Texas Tech Red Raiders defeat Akron Zips<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI just watched him play and had it on in the background of watching other teams we played, and so I tried to dissect some of it last night and then again this morning to try to get a feel for him, and I kept thinking like, \u2018What can you take or what can he not do?, and every time I think I have a beat on it, it\u2019s something else that he shows. He scored all the levels. passes so well. He\u2019s competitive. His motor runs non-stop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While Philon is joined by fellow guard Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. (12.7 ppg), Red Raider shooting guard Donovan Atwell says it will be essential to guard those two in order for Tech to keep its season going.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely the guard play. They\u2019re very dynamic, they play fast so just keeping them contained and making sure we can keep finishing possessions the right way with rebounding and getting down to transition, so definitely the guard play is a big one, and they\u2019re a great team in general, so it\u2019s going to be a dogfight for sure, so we got to be ready,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Coach McCasland and Alabama\u2019s head basketball coach Nate Oats have worked together in the offseason as part of USA Basketball. McCasland says from their shared experience, he\u2019s well-familiar with Oats\u2019 style of coaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought his approach, and how competitive he is, and how honest he is, but how he believes in people was real and I really respected that about him. He didn\u2019t shy away from a tough conversation, but he did it with belief and he did it with a purpose that I think builds people up, and that\u2019s rare these days to find someone that has that competitiveness. He can get people to believe and really a ton of respect for the way he has his teams playing as hard as they play and as together as they play with the talent that they have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tip-off for Sunday night\u2019s game is set for 8:45 p.m. CT at the Benchmark International Arena. The game will be on TBS, and on the Texas Tech Radio Network.<\/p>\n
The winner will move on to the Sweet Sixteen in Chicago, Ill. and face No. 1-seeded Michigan, who blasted the St. Louis Billikens 95-72 earlier Saturday.<\/p>\n
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