Texas Tech basketball: What we want to see from Red Raiders vs. TAMU-CC

Texas Tech needs more bench scoring

Finally, look tonight to see if anyone outside the starting five can provide an offensive spark.  Primarily, that task will fall on Lamar Washington and Chance McMillan.

That duo was held to just six points on 3-11 shooting last time out.  They were the only bench players who scored, though, and the only ones who played more than five minutes.

In fact, each is getting serious time as a rotational piece.  McMillan is averaging 25.2 minutes per night while Washington is averaging 17.1.

However, McMillan has scored only eight total points (six against San Jose St.) while Washington has scored only nine.  That needs to change.

McMillan is the more likely of the two to be a consistent offensive option.  Last year at Grand Canyon, he averaged 10.9 points per game and he scored 16 against Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Washington, on the other hand, is coming off of a modest freshman campaign that saw him average only 3.4 points in 15.4 minutes per game.  Still, against Texas A&M in the preseason scrimmage, he scored 13 points to give us hope that he had taken a significant step forward.

For Washington, the key is his shot selection.  He needs to stop thinking he’s a 3-point threat and instead, he needs to drive the ball to the rim at every opportunity.  He is a strong player who can finish in the lane and that should be how he gets the bulk of his points (as well as at the free-throw line).

As for McMillan, he does need to keep firing away from deep.  His pedigree suggests that he’s a good enough shooter to have the green light but he must soon start to find his touch in that regard.

It seems as if McCasland might already be down to a seven-man rotation this year, especially if Jennings or Yalaho can’t give him anything.  So Lamar Washington and Chance McMillan must be ready to contribute significantly to the offensive effort for this team to compete with top-flight competition.  Let’s see if each can step forward in that area tonight.