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College basketball week 18: 5 important things to know

By Chris Stone

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 03: Duncan Robinson #22 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates with his teammate Moritz Wagner #13 after scoring a basket and drawing a foul late in the game against the Michigan State Spartans during the semifinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2018 in New York City. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Michigan State Spartans 75-64. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 03: Duncan Robinson #22 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates with his teammate Moritz Wagner #13 after scoring a basket and drawing a foul late in the game against the Michigan State Spartans during the semifinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2018 in New York City. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Michigan State Spartans 75-64. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TX – MARCH 3: Keenan Evans #12 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders brings the ball up court against Alex Robinson #25 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the game on March 3, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated TCU 79-75. Texas Tech defeated TCU 79-75. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX – MARCH 3: Keenan Evans #12 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders brings the ball up court against Alex Robinson #25 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the game on March 3, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated TCU 79-75. Texas Tech defeated TCU 79-75. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

4. A healthy Keenan Evans bolsters Texas Tech’s Final Four hopes

Texas Tech’s Keenan Evans appeared to return to form at the school’s senior night on Saturday, finishing with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field in a 79-75 win over TCU. The fourth year point guard has spent the last two weeks dealing with a nagging toe injury.

Although the Red Raiders fell short of a Big 12 regular season title — at least in part because of Evans’ bad injury luck — with him healthy, they’re now positioned to make a run in March.  Texas Tech already has one of the most impressive defenses in the country, a high pressure halfcourt scheme with plenty of athleticism and length that’s disruptive to opposing guards and wings. However, the team’s offense is a bit of a lame duck without a healthy Evans.

According to possession data from Hoop Lens, the Red Raiders are 12 points per 100 possessions worse offensively with Evans off the floor. With him on the court, they perform like a top 25 offense in the country.

With Evans out of the game, Texas Tech struggles to get to the foul line and convert efficiently at the rim. That’s no coincidence. Evans is one of the country’s elite slashers, capable of using his strength and quickness to get to the rim at will. He draws 6.8 fouls per 40 minutes, according to KenPom. That’s the 28th best mark in the country and given he shoots 84.0 percent from the foul line, getting there is a high value play for the Red Raiders’ offense.

His ability to attack the basket also generates high percentage looks. Compare Evans’ unassisted makes at the rim in the halfcourt — a good measure of individual slashing ability — to the country’s elite guards and top NBA prospects and it’s a no contest:

Source: Hoop-Math
Source: Hoop-Math /

The Red Raiders’ replacements for Evans simply can’t match his 2-point production. The senior shoots 57.1 percent inside the arc. Niem Stevenson, meanwhile, barely tops 40.0 percent and Davide Moretti has his just a third of his 2s as a freshman.

We’ve seen senior point guards like Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier will their teams to Final Fours in recent memory. Evans has a chance to do the same.