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Texas Tech basketball: Why the Red Raiders were able to beat OU

By Matthew Conner

Feb 4, 2019; Lubbock, TX, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot and the masked rider celebrate the Red Raiders win over the West Virginia Mountaineers at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2019; Lubbock, TX, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot and the masked rider celebrate the Red Raiders win over the West Virginia Mountaineers at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 25: Guard Mac McClung #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots a free throw 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: Guard Mac McClung #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots a free throw 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) /

Texas Tech went 9-10 at the line

We are going to talk about the free-throw line all season long because that’s where close games are decided and Tech will likely be in a ton of close games given that the Red Raiders aren’t a team loaded with offensive firepower.  And against OU, that critical aspect of the game finally tilted in Tech’s favor.

We mentioned earlier that OU shot 17 more free throws than the Raiders did.  That was because of some truly questionable officiating and not because Tech settled for jumpers while OU attacked the rim.  In fact, for the game, Tech took 33 shots in the paint (18 of which came inside the restricted arc) while OU took only 26.

But while the Sooners spent far more time toeing the line, they couldn’t take full advantage and that was a surprise. OU is no. 1 in the Big 12 at the free-throw line at 78.5% as a team, however, on Tuesday, the Sooners made just 17 of their attempts leaving ten huge points off the board.  And while they were laying bricks, Tech was actually making the most of its opportunities.

Finally, the Red Raiders got their act together at the line by going 9-10 for the evening.  That was their best showing this season as far as overall percentage goes.

It was especially critical for Tech to be on-point from the line late as they massaged home their lead.  Mac McClung was 4-4 in the last 30 seconds of the game and those were the game’s most pressure-packed foul shots.  He made them look routine with almost an air of nonchalance.

Perhaps Tech found a secret formula for getting better at free throws.  Only let two of your best free-throw shooters go to the line as McClung and Terrance Shannon Jr. attempted every free throw for Tech.  That’s not necessarily a repeatable formula but for one night, it worked well enough to deliver a much-needed win.

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