Question - Is Texas Tech the 2nd best team in the Big 12?
Salerno: Buy. This Texas Tech roster is fun to watch. I'm confident they will make a deep run in March. JT Toppin should be an All-American when it's all said and done. They're coming off a gritty win on the road against Kansas and are the only team to hand conference champ Houston a loss in Big 12 play. Sure, you can argue that Iowa State or Arizona is the second-best team in the Big 12, but Texas Tech has been far more consistent. A rematch between Texas Tech and Houston for the Big 12 title would be cinema.
Trotter: Buy ... but it's extremely close because Iowa State is starting to feel like Iowa State again now that Milan Momcilovic, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert are fully healthy and rockin' and rollin'. Buying into Texas Tech is easy because this offense is just a blast. The Red Raiders have built a cohesive unit with very little positional overlap. Toppin is an excellent paint scorer who can step out and keep defenses honest with pick-and-pop 3s. Darrion Williams is a menace in isolation who can downshift to any role necessary. Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson can both handle point guard duties easily. Chance McMillian is one of the elite shooters in college basketball, but there are nights when Kerwin Walton might outshine him as a long-range marksman.
Texas Tech is the second-best team in this league because it can score at all three levels and it's elite in both the halfcourt and in transition opportunities. This playbook should be the envy of offensive coordinators everywhere. Grant McCasland's vision is rounding into form at the right time.
Salerno: Buy. This Texas Tech roster is fun to watch. I'm confident they will make a deep run in March. JT Toppin should be an All-American when it's all said and done. They're coming off a gritty win on the road against Kansas and are the only team to hand conference champ Houston a loss in Big 12 play. Sure, you can argue that Iowa State or Arizona is the second-best team in the Big 12, but Texas Tech has been far more consistent. A rematch between Texas Tech and Houston for the Big 12 title would be cinema.
Trotter: Buy ... but it's extremely close because Iowa State is starting to feel like Iowa State again now that Milan Momcilovic, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert are fully healthy and rockin' and rollin'. Buying into Texas Tech is easy because this offense is just a blast. The Red Raiders have built a cohesive unit with very little positional overlap. Toppin is an excellent paint scorer who can step out and keep defenses honest with pick-and-pop 3s. Darrion Williams is a menace in isolation who can downshift to any role necessary. Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson can both handle point guard duties easily. Chance McMillian is one of the elite shooters in college basketball, but there are nights when Kerwin Walton might outshine him as a long-range marksman.
Texas Tech is the second-best team in this league because it can score at all three levels and it's elite in both the halfcourt and in transition opportunities. This playbook should be the envy of offensive coordinators everywhere. Grant McCasland's vision is rounding into form at the right time.
