Texas Tech Basketball: Arkansas poses different challenge

The Texas Tech basketball team will need a different gameplan against Arkansas.

After a particularly sluggish first half on offense, the Texas Tech basketball team woke up in the second half to take care of Utah State in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday. They now await a date with former Southwest Conference foe Arkansas this afternoon, and that game will present an entirely different challenge.

Defensively, the Red Raiders clearly focused on containing Aggies center Neemias Queta, repeatedly collapsing inside to prevent him from getting a clean look at the basket. They basically dared Utah State to make its three-point shots, which the Aggies couldn’t do for the most part. That won’t be the case against the Razorbacks, however.

The good news is Texas Tech won’t be at such a size disadvantage as they were with Queta, who blocked seven shots on Friday. They should have an easier time scoring down low and getting high percentage looks. The main challenge will be playing tough defense and scoring enough on the offensive end to keep up.

Despite being one of the higher scoring teams in the country, Arkansas is not a great three-point shooting team. They connected on 33.8 percent of shots from deep this season and hit 31.3 percent en route to scoring 85 points against Colgate on Friday. Interestingly, the Red Raiders actually connected on a higher percentage of their deep looks this season (though they didn’t attempt as many).

The main thing is to either effectively match Arkansas’ pace or find a way to slow them down. The Razorbacks attempted nearly 65 field goals per game this season, which was seventh-most in the country. They matched that number against Colgate while also attempting 29 free throws. They play at a fast pace and look to get the ball inside using the dribble, which is a departure from what Utah State brought.

Keys to Victory

Texas Tech will have to play better offensively in the first half. A slow start like they experienced against Utah State, and like they’ve had so many times this season, could bury them early. Arkansas will look to push the tempo, so the Red Raiders may not be able to afford any prolonged scoring droughts like they’ve had at times this year.

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Texas Tech must also win the turnover battle. Both teams forced 22 turnovers against their first-round opponents, which was obviously a big key to victory. Getting buckets in transition will be key for Chris Beard’s crew, but they can’t allow Arkansas to do the same. The Red Raider defense should be able to slow the Razorbacks down some, but any transition buckets will undermine that.

Part of why Tech struggled on offense so much in the first half was the lack of scoring from Terrence Shannon and Kyler Edwards. The team’s second-half run coincided with those two finally getting involved. The contributions from key role players such as Micah Peavy, Kevin McCullar, and Clarence Nadolny also gave them a big lift, so those guys will need to be involved as well.

Getting to the foul line will help also, as Texas Tech attempted only eight free throws against Utah State. This team should be able to attack the basket against Arkansas, which doesn’t have a shot-blocker like Queta. Getting inside looks and drawing fouls will help take the pressure off the team’s outside shooters, who can sometimes be streaky.

The bottom line is Texas Tech has the offensive talent to keep up with Arkansas, and their halfcourt defense should be able to slow the Razorbacks down some. This is a winnable game, but a prolonged scoring drought or questionable ball security could put them in a hole they can’t climb out of.

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