With the help of AutoStats tracking data, we're breaking down how the Red Raiders have bounced back this season with four transfers in the team's top five in minutes per game.
Some say he's a college basketball free agent. Some say this gives players more control over their careers. Others argue that this destroys the sanctity of what has made NCAA hoops great for so long.
Like it or not, the transfer portal appears to be here to stay, giving greater freedom of movement to players looking for opportunities to improve their career prospects.
More than 1,800 players entered the men's basketball transfer portal last year, according to reports. Some head coaches have embraced that and are building or replenishing their rosters through the portal. However, some people's teams have been destroyed because of this, and some people have chosen to withdraw.
After finishing 16-16 last year, one Big 12 team was able to have a great season under first-year coach Grant McCasland by using the transfer portal as a key resource. .
Texas Tech finished in the top five of teams in minutes played four times, won 23 games and finished third (11-7) in the nation's toughest conference (TRACR by). The Red Raiders, ranked 18th in the TRACR rankings, earned a 6th seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face 11th-seeded and ACC Tournament champion North Carolina State (22-14) in the South Division. Our supercomputer gave him a 63.9% chance of making it to the second round.
Four transfer players, Joe Toussaint (West Virginia), Darrion Williams (Nevada), Chance McMillian (Grand Canyon) and Warren Washington (Arizona State), were valuable March Madness players last season. Gained experience.
“That was our focus,” McCasland, who led North Texas to 31 wins in 2022-23, told The Associated Press.
McCasland hopes to get his starting center back in the lineup, as Washington has missed the past six games with a foot injury. This will be the 7-footer's fourth time playing, having previously played at Oregon State, Nevada State and Arizona State.
“I never imagined I would attend so many schools, but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and I am grateful for this opportunity,” Washington said. “I think it made me more prepared for any situation.”
Considered an everyday player, Washington leads the team in blocks (1.5 per game) and second in rebounds (7.4). He did it despite having 45.7% of his rebounds contested, according to AutoStats tracking data. This ranks in the 95th percentile and is an increase from last season, when he contested 32.6% of his 6.9 rebounds per game.
Williams, the team's other official, is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament opener despite suffering an ankle injury in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals against BYU. He did not play in the semifinal loss to Houston.
Williams is averaging 11.4 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds, and is shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range after shooting just 36.4 percent last season at Nevada. Part of the reason for that is because he has a higher percentage of his 3 shots off the dribble, and he seems to be more comfortable off the dribble.
In fact, 42.6% of his 3s tracked by AutoStats came off the dribble, compared to just 11.1% last season. And his shooting percentage is 56.5%, which is the highest among players with at least 20 attempts.
Texas Tech tries to use ball screens to create space for Williams. The Red Raiders are averaging 1.04 points per chance in ball screen situations with Williams (ranking in the 95th percentile). Individually, Williams ranks in his 96th percentile, scoring 0.339 points per screen.
Toussaint, another seasoned Raider on the road who played three seasons at Iowa and another at West Virginia in 2022-23, scored a career-high 12.1 points per game, a team-leading and career-best 4.3 points per game. He recorded assists and a team-high 1.4 steals.
Toussaint ranks second on the team in scoring, with 71.9% of his jumpers contested (84th percentile) and an average score of Defender Influence on Shots (a measure of defender strength) of 78.5 (94th percentile). Considering that, this is impressive.
Both values are higher than his rates in his only season at West Virginia, when 61.5% of his jumpers came on and his average Defensive Impact Score was 76.2.
Toussaint's dynamic playmaking ability is evidenced by his 17.6% pass completion rate leading to assist opportunities, which ranks him in the 80th percentile. They didn't have too much trouble finding McMillian, but he only made 43.0% of his jumpers (bottom 16% of all players).
McMillian's expected eFG% of 54.1% ranks in the top 7% nationally, and his average defender impact score of 72.3 ranks in the bottom 19%. Opponents' shooting success rate against him is only 25.0% from three, and he is also showing strength on the defensive side, which ranks in the top 6% of all defenders.
An influx of talent through the transfer portal led to a major turnaround for Lubbock.
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