Anatomy of a Loss: Texas Tech 54, TAMU 98

by Seth C on Feb 28, 2008 6:19 AM CST in Texas Tech Basketball

It doesn't get any easier from here. Damn that was embarrassing and I think that now we have to wonder who PK will go with from this point forward. Don't get me wrong, I think this team needs a good ass-chewing, but TAMU just hit their shots. The Ags haven't been this effective in quite some time and when a team his hitting their outside jumpers, well, that just makes Jordan, Jones and Davis that much more effective.

If you want, here's the boxscore.

I'm not going to do the traditional review because there's really not much to review, Texas Tech played poorly in all facets of the game. This team has to move on, they don't have a choice, the buzzsaw that is the Longhorns is right around the corner. What I thought we would discuss is what are we going to see on Saturday. It's obvious that PK wasn't happy with last night's performance:

"I want to apologize to our fans," Tech head coach Pat Knight said. "We did not compete tonight. That's the bottom line. I don't like to lose, but I can at least take getting beat when guys compete. We didn't compete from tip until the end, and I don't even count the second half. The game was over at halftime. ... They just blew us out of the water."

What I do worry about is how this affects the team and how is PK going to adjust to guys not giving their all during the game. Will they play? Will they be relegated to the bench?

As noted in the article linked above, with 3:30 left to go in the game, PK sent freshman forward Mike Singletary to the locker room:

"If you're going to sit there and pout and not cheer for your teammates, you can go sit and pout in the locker room," Knight said. "I'm not sitting here as the babysitter, and I'm not messing around. I am the head coach now and I don't care how bad the score is, you've got to be there for your teammates, and I look down there and he's sitting there feeling sorry for yourself, and I don't need that. Just go sit in the locker room."

Here's what I worry about. Does Singletary have the frame of mind to apologize to the team and get back in the good graces of PK or does he become even more angry and look elsewhere? I have a feeling that Singletary is a man and he'll move forward, but I feel like that at today's practice PK needs to have each of these guys stand in a line at the baseline and ask them, "Are you with me or not?" This is where you choose, no hard feelings, and we all get that PK is not RMK, but this is who PK is. "Are you with me, or not?"

Bad losses will test the mettle of a team more so than wins and now the Red Raiders and PK are being tested. So what happens on Saturday?

The only commodity that a coach has that a player values is minutes. Minutes motivate. Of course you hope that a player is motivated by something more than that, but let's just assume that's the case. These guys are going to have to earn their minutes. Although I haven't really studied the boxscore from last night, it is clear that PK is fine with Burgess (34) and Voskuil (29) in terms of minutes. After that, it's anyone's guess. I'm more interested to see who is going to start and play on Saturday than anything else.

One other thing to note, I thought the biggest difference between these two teams was the big men. TAMU has big, athletic guys who can jump out of the gym and dunk on yo face. I think those type of guys are rare, but it's awfully hard to compete when TAMU has 3 guys like that while Texas Tech has none.

I'd love your thoughts on what you think will happen and whether or not the Red Raiders even have a chance against the Longhorns (personally, I think Texas Tech can beat just about anyone at home).

Up Next: Texas @ Texas Tech, Saturday, March 1, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. (Television - CBS).

Tweet Comment 5 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

This is a rough

time for our Red Raiders and Pat Knight. He wasn't put in the easiest of positions to finish out this season, but that's how life goes.

Texas Longhorns.....They are freaking good!! I think they are better this year than they were last year and they don't have Durant this year. I am making the prediction that the Longhorns will go to the final four this year, and that takes alot to say becuase I hate them. I love the way Tech plays at home, but I just don't see us beating Texas this weekend. They have been head-and-shoulders better than us in basketball for several years now, and I can't recall the last time we beat them (at least my memory isn't recalling any wins).

I really hope this issue with Singletary isn't serious! I have made it known on here that he is probably my favorite player on this squad, and I hope that there is no ill-feelings after last night. The whole team just needs to remember to NEVER let that kind of game happen again.

liquidsmoke

by liquidsmoke on Feb 28, 2008 10:59 AM CST reply actions

PK

needs to create havoc with this group of idiots. I would not want any of them returning next year. No skin off my back. They don't seem to care about themselvs or the team. Why go out and play dead? They are there for an hour and a half. KICK ASS! JEEESSSHHHH!! I will not single out anyone. They all need a boot up their butts. Bring in former Monterey baseball Coach Moegle to run them through some of his workouts he instituted for slackers. I doubt any of them could make it through. They just make me sick. Pat Knight may have more on his table than he even thought. And, if he can't do it, get him outta there and get someone who can. If this team were losing and playing hard, that would be one thing, but it appears they simply take whole games off some times. This is a very disturbing team. Tech has had poor teams before, but none that just failed to show up, or play so erratically when they do. I posted comments earlier in the year that Tech players need to play hard EVERY game, all sports, then let the outcome happen. If they do, Tech can become an elite program. Now, just get someone in here who wants that and is willing to do what it takes. No more slackers.

TTpilk

by TTpilk645 on Feb 28, 2008 12:37 PM CST reply actions

I don't know

how valid your argument is about the whole team being slackers.

Do you remember a couple of games ago against Kansas State when Zeno played with the flu?? The kid was on an I.V. up until tipoff and he played his heart out for Tech.

I agree that this team came out and flat out sucked against A&M, but I feel confident that Pat will punish them accordingly and will come out with some fire for the rest of the season. Everyone has their aweful games. This was ours. Prior to this game, I didn't really think that we had played a "slacker" game this year.

Our freshman are the key to the success of this program. If we can develop and get these kids to work for Pat, I really like the future of Tech basketball.

liquidsmoke

by liquidsmoke on Feb 28, 2008 10:46 PM CST up reply actions

e

I hope Decensae White -- I mean Mike Singletary gets past this without taking it too personally. If he lets it affect him too much, then (see --> Decensae White)

by ayleein on Feb 28, 2008 1:55 PM CST reply actions

Texas

We beat them the year before durrant was there, and should have beat them at home that year. Everyone on defense got scared when he started to get hot and left him wide open in both games.

by ST04 on Feb 29, 2008 8:48 AM CST reply actions