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Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders run past Cyclones

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - MARCH 04: Guard Terrence Shannon #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the ball during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at United Supermarkets Arena on March 04, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - MARCH 04: Guard Terrence Shannon #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the ball during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at United Supermarkets Arena on March 04, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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In the 2020-21 home finale, the Texas Tech basketball team used a dynamic offensive attack to put Iowa State away in an 81-54 win.

Mac McClung scored 20 points and four other Red Raiders scored in double digits as the Texas Tech basketball team overwhelmed Iowa State on Thursday night in Lubbock to close out the home schedule.  It was exactly the type of performance that Chris Beard’s team needed prior to Sunday’s showdown with No. 3 Baylor in Waco.

For the second-straight game, Tech was able to blowout an overmatched opponent thus preventing the rotation regulars from having to play huge minutes.  That’s a blessing during a week when Tech has been forced to play three games in six days to make up COVID-19 postponements.

Just like in Tuesday’s 69-49 humbling of TCU, Tech was never really threatened by Iowa State.  In fact, after Iowa State scored the game’s first bucket, a 3-pointer, the Red Raiders would rattle off six unanswered points to take the lead for good.

The win was the fifth in-a-row against the Cyclones and the last three have come by at least 20 points.  And this victory came as a result of one of the hottest shooting nights of the season.

Tech ended the evening hitting 63% of its shots from the floor.  That included a torrid 71% in the first half.

McClung managed to hit the 20-point mark for the 10th time this season.  He was 7-12 from the floor and 5-6 from the line as he played what may have been his final home game as a Red Raider.  Though he still has eligibility remaining, the junior from Virginia may have professional basketball options after this season making it fair to wonder if he has made his final appearance at United Supermarkets Arena.

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Also potentially playing his final contest in Lubbock was senior big man Marcus Santos-Silva who had 14 points and 7 boards.  However, there remains an opportunity for the VCU transfer to play another season at Tech thanks to the NCAA ruling that gives players a free year of eligibility because of all of the COVID-19 chaos.

But in the end, the player who stole the show was one who made his Texas Tech basketball debut.  After spending his collegiate career as a student manager, Wyoming native Ty Larson got to suit up and play the final minute of the contest even drawing a charge to bring the crowd to its feet.

This was likely the last stress-free game of the season for the Red Raiders who now head to Waco on Sunday before playing in next week’s Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.  And Tech appears to be playing its best basketball of the year at the best possible time.

Having won three-straight Big 12 games for just the second time this year, Tech has given up just 54 points per game during their winning streak.  That’s a welcome sight with March Madness right around the corner.

In the end, Texas Tech did exactly what it needed to do this week by dominating both TCU and Iowa State in Lubbock.  That sets up the game in Waco to be a tremendous opportunity for this team to make one final statement in the regular season.  But even if that game doesn’t go the way of the good guys, what Tech has managed to do in this extra week of the regular season is work out some kinks and start to play its best basketball.  Now, it’s time to find out how far into March that level of play can carry the Red Raiders.

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