Coming off the heartbreaking loss to the No. 7 ranked Houston Cougars, the Texas Tech Men’s Basketball team is set to square off with the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder this Saturday. Head Coach Grant McCasland met with the media today to breakdown the Houston loss, and preview the matchup with Colorado.
Aftermath from Houston
In a hard-fought battle against one of the best teams in the country on their home court, McCasland had a lot to be proud of for his team while acknowledging there’s still plenty to work on in terms of finishing the fight.
“Obviously playing in a huge physical game at Houston, it’s always a recovery game because you know it’s going to take everything you got to win it. We made strides in the right direction defensively in the game. Coach Sampson‘s always going to have his teams ready for a good scrap and that’s what they do. It’s the best team in the league since I’ve been in the league, and it’s an outstanding college game that we didn’t finish. We can play better than we did and we can improve.”
What areas they’re seeing improvement
Before heading to Boulder, McCasland looks to see how his team can take the next step defensively as far as aggressiveness and forcing more turnovers.
“I think our ball screen coverage was solid over the course of the game. Probably not as disruptive as we wanted to be, we only had really one steal that led to a turnover. If there’s one area we’re starting to finally make some strides, I think our activity is what it needs to be. It’s how well can we start to be more disruptive, and creating more advantages that can lead to baskets as opposed to just being in the right spot.”
Looking to Colorado
The Red Raiders will face a Colorado team coming off a difficult stretch last season. McCasland was quick to praise their turnaround in offense, guard play, and scoring.
“In this league you better be ready for the next one, and the next one is the most important game on our schedule against a Colorado team that’s undefeated in our league. Coach Boyle’s got them playing with great offense and great pace. They got great scorers and really difficult to defend. It’s probably one of the biggest teams in college basketball. Their size at the wing and forward spots is just tremendous. You got to beat them from your activity, how well you move, and how you hit first. If they hit you first then you’re leveraged and having a hard time.”
Looking at the parity of the Big 12
McCasland knew prior to the start of the season that even the Big 12 cellar dwellers are getting stronger than they were the year before.
“No question the league is significantly better. You can look at the very top and know we probably have three or four of the best teams in the country. And then I think our league is as deep as it’s ever been. Colorado is a great example. Last year they were towards the bottom of the league and now they’re 2-0. Coach Boyle has been unbelievable. He’s had NCAA tournament teams, lottery picks, so he knows what he’s doing. I think he’s got a team that you can tell he loves to coach, that’s got good feel and understanding. I think people look back to winning at Colorado will end up being a great win for anybody in this league. So we know it’s stacked against us on this one, and we got to go compete and find a way to win.”
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