Texas Tech basketball: Kevin McCullar returns as Tech rolls Incarnate Word

Tuesday night in Lubbock, the Texas Tech basketball team rolled past Incarnate Word while welcoming Kevin McCullar back from injury.

On Tuesday, the Texas Tech basketball team took to the court for the first time in a week and posted a 79-51 victory over Incarnate Word in Lubbock.  But it was a player who returned to the floor for the first time since March who stole the show.

Making his season debut after sustaining a high-ankle sprain just prior to the start of this season, sophomore Kevin McCullar Jr. finally made his debut for the Red Raiders in the season’s 10th game.  And a nice debut it was.

McCullar came off the bench scoring 11 points (tied for the team lead) and grabbing 3 rebounds.  He also had 2 assists as he displayed the type of all-around game that he became known for last season.

In 2019-20, the San Antonio native was one of the most improved players on the Texas Tech basketball roster ending the year averaging 6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.  What’s more, over the court of the season’s final eight contests, he was arguably the team’s best player as he put up 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in those games.

https://twitter.com/TexasTechMBB/status/1344081655921840132?s=20

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Now, he’s been able to get his feet wet prior to Saturday’s home showdown with Oklahoma State and superstar true freshman Cade Cunningham.  And the Red Raiders will be all the better for it.

But McCullar’s return wasn’t exactly needed to beat Incarnate Word.  And if we thought that McCullar was rusty, so too were the Cardinals as they had not played a game since December 5th due to COVID-19 concerns.

In addition to being physically outmatched, the visitors also looked rather winded for stretches of the game as they collectively worked their way back into game shape, which was a tough ask against the no. 13 team in the nation.  For the night, UIW turned the ball over 20 times and shot just 35.7% from the field.

As for the Red Raiders, the going was much easier, especially after a bit of a slow start when it came to shooting the ball.  Chris Beard’s team shot 43.9% from the floor (but only 6-20 from 3-point range).

Another important development for Tech was the efficient offensive night from Kyler Edwards.  Entering the game mired in a prolonged shooting slump, the junior was better on Tuesday as he hit 2 of 4 shots from 3-point range.   With 10 points, he was one of three Red Raiders in double-figures joining McCullar and senior Marcus Santos-Silva, the latter of whom scored 11 on the night.

But the story of this game was McCullar’s triumphant return, which puts Tech back at full-strength as conference play begins in earnest.  Hopefully, he can pick up where he left off a season ago because he brings something to this team that is sorely needed.