{"id":71114,"date":"2025-12-01T04:17:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T04:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/71114\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T04:17:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T04:17:21","slug":"texas-tech-beats-wyoming-76-72-mccasland-emphasizes-urgency-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/71114\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech Beats Wyoming 76-72, McCasland Emphasizes Urgency & Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas Tech improved to 6\u20132 with a 76\u201372 win over Wyoming, but Grant McCasland said the performance showed how far this team still has to go and how important the next two weeks will be in pushing them forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started the game too casual\u2026 we\u2019re too worried about what we\u2019re doing on the offensive end and letting that dictate how we play defensively,\u201d Grant McCasland said postgame. \u201cThese next two weeks\u2026 can really elevate this team and allow us to make a big jump. We\u2019ve got to get comfortable when the ball doesn\u2019t go in for us, how are we going to compete and still respond and play well defensively so that we can separate and win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas Tech Stat Leaders<\/p>\n

JT Toppin: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 11\u201318 FG<\/p>\n

LeJuan Watts: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 6\u201312 FG, 5\u20135 FT<\/p>\n

Christian Anderson: 15 points, 5 assists, 40 minutes<\/p>\n

Donovan Atwell: 7 points, 4 rebounds, key second-half defensive spark<\/p>\n

Leon Horner: 4 points, 4 rebounds, steady impact in his role<\/p>\n

How It Happened<\/p>\n

The first half felt a bit like a game of tug-of-war with Texas Tech unable to create any separation because they were losing at the point of attack on the defensive end. Screen-and-roll actions, slips and even some ghost screens repeatedly forced breakdowns, leading to uncontested finishes that gave Wyoming confidence and kept the Cowboys comfortable offensively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey scored 18 points off ball-screen, pick and roll\u2026 a majority of it was the ball handler and the roller creating advantages for each other,\u201d McCasland said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we made the adjustment at halftime to switch more, and that\u2019s why I thought we had more success in the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those adjustments meant switching all five spots on every screening action, something Tech hasn\u2019t done a lot this year due to limited practice time and injuries. But with Wyoming finding success on missed switches or mismatches, the change paid off as Tech finally flattened actions that had been automatic advantages and forced them into tougher shots in the second half. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe held them to 36% [in the second half],\u201d McCasland explained. \u201cWe switched all five guys, we haven\u2019t done that a lot since I\u2019ve. been here. We\u2019ve just got to get comfortable when the ball doesn\u2019t go in for us, how are we going to compete and still respond and play well defensively so that we can separate and win?\u201d<\/p>\n

They had that chance to separate too when Tech took a 36\u201326 lead with under three minutes to play in the first half. It felt like the moment the Red Raiders were going to take control, but instead a veteran Wyoming team punched back with an 11\u20132 run, trimming the lead to one at halftime. A lack of urgency plagued this ever evolving team of newcomers once again. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an urgency to see it and to go do it,\u201d McCasland said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s noticeable to everybody, but\u2026 there\u2019s an execution part of this that is not natural for some guys. They have a tendency to take a negative step instead of putting their nose in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One player who does show that urgency consistently, McCasland said, is sophomore reserve Leon Horner. It makes sense really as one of the few players with a full year in Tech\u2019s system. He knows how McCasland wants the game played, while much of the current rotation is still trying to learn Red Raider basketball.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the new guys\u2026 they\u2019re not real sure exactly the urgency, how they need to play yet,\u201d McCasland said. \u201cLeon knows. He walks into practice with a competitiveness that\u2019s been impactful. Doesn\u2019t make a lot of mistakes. He gets off the ball quickly. He puts pressure on the defense\u2026 he\u2019s just got more experience with the way I want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That difference in experience is exactly why McCasland pointed to the next two weeks as a pivotal stretch. Texas Tech has a full week before its next game and only two games over the next fourteen days, the longest uninterrupted practice window they\u2019ve had all season. And for a team still trying to sync urgency, execution and competitiveness across the roster, McCasland said this is the stretch that can finally move them forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese next two weeks\u2026 can really elevate this team and allow us to make a big jump,\u201d he said. \u201cThis team\u2019s ready for a breakthrough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next Up: Coast-to-Coast Challenge vs. LSU in Fort Worth<\/p>\n

Texas Tech will get the chance to show that growth next week on December 7 when they take part in the Coast-to-Coast Challenge playing LSU in Fort Worth, Texas. <\/p>\n

Game is scheduled for 2pm with the broadcast airing on ESPN 2. <\/p>\n

Photo Gallery: No. 20 Texas Tech vs. Wyoming Basketball<\/p>\n

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