Texas Tech is in their first Final Four where the Red Raiders defense will try to slow Michigan State and Jarrett Culver continues to boost his NBA Draft stock.
Texas Tech made history getting to their first Final Four and they’re not done yet.
At the beginning of the season, Texas Tech was predicted in the Big 12’s preseason poll to finish in seventh place. Rightfully so, as the Red Raiders had lost three of their top four scorers from last season, which finished in an Elite Eight appearance.
The Red Raiders have defied all expectations so far this year, fighting their way to a Big 12 regular season title courtesy of a 30-6 overall record. They’ve progressed to their first Final Four appearance, after taking one of the most difficult roads to the semifinal in recent memory, beating Michigan and Gonzaga.
This Texas Tech team is emerging from March Madness a tried and tested squad, picking up a close win against Gonzaga in their last outing ahead of a matchup against an incredibly tough team in the Spartans of Michigan State, who have already done what was thought next to impossible, in their 68-67 victory over the No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils on Sunday afternoon.
Player to watch: Jarrett Culver
Texas Tech’s game plan all starts with star wing and reigning Big 12 player of the year Jarrett Culver. Culver is the team’s leader in scoring, and looks to be a future NBA Draft lottery pick thanks to his high-level all-around ability on the court. He’s been a dominant leader for this team so far this season.
Culver can struggle from three at times but has a great ability to score in the midrange area and then at the rim. Culver isn’t the only one to watch for on the team, as he is backed up by a talented supporting cast that includes talented grad transfers in Matt Mooney and Tariq Owens, but he is definitely the man to watch for in this lineup. Averaging 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists, the Red Raiders offense largely goes as Culver does.
Other names to watch for include the three named above, as well as sharpshooting guard Davide Moretti, who averages 46 percent from behind the three-point line.
Strengths
This Texas Tech team has made its name based on their stellar defensive ability so far this season, and that hasn’t faltered much throughout this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps most impressive was their battle against an also defense-heavy Michigan side. The Red Raiders shut down the Wolverines, a team that works mostly out of well-planned out half-court sets, in impressive fashion. They followed that performance up with another great showing against a Gonzaga offense that prefers to work at a much faster pace.
No matter the team they are playing against, or their strategy, Texas Tech presents an incredibly tough matchup because of this multi-functional defensive ability. Texas Tech has forced turnovers on 23.1 percent of opposing offensivpossessionsns, and plays with an overall stingy defensive mindset. Their biggest strength comes in their ability to hamper other team’s biggest strengths.
Weaknesses
The biggest weakness for this Texas Tech team, then, must logically come on the other side of the ball. Not very well balanced on offense, they came into the tournament ranked as the No. 29 best offense according to the KenPom rankings. They’ve definitely improved over the last two months of the season, but have been largely carried by pure defensive ability and Culver’s heroics.
The Red Raiders offense has managed to improve its ranking to a top-10 setting in most circles, but is by far the worry of the team (logically, when compared to a stellar defense) heading into a matchup with a steady and balanced Michigan State team led by dynamic scorer Cassius Winston.
It’s going to fall largely on the shoulders of Culver to make up for any offensive struggles, and they’ll have to play step-for-step with this Spartan offense if they want to advance past Izzo’s talented squad.
Though the secondary offense is the biggest weakness by all accounts, if Culver’s mind for the game can get this Red Raiders offense functioning on a high level, they should be able to hang with any team left in the tournament.
Biggest key to victory vs. Michigan State
The biggest key to victory for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in their Final Four appearance will be to perform effectively at all or most offensive levels. They have a talented cast of talents, but most important to the level of functioning will be Culver’s playmaking ability.
Culver struggles from behind the arc, but his most important function heading into this game against the Spartans will be his role of distributor.
Without a doubt, top-tier head coach Tom Izzo will be game-planning for the offensive abilities of Culver, and he and the Red Raiders will need to find open shots for guards like Moretti and Mooney, who can really shoot from the wing.
In addition to their offense catching up with what could be the best defense left in the tournament, they’ll also need to clean up their game on the glass, as they currently have a rebound margin of just plus-1.4 per game. They’ll need to improve in that aspect on both sides in order to beat an incredibly well-rounded Spartan team.