Texas Tech basketball: 3 Takeaways from Saturday’s win over Kansas

You could argue that Saturday’s win over Kansas was one of the more improbable victories in recent Red Raider history.  Playing without both Kevin McCullar Jr. and Terrence Shannon Jr., each of whom is averaging over 14 points per game, the Texas Tech basketball team took down the No. 6 Jayhawks 75-67.

It was refreshing to see this hard-nosed Texas Tech team come away with more than just a moral victory when playing shorthanded.  Sure, competitive efforts when playing without key players against Gonzaga and Iowa State were nice to see but moral victories don’t do teams many favors on Selection Sunday.

That’s why Saturday’s result was so critical.  It gave Tech its second quality victory of the season and it helped the Red Raiders avoid the pressure of going to Waco on Tuesday night facing the prospect of opening Big 12 play 0-3.  Now, Tech will essentially be playing with house money when they take on the No. 1 team in the land this week.

But before we turn our attention to that huge contest, let’s put a bow on the win over KU by looking at three takeaways from what we witnessed on Saturday afternoon.

Clarence Nadolny should start when everyone is healthy

Now well into his third season as a Red Raider, guard Clarence Nadolny is starting to play a more pivotal role for his team than he ever has.  And with all the injuries and COVID-19 absences that this program has endured over the past week, the feisty point guard has also been thrust into the starting lineup.   And there, he’s flourished.  In fact, Mark Adams should consider leaving him in the starting five when this team eventually returns to full health.

In the past two games, Nadolny has had a 9-point, 3-assist, 4-steal effort against Iowa State and a 17-point, 1-assist, 3-steal showing against KU.  That’s the type of production that Tech should really use from its point guards moving forward.

The reality is that McCullar, who has been this team’s pseudo point guard, is more of a shooting guard who needs to play off the ball.  And what this team has been getting from the player who has been starting at the off guard position, Davion Warren, hasn’t been all that great.

It isn’t that Warren has been a disaster as a starter.  He’s averaging 11 points per game thus far.  However, he has averaged only 8.4 points per game against the five major opponents Tech has faced this season.

What’s more, in those games, Warren has handed out more than two assists just once.  Nadolny is more of what this team needs as a starting point guard than any player on the current roster and his game better compliments what McCullar and Shannon can do.  What’s more, he’s apparently started to figure out how to play in control (he had only two turnovers against Kansas) and he’s got the look of a starting point guard.  Perhaps it’s time for Mark Adams to make the change and keep him as a permanent member of the starting five.

Bryson Williams is this team’s X-factor

Finally, against Kansas, transfer forward Bryson Williams had the type of showing in a big game that Texas Tech basketball fans have been expecting.  With team-highs of 22 points and eight rebounds, he took over a game and helped carry his team to a win against a quality opponent.

Now, it is apparent that Williams is going to be the barometer for this team.  In fact, it may be that as he goes, so too does this team.

In Tech’s three losses this year, Williams has averaged just 6.3 points per game.  But in the wins, he’s put up 13.4.

Against KU, Tech was glad to get the best out of Williams.  He was as aggressive as he’s been all season and he was an efficient 9-13 from the field.  That’s the type of effort the Red Raiders need from him moving forward.

The Red Raiders should fear no one

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this game is the fact that the Red Raiders can compete with any team in the nation.  Of course, the season’s biggest test will arrive on Tuesday night when the Red Raiders face No. 1 Baylor on the road but the KU game showed us that Tech should fear absolutely no one.

Keep in mind that in two of the Red Raider’s three losses this year, they have been without Terrence Shannon Jr., and yet in both games, Tech was able to hang around and make things more than a bit interesting in the second half.

Now, by taking down KU without the two best players on the roster, Tech has to be brimming with confidence.  That’s something that they will need to carry with them to Waco and throughout the rest of the brutal Big 12 season.