One heck of a game and one heck of a way to go out.  A highly entertaining game, PG John Roberson was terrific, actually shot above 50% from the field, which seems like that rarely happened this year, but the rest of the team was a bit off.  Nevertheless, the team still kept pace with Missouri.  And perhaps the biggest surprise was Pat Knight in a suit.  Good times. I will fully admit that I'm somewhat glad that the season is over.  I don't remember the last time that I had become disenfranchised with a Texas Tech team, but that sorta happened to me and I didn't follow the team as close as I normally would.  I think I was just tired of writing similar things after every game.  I hate that PK and his staff lost their jobs, but I am looking forward to a transition to a new basketball coach.  I'm hopeful again.

I do want to mention that if you want to continue to follow the Big 12 Tournament, check out the men's and women's tournament pages.  You can watch online!

I've written quite a bit about how Pat Knight seems to be at peace with this decision and in last night's post-game press conference (PDF), he said that his time at Texas Tech was 10 great years:

Ended on a disappointing note. But it was a great chapter in my basketball career. Ten great years: Seven as an assistant, three as a head coach. It will always be special to me. It's a little different situation than what we went through at Indiana. I love the people, the city, and I love the college. It's not like next year you're going to be sitting there rooting against them or wanting them to do bad. I wish the best for them.

I also thought it was interesting that PK said that he's talked to his dad, Bob Knight, but his dad isn't quite as understanding.  I'm sure that's an understatement.  I should also point out that LAJ's Courtney Linehan talked with PF Darko Cohadarevic (I still remembered how to spell that), who played on last year's team, and he said that it's going to take time:

"Bringing a new coach to Tech is the choice that is expected to be made by the president and athletic director at this time," Cohadarevic said. "However, I don't believe that this will solve all the problems the Tech basketball program has at the moment, regardless of who becomes a new coach. Tech is building a program and it requires some years for it to become a candidate for a powerhouse and one day become a powerhouse itself."

Darko is right, it does take time and it's entirely possible that it won't solve the problems with the program, but for me, the difference is that with PK no longer the head coach, I'm hopeful and that's more than I would have been had PK stuck around.  At the end of the day, I wish PK and all of the seniors a tremendous amount of good fortune.

GAME STORIES | Big 12 Hoops | FWST | DMN (I did want to mention that there's no link to the LAJ because LubbockOnline.com is now charging a subscription, and they do have a game-story up, but they now charge $2.95/month to view more than 25 articles a month.  Apparently I'm over the limit.  At redraiders.com, there isn't a charge (yet?) but the stories haven't made it to rr.com.

There are a couple of things.  Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler has said that he's not a candidate and Ryan Hyatt tweeted yesterday the following:

Not sure where the Doc Sadler to Texas Tech stuff got started but it is a non-starter on BOTH ends.

So there's that.  It seems unlikely that Sadler would remotely comment on another job when his team was just eliminated, but I would view Sadler as a decent hire, but not something that would give me happy pants.

I missed this yesterday, but LAJ's Don Williams had a notebook, but a large part of this was in my non-transcript from yesterday's post-practice press conference.  There are some practice notes that I wanted to make sure you checked out, including ILB Cqulin Hubert played some first team, RB Ben McRoy and LG Lonnie Edwards should be back from injury soon or after spring break, and another mention of another sack by a defensive back, this time by CB Junior Osunde.  I think we're going to see some blitzes from some different spots.

I feel like I've linked to this before, but I'll link to it anyway.  CFN via FoxSports has their top 20 new coordinators and defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow makes the list at #16:

16. Chad Glasgow, defensive coordinator, Texas Tech
Desperate for defensive help, Red Raiders head coach Tommy Tuberville went across the state and nabbed an assistant from one of America’s most successful staffs. Glasgow has been one of the quiet cogs in Fort Worth for a decade, coaching four safeties in the last four years who’ve signed NFL contracts. All-American Tejay Johnson will be his next pupil to play in the pros. While he’s never been a coordinator, the hope is that he can bring to Lubbock the physicality and swarm tackling that’s become the Horned Frogs persona ever since Gary Patterson took charge in 2001.
Last gig: TCU safeties coach
Replacing: James Willis

ESPN's David Ubben has his spring breakdown of each team and yesterday he took a look at Texas Tech.  I think that most of you probably already know most of what's in this post, but it's out there.  Also, SI.com's Stewart Mandel asks and answers questions about the Big 12:

Texas Tech: Who wins the quarterback job?
Gone are the days when whoever was anointed the next Texas Tech quarterback was assured of throwing for 5,000 yards, but second-year coach Tommy Tuberville still needs an effective passer as part of his more balanced approach. The Red Raiders, who began practice on Feb. 19, have already held two scrimmages. Rising junior Seth Doege, the veteran of the group, was 17-of-26 for 246 yards and two touchdowns in the first scrimmage, while the challenger, sophomore Jacob Karam, made a move in the more recent outing by throwing for 218 yards and four scores. "We'll see where [Karam] ends up in terms of putting pressure on Doege, but that's the best he's played since he's been here," Tuberville said afterward. Tech is also assessing several possible running threats to replace departed tailback Baron Batch.

I've done a less than stellar job of keeping up with the baseball team, especially after a series.  Now that basketball is over, I'm hoping that I'll be a bit better.  I didn't have time to do a table this morning so we'll have to rely on the official site for the games, and starting pitchers for this last non-conference homestand where the Red Raiders will host Iowa and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.  Here's your starters:

Friday, March 11 @ 5:00 p.m.
Texas Tech: Daniel Coulombe (LHP)
Iowa: Jarred Hippen (LHP)

Saturday, March 12 @ 12:00 p.m.
Texas Tech: Jamen Parten (RHP)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Todd Simko (LHP)

Saturday, March 12 @ 4:00 p.m.
Texas Tech: Trey Masek (RHP)
Iowa: Nick Brown (RHP)

Sunday, March 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
Texas Tech: Robbie Kilcrease (LHP)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Ian Campbell (RHP)

Tuesday, March 15 @ 1:00 p.m.
Texas Tech: TBA
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: TBA

A couple of things.  This lineup might be a peek into what happens next week when Big 12 play starts, and if that's the case, then you've got a true freshmen, Masek, vying for a starting job.  Kilcrease I think is still an option to start, but he struggled against TCU (the whole team did).  One other thing is that redshirt freshman Duke VonSchamann will be starting in right field.  VonSchamann was injured the first part of the year with some undisclosed off-the-field injury, but apparently he's ready to go.  This is a really young team.

Another week, another Big 12 Roundtable; you get the shtick. Post your own answers below and let me know what I got horribly wrong. Much thanks to Bring on the Cats for hosting this week. Remaining questions are after the break.

Bring on the Cats: Though not true of everyone -- Texas continued its "just take care of business" approach -- Saturday shook a lot assumptions we had about some teams.  What, if anything, can you say with confidence about your team?

Skin Patrol: I can state with confidence that we beat Nebraska, on the road, 31-10. Beyond that, whatever I say is mere conjecture. My confident conjecture, since you're asking, is that, as of this moment, we're the second best team in the Big 12. The only teams from the north challenging were, perhaps, Nebraska and Kansas and both lost this past weekend. We took out Nebraska on the road, despite a lackluster effort offensively. It is a rare thing indeed for Tech to be able to state that its defense won a game, and this is probably the biggest game of the Leach era that defense definitively won. On the road. That's a problem for people that aren't Tech (although one could argue it's a problem for us; why did the offense look so flat? Maybe because Nebraska is about as strong a defense as exists in the Big 12). The current leader of the north, plucky Kansas State, was deconstructed by us two weeks ago. From the south it would be Oklahoma State and Oklahoma to contend with. There is no shame in losing to very good BYU (at home! on neutral field) and Miami teams by one point, nor is there any shame in losing to Texas by three on neutral ground. We've played three ranked teams on the road and we're 1-2. That first number is what distinguishes us from Oklahoma. Oklahoma State has a ranked victory (although it's looking less and less impressive) at home. We have a ranked victory on the road. Against common opponents we probably look better: We lost to Houston by one, at their house, and handled Rice better than them. Acknowledging the weakness of the transitive property in football, Oklahoma State's toughish win against A&M is suspect given that they lost to K-State so bad... who lost to Texas Tech with equal fail. If I assume that Texas one day beats Oklahoma State, and I am, then I'm taking Tech. Our game against Texas A&M could well settle that issue against us, but by resume of this date, I state confidently that Texas Tech has the 2nd best in the Big 12. Take me to task for it.

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Once more into the breech with the Big 12 Roundtable. Again I am indebted to Rock M Nation for the questions, and my colleagues here at Double T Nation for providing additional answers. I hope you enjoy.

Rock M Nation: A solid 10-2 showing for the Big 12 this weekend. Which of these wins was biggest for the Big 12 and why?

Skin Patrol: Has to be Oklahoma State. After last season's humbling bowl experience, questions remained as to whether or not the Big 12 was an offensive sideshow or a conference legitimately challenging for the title to best in the land. Oklahoma State's victory over Georgia certainly doesn't answer that question by itself, but the game does represent a compelling data point towards the conclusion that we -- the Big 12 -- are the real deal. Given Oklahoma State's subsequent jump in the polls, I think it is safe to say that many voters and coaches concluded the same regarding the import of victory for the Cowboys.

Kayakyakr: Baylor made a huge jump, looking sharp early and holding off the Wake rally in ACC country. Sure, the ACC showed that they weren't all that, but it's still Baylor and still a long way from their home stadium. Most of the other wins had issues, and I'll never be one to give props to Oklahoma State.

More after the break...

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  This is the week 1 edition of the DTN Roundtable. Inside, your faithful writers (and other hangers on) answer a few questions about TTU football and other such interests. This week, we keep it short, only 3 questions. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, and you may see them in next week's edition. Also, if anyone wants to be fancy and make me a DTN Roundtable banner, that'd be awesome.

 1) Which player will you be watching (or listening) for the most in this Saturday's game?

• Tech92 - Potts. Obviously as the QB goes, so goes Tech's fortunes. Though ND is not going to be a great measuring stick, I do want to see (hear) how he does when a game is still up for grabs. I don't have doubts, per se, but I work in a results oriented business - and he plays a results oriented position - so until he shows he can be the guy, I am edgy. We've seen guys with tons of talent cave in when the pressure is all on them. I don't expect that to be the case, but there's always that little devil on the other shoulder that keeps me from being too gung ho. Yet.

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Oklahoma State Cowboys (15-9, 4-6) vs. Texas Tech Red Raider (12-13, 2-8) February 18, 2009 8:30 p.m. CST TV: ESPN2 Game Cast: Fox Sports

The Numbers:

Probable Starting Lineups:

Preview

LAJ's Jeff Walker previews tonight's game and this should be a fun game to watch. Bot teams are not very big and like to run. Perhaps with Texas Tech playing at home, the Red Raiders can control the turnovers and outscore the Cowboys. I'll go out on a limb and say that Texas Tech wins this game, despite the fact that the numbers say that OSU should win this game easily.

Keys to the Game:

1. Post Up Lew: I keep harping on this, but very few teams have a low-post threat like Robert Lewandowski. He should get his fair share of opportunities against OSU and he should be able to get some fouls on the Cowboys, perhaps forcing a lineup change that isn't as effective.
2. Don't Let Them Get Hot: OSU is a streaky team and the last thing that I want to see is any of the OSU players get hot from the perimeter. I mentioned this as a key the last time these teams faced-off and I still think that the key is to continue that permimeter pressure
3. Win One For Texas Tech: I mentioned it some time ago that I was in a sports-malaise after the loss in the Cotton Bowl and with contract negotiations going south, I'd love to remove myself from having to think Leach and contract negotiation for a few hours.

GO RAIDERS . . .

*Stats can be found at Ken Pomeroy: K.P. Rank = the Ken Pomeroy Rank; Offensive Efficiency = the national rank in terms of points scored per 100 possessions; Defensive Efficiency = the national rank in terms of points allowed per 100 possession. Numbers in parentheses are national rank.

This week, we look at the looming question at hand. Feel free to answer in the comments.

What happens on February 18, 2009?

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We're going to try and do this weekly, and because we have a number of authors, sometimes we'll have everyone participate and others we won't. Feel free to answer in the comments and join along.

1. How do you view Pat Knight's recent ejection from the Nebraska game? Did you appreciate seeing the fire and protecting his players or is this same-song-different-verse?

2. What are your expectations for the rest of the year, especially when KenPom is not predicting another win for the rest of the year? What's progress?

3. Baseball season is right around the corner, what's your interest level in the program and if it's zero (it's okay if it is) then what would it take for you to follow the program?

4. Do you think that Ruffin McNeill's personality and his ascension to defensive coordinator has helped recruiting players at Texas Tech or has it been a wash?

5. Who are your sleepers for this year's recruiting class? Pick one or two guys that you think are a little unheralded that you think will make a positive impact for the program.

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We're going to try and do this weekly, and because we have a number of authors, sometimes we'll have everyone participate and others we won't. Feel free to answer in the comments and join along.

1. There's been a lot of discussion about Pat Knight and how he's called out his current players. Talk about some of the things that encourages you about Pat Knight, if any, and anything that discourages about him, again, if any.

2. Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton recently wrote that the Texas Tech football program may have only been destined to have their one shining moment in 2008 and that Texas Tech is more or less reserved to be behind the rut of the Big 12's traditional powers. Agree or disagree?

3. I know not everyone follows recruiting as closely as others, but what's your general tone thus far in the recruiting process and more importantly, how in the hell has Leach been able to recruit some of the best that Texas Tech has seen without signing that damned extension?

4. Put on your prediction caps, what one guy on offense and one guy on defense do you expect to have a "break-out" year next year, and you cannot include Taylor Potts?

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