https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...om-preseason-nobodies-to-final-four-hopefuls/
Tech's part:
Texas Tech
RECORD: 21-4 | Projected seed: 3 | RPI: 12 | KenPom: 8
If the projections hold and Texas Tech plays to its seed expectation, Chris Beard will coach the Red Raiders to their highest seed in school history. But can you name a player on this team? If not, don't feel all that bad. It's a quality club trying to break through despite its reputation. TTU hasn't often had star players. It's a workmanlike program that is low on college hoops prestige.
But this team is a headache to prep for. And guess what? Beard might actually -- maybe! -- be the coach to finally stop Bill Self's run at Kansas of going 13 straight seasons finishing atop the league standings. Incredible to think that five years ago he was living in Motel 6 in Myrtle Beach and coaching a semi-pro team.
Beard is admittedly not a great self-promoter. He apologized for his lack of in-depth answers when I asked what he knew in October that so many others didn't.
"I just have a lot of confidence in our players and our coaching staff," Beard said. "I think the (preseason) rankings are great for the fans, but there's really no science to it. We've got guys on this roster that have a lot of experience, so we knew we were going be an experienced team coming back. I've always been a big believer in trying to keep your roster old."
Beard made sure to mention how important his staff (Al Pinkins, Chris Ogden, Mark Adams) is. And he, respectfully, takes offense to the notion that he's doing more with less. Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver are freshmen wings who have combined to average 21.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.9 blocks. Smith was ranked 195th in his class, according to 247 Sports. Culver didn't crack the top 300.
"i respect the question but I think 'unheralded' is a disrespectful to our players," he said. "Both were recruited well by a lot of schools in the league. I don't think our players get respect for how good they are. Tommy Hamilton was a top-100 player. Brandone Francis was a top-100 player who went to Florida to play for Billy Donovan. These guys have done a great job playing together."
Beard's star is senior Keenan Evans, a potential All-Big 12 player. He's right, though. If you're thinking of writing off Texas Tech because of a lack of talent, it's a misguided notion. The team wins with physical man-to-man defense, but six players on the roster have taken at least 50 shots from 2-point range and are better than 50 percent.
I asked Beard if he had to scout against himself, what would worry him most?
"I would hope competitors would say, 'These guys aren't beating themselves. Never too high, never too low on the floor. If we're going to beat these guys, we have to beat them,'" Beard said. "We don't try to have the best player in the confrnece or the leading scorer in the country. We want an 11 or 12 players leading."
And similar to Clemson without Grantham, TTU has kept pace in the Big 12 without Zach Smith, who was a preseason All-Big 12 choice. Beard said the broken bone in Smith's right foot, which has kept him out since mid-January, is a week-by-week thing. It's unclear if or when he'll be back. If he does return, the Red Raiders would rightfully have their eyes on an in-state trip to San Antonio for the Final Four.
"Prince today, frog tomorrow," Beard was quick to note of how fast things can change, then admitted he modified the metaphor from something his former boss Bob Knight once told him. "I think he said peacock today, feather duster tomorrow. Of course i didn't even know what a feather duster was. I think I had to Google it.
Tech's part:
Texas Tech
RECORD: 21-4 | Projected seed: 3 | RPI: 12 | KenPom: 8
If the projections hold and Texas Tech plays to its seed expectation, Chris Beard will coach the Red Raiders to their highest seed in school history. But can you name a player on this team? If not, don't feel all that bad. It's a quality club trying to break through despite its reputation. TTU hasn't often had star players. It's a workmanlike program that is low on college hoops prestige.
But this team is a headache to prep for. And guess what? Beard might actually -- maybe! -- be the coach to finally stop Bill Self's run at Kansas of going 13 straight seasons finishing atop the league standings. Incredible to think that five years ago he was living in Motel 6 in Myrtle Beach and coaching a semi-pro team.
Beard is admittedly not a great self-promoter. He apologized for his lack of in-depth answers when I asked what he knew in October that so many others didn't.
"I just have a lot of confidence in our players and our coaching staff," Beard said. "I think the (preseason) rankings are great for the fans, but there's really no science to it. We've got guys on this roster that have a lot of experience, so we knew we were going be an experienced team coming back. I've always been a big believer in trying to keep your roster old."
Beard made sure to mention how important his staff (Al Pinkins, Chris Ogden, Mark Adams) is. And he, respectfully, takes offense to the notion that he's doing more with less. Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver are freshmen wings who have combined to average 21.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.9 blocks. Smith was ranked 195th in his class, according to 247 Sports. Culver didn't crack the top 300.
"i respect the question but I think 'unheralded' is a disrespectful to our players," he said. "Both were recruited well by a lot of schools in the league. I don't think our players get respect for how good they are. Tommy Hamilton was a top-100 player. Brandone Francis was a top-100 player who went to Florida to play for Billy Donovan. These guys have done a great job playing together."
Beard's star is senior Keenan Evans, a potential All-Big 12 player. He's right, though. If you're thinking of writing off Texas Tech because of a lack of talent, it's a misguided notion. The team wins with physical man-to-man defense, but six players on the roster have taken at least 50 shots from 2-point range and are better than 50 percent.
I asked Beard if he had to scout against himself, what would worry him most?
"I would hope competitors would say, 'These guys aren't beating themselves. Never too high, never too low on the floor. If we're going to beat these guys, we have to beat them,'" Beard said. "We don't try to have the best player in the confrnece or the leading scorer in the country. We want an 11 or 12 players leading."
And similar to Clemson without Grantham, TTU has kept pace in the Big 12 without Zach Smith, who was a preseason All-Big 12 choice. Beard said the broken bone in Smith's right foot, which has kept him out since mid-January, is a week-by-week thing. It's unclear if or when he'll be back. If he does return, the Red Raiders would rightfully have their eyes on an in-state trip to San Antonio for the Final Four.
"Prince today, frog tomorrow," Beard was quick to note of how fast things can change, then admitted he modified the metaphor from something his former boss Bob Knight once told him. "I think he said peacock today, feather duster tomorrow. Of course i didn't even know what a feather duster was. I think I had to Google it.
