Most Texas Tech basketball fans don't hold Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson close to their hearts. Not only is he the head coach of a Big 12 rival, but he is also gruff, demonstrable, intimidating, and foul-mouthed on the sidelines during games. Truly, his on-court persona is not one that opposing fans seem to take too kindly to.
However, Sampson is nothing if not honest, and after his team's 69-61 win over the Red Raiders in Lubbock on Monday night, he gave a blunt assessment of the win. In doing so, he paid the Red Raiders some credit.
"You know, Grant [McCasland] was short-handed," he said, "and I'm sure that'll be the storyline for a lot of people, but that crowd and that old Red Raider quarterback that showed up, that had to be worth at least ten points. That was a tough place in there. That crowd was awesome."
Of course, the Red Raiders faced an uphill battle without starting guard Chance McMillian and starting forward Darrion Williams both of whom missed the game with lower-leg injuries. Together, that duo averages around 30 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Without those two stars on the floor, the Red Raiders simply did not have enough firepower to counteract Houston's rugged defense. Still, despite playing only six players, Tech kept the game close into the final minute and Sampson acknowledged that effort.
"Texas Tech, once they get McMillian and Williams healthy," he said, "that's a team that can go a long way in March. I think they're really good."
The first time that Tech and Houston met this season, an 82-81 OT road win for the Red Raiders, McMillian and Williams combined for 36 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Of course, in that game, forward JT Toppin, who leads Tech in scoring and rebounding, was ejected less than four minutes into the contest. That means that Tech has yet to face Houston this year at full strength for a full 40 minutes.
Monday night, without McMillian and Williams, Tech's offense was sluggish going just 6-30 from 3-point range. While much of the credit for that poor shooting performance goes to Houston's defense, Sampson was quick to note that the absence of two Red Raider starters played a huge factor.
"They're a good team," he said. "For us to do what we did tonight was great but there's also an asterisk as far as I'm concerned...We've got a really good team but so does Texas Tech when they're healthy. They're really good too."
Maybe these two teams will meet again in March in the Big 12 Tournament or even potentially in the NCAA Tournament. If that happens and Tech is at full strength, it will be fascinating to see how the game plays out. That's because even though the Red Raiders have yet to be able to throw their full barrage at Houston, they have proven they are up to the task of taking on Sampson's squad and that is something that Sampson seems well aware of.