TULSA, Okla. — When Texas Tech’s players and coaches talk about playing “March basketball,” you first need to understand that they’ve been talking about…
TULSA, Okla. — When Texas Tech’s players and coaches talk about playing “March basketball,” you first need to understand that they’ve been talking about it since November. And mostly playing it since then, too.
And that it’s not only about the NCAA tournament, it’s more a hoops philosophy: defensive grit, offensive grind, and on both ends treating every possession as if it’s your very last. But on Sunday, we clearly saw its full devastating effect on an opponent’s hoop dreams — and how the Red Raiders are built to wreak havoc in the bracket.
In a 78-58 throttling of No. 6 Buffalo, Texas Tech turned an anticipated second-round matchup into a rout. And it wasn’t so much a meltdown by the Bulls as a complete lockdown by the Red Raiders.
“I do believe that’s what coach (Chris Beard) is talking about when he says ‘March basketball,’” Texas Tech senior forward Tariq Owens said. “In my opinion, that was one of our toughest games of the season, especially considering how they guarded us. Really tough team. Really good team.”
And what does that make Texas Tech, which will face No. 2 Michigan on Thursday in the Sweet 16?
“I feel like on any given night, we can do that to teams,” Owens said.
During an 11-minute stretch — or 19 consecutive possessions, if you’d like a different gauge — the Bulls went without a field goal and scored only three points. Texas Tech scored 26, turning a 25-24 deficit into a 50-28 lead.
Those numbers are startling enough without this: Buffalo averaged 85 points. One of the nation’s most potent offenses was stifled, managing its fewest points and field goals (19) of the season.
“It wasn’t one thing in particular,” Buffalo guard CJ Massinburg said. “Just a credit to overall defense.
