Prior to Tuesday night, it had been a while since the Texas Tech basketball team put forth an effort that could be described as poor. Unfortunately, that seems to be what this program does most of the time in Fort Worth, though.
The Red Raiders were lethargic in the first half and sloppy throughout the game in a 69-66 loss to TCU to fall to 20-6 overall and 11-4 in Big 12 play. The defeat not only cooled off a team that had risen to No. 9 in the national polls by winning nine of its last ten games but also almost certainly put to rest any thoughts of the Red Raiders competing for a Big 12 regular-season championship.
Tech committed 13 turnovers (to TCU's 9) and shot only eight free throws (making just five) in a game that saw the Horned Frogs out-work, out-hustle, and out-play the favored Red Raiders. Yet still, Tech had its chances to win the game.
After trailing by as many as nine points early in the second half, Tech would take the lead midway through the final 20 minutes of play. From there, the game was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading blows.
With 4:17 to play, the Red Raiders led 63-62 thanks to a pair of free throws by JT Toppin. However, for one of the few times all season, Tech fell apart down the stretch.
In the final four minutes, the Red Raiders went just 1-6 from the floor. What's more, in that span, they committed three crucial fouls leading to three TCU free-throw makes that proved to be the difference.
One look at the box score shows that the Frogs were the more aggressive team. They outscred Tech by ten points at the free-throw line and had an eight-rebound advantage on the offensive glass.
Additionally, the Red Raiders' role players simply didn't contribute enough to escape with a win. While Toppin, Darrion Williams, and Chance McMillian combined to score 54 points, the rest of the team scored just 12.
Freshman Christian Anderson was noticeably bad on Tuesday. Scoring only five points, he was 2-7 from the floor and he turned the ball over four times while handing out only one assist before fouling out late. It was arguably his worst game in Big 12 play.
On the bright side, while Tech fans hate to lose a game to TCU, this is a loss that doesn't exactly spell doom for the season. Tech has built enough of a resume thus far in the Big 12 to be a virtual NCAA Tournament lock.
The hope is that this game will open the Red Raiders' eyes. Sometimes good teams need a slap in the face and that's what this performance might be.
Remember that in 2019, the Red Raiders entered the Big 12 Tournament having won nine games in a row to capture a share of the regular-season conference crown. Then, they inexplicably lost to the lowest seed in the Big 12 Tournament, West Virginia, in the first round.
That game was a wake-up call for that team as they would use it as a reminder of what can happen when you don't put forth your best effort. Ultimately, that team won its next five games to reach the National Championship Game and few people remember the loss to the Mountaineers in Kansas City.
This year's version of the Red Raiders also has dreams of a deep NCAA Tournament run. Maybe Tuesday's ugly performance against TCU will be a springboard that head coach Grant McCasland can use to launch his team to new heights down the stretch of the regular season and into March.
Still, losing to a mediocre TCU team that is coached by one of the most obnoxious coaches in the country and which plays on the ugliest court in the sport is going to sting for a few days. But if it is ultimately a learning opportunity for the Red Raiders, then it will be much easier to swallow in time. For now, though, it is going to stick in the craw of everyone in Scarlet and Black.