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Texas Tech basketball: Five things Tech must improve upon

By Andrew Gleinser

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders sits on the bench during the second half of the college basketball game against the Incarnate Word Cardinals at United Supermarkets Arena on December 29, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders sits on the bench during the second half of the college basketball game against the Incarnate Word Cardinals at United Supermarkets Arena on December 29, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Jan 2, 2021; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Bryce Williams (14) and Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) fight over the ball in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2021; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Bryce Williams (14) and Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) fight over the ball in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Late Game Situations

This one falls rather heavily on Beard. In both the Kansas and OSU games, Texas Tech had the ball with a chance to tie or win the game at the end. In both situations, they completely failed to even get a decent shot off. This problem goes back to the National Championship game against Virginia when Jarrett Culver took a contested fadeaway jumper from the corner at the end of regulation.

Since then, final-possession situations have continually befuddled Beard’s program.  Last year, Tech failed to come up with last-possession scores in losses to Creighton, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, and Baylor.  And already this year, that problem has reared its ugly head against Kansas and Oklahoma State.

It seems like it doesn’t matter what play Beard draws up in these situations because the team can’t execute. Not having Mac McClung at the end against OSU certainly hurt, but they had him against Kansas. There’s plenty of talent on this team and simply no excuse for failing to even be competitive on the final play.

The key has to be for Tech to put its play-makers in a position to create one-on-one.  That was the plan against OSU at the end of regulation but Edwards was called for a moving screen thus keeping McClung from being able to make something happen.

Against Kansas, the Red Raiders got the ball to their second-best penetrator, Terrence Shannon Jr., on the final possession but KU smartly forced him to drive right forcing the lefty into an awkward shot that was partially blocked.

In the gauntlet that is the Big 12, there will be more of these situations and Beard had best find his closer a’ la Keenan Evans or Jarrett Culver.  Until that happens and this program starts to reverse its recent fortunes in one-score games, frustrations, as we experienced on Saturday, are going to continue.

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