Well, for as rough a couple days as Friday and Saturday were for Red Raider athletics, you certainly couldn't have asked for a better Sunday, huh? A few thoughts on this Monday morning as we get ready for the Tourney....
*I was at 4ore Golf yesterday afternoon for the selection show, and first off, kudos to you guys as Red Raider Nation for packing that place out. It was a great atmosphere for a selection show, which at times can be pretty stale as everyone just sits around and waits. But to my point: You could visibly tell that this group of players and coaches was hoping and praying, crossing every finger and toe that they'd end up in Dallas this weekend. When the first Dallas pod came up on TV and Greg Gumbel started reading off names, everyone in the building was on the edge of their seat, and when the Red Raiders weren't called, there was a sense of disappointment in the room. But when Tech got picked for the second DFW pod, the room exploded. It was a ton of fun to be there and feel that elation.
*So, why does Tech end up with a 3 seed? I think it's very clear that the committee valued all of Tech's 7 quadrant 1 wins (Tied for the 7th most in the country) while also taking into account Keenan Evans' injury over the last few weeks. I think it was clear to the committee that this was still a good basketball team, even with him on the mend, as this team was still playing in extremely competitive games, coming just a bucket short of beating Kansas in Lubbock, Baylor in Waco, and West Virginia in Kansas City. For once, it was Texas Tech who got the benefit of the doubt.
*As for the league, I was admittedly surprised that West Virginia ends up with a 5 seed. I figured they'd be a 3 or 4 for sure. My guess is it's because they got swept by Kansas to a count of 3-0 this season while Tech split with the Jayhawks, winning in Lawrence. Oh, and I think Texas may get run out of the building by Nevada. Another Big 12 team finally gets to feel the wrath of the Martin twins.
*As for this group of Red Raiders and how things have gone in the last three games: I feel like they really are playing some of their best basketball as a team right now, particularly on the offensive end. I think their flow within the motion against both Texas and West Virginia was fantastic. They smartly passed it around to open shooters and cutters, who often converted on open shots. They didn't bog down nearly as much as they did during their two slides in conference play. Tech's left a few too many guys open for threes defensively at times, but I think things are rounding back into form on that end, too. If this team has a good four days of practice here and continues to build on what they did in the Big 12 tourney, they're going to be a tough, TOUGH out in the Tourney.
*Keenan Evans gets another five days of rest in here after playing back to back games over the weekend, which can only be good for Tech. I thought he looked his best since his injury against Texas on last Thursday, though I do feel like he clearly was hurting and laboring a bit against West Virginia on Saturday. He needed that day off. But now, he won't have to ever play back to back games again. And now, every time you win two games, you reward him with another five days off.
*Going into this postseason, you're of course going to have to get your best contributions from Keenan Evans. You're going to have to get them from Zhaire Smith, Jarrett Culver, Justin Gray, and Niem Stevenson. But to me, those guys won't be the keys to deep postseason runs, because I think you'll get the best from that group. The key guys to me are Zach Smith, Brandone Francis, Davide Moretti, Norense Odiase, and Tommy Hamilton. That's because the play from those five will be the mortar to the bricks provided by the first five I mentioned. Those four and how much the contribute - or don't - will split the hairs in the postseason. Francis needs to knock down momentum shots. Moretti needs to be a great ball handler, assist-man, and hit open threes. Odiase needs to play great defense and hit on makeable layups. Hamilton needs to knock down threes and continue to show off his skills as a passer, drawing away opposing big men from the paint. And then Zach Smith needs to keep coming on, rounding back into form, and give you a versatile defensive effort. They all must contribute in some form or fashion. They can't be a detriment.
*As for the bracket draw, I think Tech got about as favorable of a draw from top to bottom as you could ask for. I think, while it certainly won't be easy, everyone is beatable. SFA will be a really hard draw out of the gates, though. That's as tough of a 14 seed as you could ask for, because they play great defense, take good shots, and have a couple of guys who can get hot from behind the arc. They remind me a bit of this Tech team, and I'm sure they'll be chomping at the bit to take down a power five team from Texas. But as for the rest of the path, Florida, St. Bonny, UCLA, Arkansas, and Purdue are all teams I think present some different, tough problems, but they can all be had. Some might point to Purdue as a tough matchup, but I'll tell you that the Haas isn't the same kind of big man that the Red Raiders have seen in the Big 12. Yes, he's a 7 footer, but he's not a great athlete that's going to be a rim protector like a lot of the guys we saw in conference play this spring.
*So, March Madness is here. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, no matter how long or short it is. And if you're going to Dallas for the first round, have a damn good time. These kind of chances don't come around very often.
*I was at 4ore Golf yesterday afternoon for the selection show, and first off, kudos to you guys as Red Raider Nation for packing that place out. It was a great atmosphere for a selection show, which at times can be pretty stale as everyone just sits around and waits. But to my point: You could visibly tell that this group of players and coaches was hoping and praying, crossing every finger and toe that they'd end up in Dallas this weekend. When the first Dallas pod came up on TV and Greg Gumbel started reading off names, everyone in the building was on the edge of their seat, and when the Red Raiders weren't called, there was a sense of disappointment in the room. But when Tech got picked for the second DFW pod, the room exploded. It was a ton of fun to be there and feel that elation.
*So, why does Tech end up with a 3 seed? I think it's very clear that the committee valued all of Tech's 7 quadrant 1 wins (Tied for the 7th most in the country) while also taking into account Keenan Evans' injury over the last few weeks. I think it was clear to the committee that this was still a good basketball team, even with him on the mend, as this team was still playing in extremely competitive games, coming just a bucket short of beating Kansas in Lubbock, Baylor in Waco, and West Virginia in Kansas City. For once, it was Texas Tech who got the benefit of the doubt.
*As for the league, I was admittedly surprised that West Virginia ends up with a 5 seed. I figured they'd be a 3 or 4 for sure. My guess is it's because they got swept by Kansas to a count of 3-0 this season while Tech split with the Jayhawks, winning in Lawrence. Oh, and I think Texas may get run out of the building by Nevada. Another Big 12 team finally gets to feel the wrath of the Martin twins.
*As for this group of Red Raiders and how things have gone in the last three games: I feel like they really are playing some of their best basketball as a team right now, particularly on the offensive end. I think their flow within the motion against both Texas and West Virginia was fantastic. They smartly passed it around to open shooters and cutters, who often converted on open shots. They didn't bog down nearly as much as they did during their two slides in conference play. Tech's left a few too many guys open for threes defensively at times, but I think things are rounding back into form on that end, too. If this team has a good four days of practice here and continues to build on what they did in the Big 12 tourney, they're going to be a tough, TOUGH out in the Tourney.
*Keenan Evans gets another five days of rest in here after playing back to back games over the weekend, which can only be good for Tech. I thought he looked his best since his injury against Texas on last Thursday, though I do feel like he clearly was hurting and laboring a bit against West Virginia on Saturday. He needed that day off. But now, he won't have to ever play back to back games again. And now, every time you win two games, you reward him with another five days off.
*Going into this postseason, you're of course going to have to get your best contributions from Keenan Evans. You're going to have to get them from Zhaire Smith, Jarrett Culver, Justin Gray, and Niem Stevenson. But to me, those guys won't be the keys to deep postseason runs, because I think you'll get the best from that group. The key guys to me are Zach Smith, Brandone Francis, Davide Moretti, Norense Odiase, and Tommy Hamilton. That's because the play from those five will be the mortar to the bricks provided by the first five I mentioned. Those four and how much the contribute - or don't - will split the hairs in the postseason. Francis needs to knock down momentum shots. Moretti needs to be a great ball handler, assist-man, and hit open threes. Odiase needs to play great defense and hit on makeable layups. Hamilton needs to knock down threes and continue to show off his skills as a passer, drawing away opposing big men from the paint. And then Zach Smith needs to keep coming on, rounding back into form, and give you a versatile defensive effort. They all must contribute in some form or fashion. They can't be a detriment.
*As for the bracket draw, I think Tech got about as favorable of a draw from top to bottom as you could ask for. I think, while it certainly won't be easy, everyone is beatable. SFA will be a really hard draw out of the gates, though. That's as tough of a 14 seed as you could ask for, because they play great defense, take good shots, and have a couple of guys who can get hot from behind the arc. They remind me a bit of this Tech team, and I'm sure they'll be chomping at the bit to take down a power five team from Texas. But as for the rest of the path, Florida, St. Bonny, UCLA, Arkansas, and Purdue are all teams I think present some different, tough problems, but they can all be had. Some might point to Purdue as a tough matchup, but I'll tell you that the Haas isn't the same kind of big man that the Red Raiders have seen in the Big 12. Yes, he's a 7 footer, but he's not a great athlete that's going to be a rim protector like a lot of the guys we saw in conference play this spring.
*So, March Madness is here. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, no matter how long or short it is. And if you're going to Dallas for the first round, have a damn good time. These kind of chances don't come around very often.
