Texas Tech basketball: 3 reasons the Red Raiders beat Texas

Texas’ guards were held in check

For the Longhorns, it is all about their three-headed guard attack.  But when Courtney Ramey, Matt Coleman, and Andrew Jones all struggle in the same game, Shaka Smart’s team is going to be in huge trouble and that was what transpired on Saturday.

The most any of those guards was able to score in this game was Coleman’s 10 points.  And between the three, they mustered a pedestrian 24 points.  To put that in perspective, consider that that number is over 18 points below what the Horns usually receive from their three leading scorers.

Most importantly was the work that Tech did on Jones, UT’s leading scorer.  Remember that the senior had 20 points against the Red Raiders in the season’s first meeting.  But on Saturday, he was held to just 8 points on 2-8 shooting as his recent shooting struggles continued.

Ramey was even less of a factor making just one of his ten field goal attempts.  Finishing with a mere six points, he scored eight below his season average.

In the second half, the three starting UT guards hit just one shot between them.  That led to each being at least a -8 in the plus/minus box.

Meanwhile, Tech’s three starting guards, Mac McClung, Kyler Edwards, and Kevin McCullar each scored in double digits and that trio combined for 36 points.  That was a huge boost for Tech and one reason the Red Raiders came out on top.