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LUBBOCK, Texas — A lot of things had to go right for No. 25 Texas Tech to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 20 BYU 85-78. Former Wasatch Academy star Pop Isaacs scored a game-high 23 points. 32 points in the second half.
Isaacs' big number was his 22 points off 12 turnovers, which combined with BYU's 3-of-19 3-point shooting in the second half, none of which were at odds with the others, but the Red Raiders. The Tigers (15-3, 4-1 Big 12) bounced back to win after suffering their first loss in conference play against No. 5 Houston on Wednesday.
“I thought they did an unbelievable job with that energy, especially pushing the ball in transition,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “We helped them a little bit. We had some early turnovers that led to transition, but the first six minutes of the second half were unusually bad transition management. Then Pop started and made some great plays.” “I thought our players were really resilient and kept fighting. We still weren't good enough to stem the tide.”
A road loss to a top-25 opponent ranked 31st in KenPom's predictive metrics is not a detrimental loss for the Cougars. The Cougars are one of nine Big 12 teams ranked in KenPom's Top 35 and No. 10, and No. 5 in NET Rating.
BYU has a chance to make up for such a loss virtually every night in conference play, and even perennial power Kansas has faltered in league play (Morgantown on Saturday, which gave West Virginia its first Big 12 win). twice, including a 91-85 loss in .
But Pope's team was able to make up for such a loss with a rotation of seven players, or a total of eight players, in front of an announced crowd of 15,098 at United Supermarket Arena on Saturday afternoon. Can you do it?
Ali Khalifa scored a season-high 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, clearly feeling like a mismatch. Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said the Raiders “gave up two points and gave up three” during the comeback. Darrin Hall had 12 points and six assists. The Cougars made 4 of 8 3-point shots.
The Red Raiders jumped on the Cougars early and turned turnovers into transition opportunities in the first six minutes of the second half as BYU struggled to respond to pressure.
“They adapted well,” BYU guard Richie Sanders said. “There are a lot of things we can do better under that pressure and we will.”
But BYU's problems began just before opening day, when Noah Waterman was ruled out “for health reasons.” Sanders filled in for Waterman and totaled 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, four rebounds, one assist and one steal, bringing the same energy for 33 minutes as the 18 players normally off the bench.
“I thought Richie was a great player. It was a health decision during the game and he didn't have a lot of time to prepare,” Pope said. “But Richie responded really, really well. He's pretty fearless and physical and is suited for a match like this. I thought he had an outstanding performance.”
His greatest skill is his responsiveness, and Mr. Sanders has learned to be available whenever his number is called. However, the same cannot be said for the majority of his roster.
Spencer Johnson is the only player to start every game for BYU (14-4, 2-3 Big 12) this season, and only three players have played in every game: Johnson, Hall and Sanders.
Husseini Traore (hamstring) and Trevin Nel (foot) are both returning from injuries, while Dawson Baker underwent surgery to repair a foot problem that followed the UC Irvine scoring wing. It has been decided that he will be absent from the season due to the injury.
Marcus Adams Jr. was waiting for a waiver to play from the NCAA. However, despite a court temporarily halting the organization's “one-year residency” policy, the four-star freshman has been sidelined due to other health concerns, and his status for the remainder of the season is Not decided yet.
A total of six BYU players missed the game with injuries.
BYU medical staff including former NBA strength and conditioning coach Michael Davey and Rob Ramos, who has more than 20 years of experience at BYU and is one of the longest-tenured athletic trainers on campus in any sport. This is a testing season for our staff.
Injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation are not always within the control of sports medicine staff. But BYU's recent struggles in the region are magnified in what most consider to be America's best college basketball conference.
“We're actually going to have to work harder than we are right now in terms of being healthy. That's actually a really important part of playing at this level and being consistent on the floor with some teams. It's about continuity,” Pope told BYU Radio after the game. “That's going to be very important to us.”
BYU had to cancel its annual blue-white scrimmage on Oct. 25 because it was without two full members due to injuries. Three months later, the Cougars face a similar challenge with 13 games remaining — including Tuesday night's home tilt against No. 5 Houston (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
“We have an elite-level performance team,” Pope said. “We have to find ways to do this better. We don't have to think about it all the time, but it's going to be important for us moving forward.”
