If there is one thing that Tubby Smith teams’ hang their hat on, it’s defense.
But over the course of their three-game losing streak, it’s not been up to snuff.
According to coach Smith, one of the reasons they haven’t been able to stay close or even compete is because of that defense in late game situations.
“You have to get stops in clutch situations when you make comebacks, and we’ve dug ourselves in holes. You go back to the Iowa State game, we dug ourselves a hole of 18 or 20 points, and the same thing happened against Kansas,” Texas Tech head men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith said. “We cut it back after being down, so it’s a mentality, it’s a mindset.”
In each of the last four contests, the Red Raiders have allowed the opposing team to score above Tech’s own defensive scoring average, and when the Baylor Bears roll into town this Saturday, Tech may be tasked with their toughest defensive assignment yet.
Baylor ranks top ten nationally in assists and rebounding margin, which is a formula, just on paper, that would give any defense fits.
“They do a great job sharing the ball, but I think defensive wise for us, we’ll have to pressure the heck out of them, and force them to make mistakes,” Texas Tech sophomore guard Justin Gray said.
“You know a kid like Medford, you have one of the best passers and best setup guys and point guard, not just in the Big 12, but in the entire country,” Smith said. “So I think that we will have to change our defense up and extend our defense. It’s sort of like a defensive football team, where we have different looks to try and throw them off.”
Texas Tech now sits at (1-3) in conference play, so it’s not time to hit the panic button just yet. However, for a team that has hopes of earning an NCAA bid, coach Smith called Saturday’s game, “critical.”
For more, click on the video above to watch!