he was able to score only three points against No. 1 Kansas in Lubbock.  That day, he was just 1-7 from the floor.

But this year, Edwards has to be an offensive force to help leading scorer Mac McClung carry the offensive load.  He’s played in 77 career games as a Red Raider, including 38 Big 12 contests.  Thus, he has to be a leader both on and off the court as Tech’s most experienced Big 12 veteran.  That wasn’t’ what he was on Thursday against Kansas and it had a profound impact on the Red Raiders’ chances of victory.