via espn-i.starwave.com

Red Raiders Knocked Out

Texas Tech 60, Missouri 81

Although it was a loss, I thought this deserved it's own post, if nothing else to give an internet high-five or dap to the basketball squad for not ever giving up the entire season.

The Red Raiders were tied as the end of the first half, but just could not keep pace with the Tigers, losing 60-81 (boxscore). LAJ's Jeff Walker, FWST's Lori Dann and the AP's Jeff Latzke all have game stories and the Red Raiders acknowledge that it was Missouri's pressure that eventually wore down the Red Raiders. Here's Alan Voskuil:

"(Missouri’s pressure) took a lot of effort out of us," Tech senior Alan Voskuil said. "That Texas A&M game took every ounce of energy we had. Coming in to face that (pressure), I think in the second half it just started to get to us. We got tired and careless and the game got away from there."

And Pat Knight recognized that his team just wore down:

"We had a chance to add to it and kind of wore out," Tech head coach Pat Knight said. "We were trying to play at a slower pace and be patient. They were actually playing at a slower tempo in the first half than they normally do and I think that helped us.

"We just didn’t have enough in the tank. We had enough for a game and a half, but it started showing toward the end of the first half. We stopped cutting, started settling for jump shots. Usually when kids get tired, the easiest thing to take is a jump shot. We kid of started settling instead of putting pressure on them."

My casual observations:

• The first half was very calculated and low scoring, which I thought was perfect. Mizzou didn't have any opportunities to run, and Texas Tech kept the turnovers to a minimum and if there were turnovers, Mizzou didn't have the opportunity to run.
• Nick Okorie (13 PTS; 3 RB; 1 TO) fouling out so early really affected this team, especially with Alan Voskuil (6 PTS; 3 RB; 7 AST; 1 TO) and John Roberson (8 PTS; 3 RB; 7 AST; 5 TO) struggling. Without a true third ball-handler, Missouri just cranked up the press.
• I said before the game that the Red Raiders needed some production from the big men and that really didn't happen. It was a relatively small lineup all game and I think this is why the team was out-rebounded. Pat Knight played Darko Cohadarevic 18 minutes and the stat sheet shows that he only had 3 TO's but I could swear he was responsible for more than that, including inopportune passes to unsuspecting teammates. PK was playing Darko at the top of the key, and the thinking was that he could distribute the ball to the wing after making something happen, and I just don't think that Darko is that type of player.
• Mike Singletary (17 PTS; 8 RB; 2 TO) returned to earth and if anything, I hope that this tournament is a springboard to next year, including Singletary working on a jumpshot, which would make him an incredible offensive threat. We'll get more into what these guys should be working on later, but improving ball-handling would be huge for Singletary.

I've noticed a few of these charts on some other websites and thought I'd try and add them this morning.

Texas Tech Player Impact:

And for those of you who did not catch the game, here's the Game Flow: