This is how I imagine the half time chit chat went in the locker room:
Beard: Hey guys, we've tried it your way for the last five halves and it ain't working. Let's try it my way.
Nice to see Tech get back to what works for them: Salty defense and a screening, pass based meat grinder offense.
Oklahoma State is terrible, so it was also nice to see Tech be able to dig themselves out of a hole they wholly put themselves into during the first half. Talk about self-inflicted wounds, 100% of that game was on Tech. OSU is so bad they really had no say in the winning or losing, it was all Raiders. Raiders got themselves way behind with OSU-level poor play, and to Tech's credit they got themselves out of that dank hole in the second half to end up winning going away.
Raiders really throttled them in the second half, and it was nice to see after two and a half lackluster games. Hopefully this is the only lull we see from the Raiders this season. They've beaten Kansas and West Virginia, there's no reason Tech can't contend for the conference title. Well, there was a reason: Really dumb play for five halves. But now there is great reason for optimism going forward because the second half last night is the Tech basketball we've seen most of this season.
I think Ondigo brings something good to the floor for Tech. He needs some more seasoning, but I can't be the only one who sees it. His off the ball defense is non existent, and his sick athleticism won't make up for that against Big 12 opponents - so we know why he's not playing more. He's active though, and long. I feel like he will likely be an upperclassmen before he really contributes, but it's coming. Am I crazy here?
I'll spare everyone from my annual rant about how I feel about playing a worthless non-conference game in the middle of the conference season. Raiders play at South Carolina on Saturday. Gamecocks can't shoot, can't hit free throws, but they will defend and they like to rebound. Raiders are better - will Tech win? I have not watched SC play a whole game this season, maybe I've seen them play 30 minutes total. The magic number in my mind is 70 points - if Tech gets there, I like their chances a lot better against this team. Road wins are a big deal when it comes to Selection Sunday, so it would be nice to get one here and help offset the ridiculous loss at Iowa State - that is firmly in the Bad Loss column and will be there all season because ISU isn't going to do anything to make that a Good Loss. As importantly as a win, to me, is to see Tech play well. If they play like they should play, winning will take care of itself.
Beard: Hey guys, we've tried it your way for the last five halves and it ain't working. Let's try it my way.
Nice to see Tech get back to what works for them: Salty defense and a screening, pass based meat grinder offense.
Oklahoma State is terrible, so it was also nice to see Tech be able to dig themselves out of a hole they wholly put themselves into during the first half. Talk about self-inflicted wounds, 100% of that game was on Tech. OSU is so bad they really had no say in the winning or losing, it was all Raiders. Raiders got themselves way behind with OSU-level poor play, and to Tech's credit they got themselves out of that dank hole in the second half to end up winning going away.
Raiders really throttled them in the second half, and it was nice to see after two and a half lackluster games. Hopefully this is the only lull we see from the Raiders this season. They've beaten Kansas and West Virginia, there's no reason Tech can't contend for the conference title. Well, there was a reason: Really dumb play for five halves. But now there is great reason for optimism going forward because the second half last night is the Tech basketball we've seen most of this season.
I think Ondigo brings something good to the floor for Tech. He needs some more seasoning, but I can't be the only one who sees it. His off the ball defense is non existent, and his sick athleticism won't make up for that against Big 12 opponents - so we know why he's not playing more. He's active though, and long. I feel like he will likely be an upperclassmen before he really contributes, but it's coming. Am I crazy here?
I'll spare everyone from my annual rant about how I feel about playing a worthless non-conference game in the middle of the conference season. Raiders play at South Carolina on Saturday. Gamecocks can't shoot, can't hit free throws, but they will defend and they like to rebound. Raiders are better - will Tech win? I have not watched SC play a whole game this season, maybe I've seen them play 30 minutes total. The magic number in my mind is 70 points - if Tech gets there, I like their chances a lot better against this team. Road wins are a big deal when it comes to Selection Sunday, so it would be nice to get one here and help offset the ridiculous loss at Iowa State - that is firmly in the Bad Loss column and will be there all season because ISU isn't going to do anything to make that a Good Loss. As importantly as a win, to me, is to see Tech play well. If they play like they should play, winning will take care of itself.
