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Texas Tech basketball: 3 key factors in Tech’s victory over OU

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Guard Mylik Wilson #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders jumps to the basket for a slam dunk during the second half of the college basketball game against the Oklahoma Sooners at United Supermarkets Arena on February 22, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Guard Mylik Wilson #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders jumps to the basket for a slam dunk during the second half of the college basketball game against the Oklahoma Sooners at United Supermarkets Arena on February 22, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 22: Forwards Tanner Groves #35 and Jalen Hill #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners huddle with teammate before the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on February 22, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 22: Forwards Tanner Groves #35 and Jalen Hill #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners huddle with teammate before the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on February 22, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Oklahoma shot only two free-throws on the night

As a team, OU doesn’t shoot many free throws.  In fact, they are last in the Big 12 in free-throw attempts (409).

But when they do get to the line, they shoot it well. Their 75.3% success as a team from the line is second-best in the conference.

However, when the Sooners shoot only two free throws, as they did on Tuesday night, they are going to have problems.

Going just 1-2 from the stripe, OU missed out on an important way for any team to score.  And given how tight the Red Raider defense was, it would have behooved the Sooners to try to do more to get to the line.

However, they seemed to have a game-plan that called for their players to drive the ball not to score or draw fouls but to kick it out for long jumpers.  Thus, they put up 20 shots from 3-point range (making only seven) while scoring just one point at the free-throw line and scoring only 16 points in the paint.

When a team gets to the line only twice in a game, it is almost always an indication that said team is relying too much on finesse.  And when that happens, other aspects of the game, factors that require grit and physicality, suffer.

That was the case with OU on Tuesday as they were beaten in every facet of the game.  They were out-rebounded by 14 boards, they turned the ball over 21 times, and they had only one offensive rebound all night.

Getting to the line is a barometer of a team’s heart and on Tuesday, Tech got there seven more times than OU whereas, in the game in Norman, it was OU that held a one-shot edge at the free-throw line.  Free throws proved to be a telling stat on Tuesday as it reflected how vastly different the two teams played.

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