LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-4, 6-1) are playing their best basketball of the season, and still have several weeks left before the Big 12 Basketball tournament.
Their five-game streak includes wins over higher-ranked teams at the time, BYU and Houston- avenging a 69-65 defeat on the road earlier this month. The Red Raiders are now on a seven-day hiatus before they return to play at Saturday morning at UCF, and will look to avenge last season’s 87-83 loss on New Year’s Eve.
During Saturday’s post-game news conference, Tech’s head basketball coach Grant McCasland credits his two veteran starters- point guard Christian Anderson and forward JT Toppin, for both the win and their success at this point in the season.
“It starts with Christian Anderson. I mean, he’s making all the right plays. And then it’s about our seam attack and the ability to make the next play and what that is, and JT was in a lot of those and JT was phenomenal. I mean, you want to talk about the next play. I mean, he was unbelievable at making the next play,” McCasland said. “Christian didn’t come off the floor. I mean, those two dudes just carry the load in the middle of the floor and I just think they were magnificent, man. Just really were, and that’s a big reason why our team (won).”
Toppin was named the “Big 12 Player of the Week” Monday for the third time in the last four weeks. While he recorded 31 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s win, Anderson had 12 points, but was 1-for-7 in three-point attempts. However, McCasland says Anderson’s success should be measured by wins instead of statistics.
“I mean, he’s just doing an unbelievable job of orchestrating this,” he said. “Come on, man! He’s winning, and that’s what a point guard should be judged by and trust me, he’s going to have plenty of days where he can go out there and rock with the ball and make plays for himself.”
The other lead scorers were Donovan Atwell and Jaylen Petty, both had 18 points Saturday. Josiah Moseley had six points, both from three-pointers made in the first half. McCasland says this number is also astonishing because of his limited time of practice.
“For him to come in there and to contribute like that, and to your point, against Houston in an atmosphere and just the craziness that this game is, remarkably impressive,” he said. “And, he’s coachable and he’s talented and he has a good feel for the game and he’s physical and he’s got the athleticism and knows for the ball and he obviously has the skill, but he’s nowhere near ready really to go out there and play significant minutes, but the fact he gave us 10 minutes in a game like this just says a lot about his character and who he is as a person. And man, his contribution was huge in the first half and he’s obviously just getting started.”
McCasland also says he expects to keep seeing strides made by the younger players on the bench.
“I mean, Tyree Bryan, Josiah Moseley, I mean, Nolan Groves, I mean, you pick it. Anybody that comes in off the bench that can give us a lift is going to be a huge bonus for us,” he said.
The Red Raiders will seek out their sixth-consecutive win Saturday morning. Tip-off set for 11 a.m. CT at UCF’s Additional Financial Arena.
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