Texas Tech basketball: Why 2021-22 season was a rousing success
The program’s culture was maintained
Anytime a new voice takes over a program, there is bound to be change. And that change is often needed.
But when Adams was named head coach, Texas Tech basketball didn’t necessarily need the type of sweeping changes that most programs do when making a coaching swap. In fact, the question was whether or not Tech could maintain its identity rather than whether it could forge a new one.
Over the previous five seasons, a rugged all-out intensity that the previous head coach referred to as a “street-dog” mentality, fueled Tech’s success. In that time, Tech became known as one of the most hard-nosed and physical teams in the nation. But it was worth wondering if Adams could keep that same culture in place or if it was all a Chris Beard creation.
Of course, we now know that Adams was able to maintain Tech’s chip-on-the-shoulder mentality. What’s even more important is that his team was able to remain one of the nation’s top defensive teams.
Tech will almost certainly finish this year ranked tops in the nation in the KenPom.com defensive efficiency rankings. Giving up just 85.1 points per 100 possessions, the Red Raiders sit more than a full point clear of No. 2 San Diego State.
That marks five consecutive years that the Red Raiders have been a top-20 team in the KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency stat. And of those years, all but once, Tech has finished top 10 (with 2020-21 being the only outlier).
With Adams at the helm, we all assumed that defense would continue to be this program’s hallmark and our assumptions were correct. But many wondered if the intensity that the previous head coach seemed to bring to the South Plains would remain part of the Texas Tech culture.
If 2021-22 were any indication, the answer is a resounding affirmative. This program looked exactly the same as it did in 2018-19 in terms of intangiables and far better in that regard than the last two years of the Beard era. Thus, there’s now no reason to worry about Texas Tech basketball losing its identity under Adams.