The Pros and Cons Coming Out of Texas Tech’s Loss to Kentucky [Photos]
The Texas Tech Red Raiders fell to the University of Kentucky Wildcats 76-74 in a matchup that went into overtime. The home loss comes the same week as a Big 12 road loss to TCU.
With a two-loss week and a drop out of the AP Poll, the Red Raiders suddenly find themselves in a precarious position in regards to the NCAA Tournament. The news doesn't get better either, with games against 12th-ranked West Virginia and 3rd-ranked Kansas looming.
The Red Raiders are now 12-7 this season and 3-3 in Big 12 play. The Kentucky game was another reminder how the Red Raiders just don't seem to have a... guy. The guy. What do I mean by The Guy? It's hard to lock down the most important aspect of the guy, but leadership and a clutch mentality are the two big ones.
The Red Raiders have lots of guys. Davide Moretti and Kyler Edwards scoring 15 and 18 (respectively) make it seem like they are ready to step up, but there are also plays where you see the two of them make poor or timid decisions late in games that make it hard to label them as The Guy. Jahmi'us Ramsey has shown flashes, but inconsistency doesn't cut it in Big 12 play.
The loss, the mistakes that happened late, the timid play at moments -- those were all cons leaving the Big 12/SEC challenge. That doesn't mean that there weren't positives to pull from the game.
Coach Calipari, who is a Hall of Fame coach, was very complimentary of the United Supermarkets Arena crowd and the Red Raiders.
Also a pro? Kevin McCullar. The young freshman gave really valuable minutes against Kentucky and wasn't rattled by the environment. Not even when he had to leave the game after taking a charge early in the contest. His stat line doesn't scream from the box score, but his tough minutes on defense were a big reason the Red Raiders fought back from a double-digit deficit late in the second half.
Next up, the Red Raiders face the Mountaineers here in Lubbock at the United Supermarkets Arena on January 29th, 2020. Texas Tech dropped the first game against West Virginia 54-66 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
See Talk 1340's exclusive photos from the game, courtesy Paul Roberts: