McCasland breaks down keys vs Oklahoma State
Texas Tech Men’s basketball opens up conference play with a home matchup against the 12-1 Oklahoma State Cowboys tomorrow at noon. With the Red Raider football team’s historic, incredible season coming to an end yesterday, the basketball team is now going to have a lot more eyes and attention on them as they begin Big 12 play. Head coach Grant McCasland established in a press conference earlier today about what they need to focus on in tomorrow’s conference opener.
McCasland on OSU Coach Steven Lutz
McCasland’s words: “Coach Lutz has done a tremendous job with his OSU team, and they’ve always played with pace. It’s kind of their deal. How much pressure can they put on you, consistently on both ends of the floor, their misses and makes on offense, and they’re an aggressive and deep team…”
My Take: McCasland does a great job at noticing the strengths of future opponents and establishing what needs to be done to win. This Oklahoma State team is not ranked, and they might not be seen as a great Big 12 team whenever you compare them to the other six ranked Big 12 teams in this stacked conference. However, they have lost only one game, and they are not a team that needs to be overlooked. They play with pace, physicality, aggression, and hunger.
McCasland on OSU’s strengths
McCasland’s words: “They find ways to create advantages. They put pressure on the basket, they can throw it into the post, they get you with guard play, they get you in transition. I think their point guard play is really important, and how well we can contain those guys when they’re driving the ball in transition and just have so many pieces that can score. You just have to really fight every possession, and you have to be on edge the entire time.”
My Take: Being on edge is so important when facing teams that play with pace and when they’re consistent with the ball in transition. When teams are really good at getting the ball in the post, physicality on defense in the paint is so important. Nolan Groves did an amazing job at this when he was guarding Duke’s star player Cameron Boozer. He was able to neutralize him in the paint and forced the Blue Devils to shoot more from the outside, which led to more misses in the clutch.
Texas Tech’s momentum going into tomorrow
The Red Raiders have some great momentum right now as they enter this game tomorrow. Highlighted by a dramatic comeback win over No. 3 Duke and a one-sided 87-57 victory over Winthrop to close out the slate. The Red Raiders have now won three straight, extended their non-conference home winning streak to 46 games, and have shown both resilience and dominance on offense and defense heading into league play.
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