Get back to full health
There’s no question that Texas Tech misses a fully healthy Kevin McCullar Jr. who has been slowed in recent weeks by a high ankle sprain. And even though he has tried to play through the injury he sustained on February 12, he’s been just a shell of his former self. Perhaps that is why he was held out of the Kansas State and Oklahoma State games.
But without McCullar at 100%, Tech has been without its best option at the point guard spot and the results have been telling.
In the five games since McCullar stepped on TCU head coach Jamie Dixon’s foot and rolled his ankle after attempting a shot, the Red Raiders have averaged over 15 turnovers per game. That’s nearly two more giveaways per game than Tech has averaged on the season. While that may not seem like much, consider how two more possessions ending in a quality shot rather than a turnover would have been important in a game such as the 69-66 loss at TCU or the one-point defeat in Stillwater. And in March, when every possession is critical, giving up the basketball is a way to be defeated.
What’s more, without McCullar at full strength, three times in the last six contests Tech has had single-digit assist games. That’s another area where Tech misses McCullar as he leads the team in assists at 3.1 per game.
Tech also needs Daniel Batcho to return from what has been termed a minor knee injury. The 7-foot redshirt freshman has not played since seeing only four minutes of action against Texas on February 19.
Without Batcho, Tech has had to give his minutes to K.J. Allen and though Allen has played better than most expected, he’s not as good of a fit for what Tech wants to do as Batcho is. First of all, Allen is only 6-foot-6 making him much less of a rim protector than Batcho. Also, at 250 pounds, Allen is a liability when playing on-ball defense as he does not have the foot speed to stay in front of guards and wings.
We saw Kansas State target Allen by exploiting Tech’s switch-everything strategy and isolating Allen on quicker players. The result was that KSU was able to drive on him and get into the paint almost at will in the second half.
Batcho is a much better on-ball defender given his athleticism and his length and that makes him a better fit for what Tech wants to do defensively. That’s why Tech needs Batcho to return to health ASAP and the same can be said for McCullar.
Fortunately, it appears that McCullar will make his return this week at the Big 12 Tournament. But will he be at something close to full strength? The answer could determine how Tech fares in the postseason.