Immediately after his Texas Tech basketball team's 29-point victory over No. 6 Kansas, Grant McCasland knew he had to quickly put that victory in the rearview mirror.
“In the wins column, it only counts once,” McCasland said Monday. “It doesn't matter what the score is, you have a chance to play against someone, so you better be ready.”
That mindset could serve McCasland well given his next opponent and the low likelihood he'll be on the floor for the Red Raiders.
Before the team travels to Ames to play No. 10 Iowa State, McCasland said Friday that starting center Warren Washington is considered a game-time decision and his availability is unknown. He said no.
Washington missed the game against Baylor due to illness, but suffered a foot injury in the win over Kansas. He returned to the floor for a while before spending the rest of the match sitting in a crushing defeat. McCasland added that the program is taking a cautious approach to Washington because of his importance to the team, especially late this season.
It would be painful to miss a key element of an offensive operation. Iowa State (19-5, 8-3) makes its living on defense, holding opponents to 62 points per game in league play. The Cyclones have their own offensive struggles, but much of their success comes from suffocating opponents and forcing turnovers. They rank him third in the country with 18.1 points per game.
“It mirrors Houston in a lot of ways, especially at home,” McCasland said. “Their size, their athleticism at that size and the way they recover. Even when you think they have an angle, they build a wall and force you to score through their bodies above the rim. That's something that defenses can't deal with. It has to be done.”
For heaters:Darrion Williams' historic night, a look at Texas Tech basketball's victory
In the team's last two wins over UCF and Kansas, Texas Tech has outscored its defense and bigs behind Washington and Darrion Williams (who is a historic 12-of-12 from the floor) and won the game. I got it. . If Washington is unable to go, the Red Raider guard, where he spends most of the year, will have to shoulder the burden.
“The truth is, the way we play and the way our team needs to play, everyone has to be an offensive scorer,” McCasland said. “But the question really comes down to how do we stay aggressive and trust each other to make everyone make the right play? That's where our guards transfer it to the open guy and make sure that “They've done a great job of making sure they're available to everyone,” and leveraging everyone.
“The more we think we can move, the faster and better we can keep Iowa State in the rotation and score from there. But our guards can handle the pressure. That was definitely enough to score the goal.'' Great decision early on. ”
Trends to watch
Texas Tech has struggled in the rebounding department this year, but the Red Raiders have won the battle on the boards in their last two games against UCF and Kansas. Also, the Cyclones are actually worse in this department. Texas Tech ranks him 11th in rebound margin in the Big 12 (minus-2.9) and Iowa State ranks him 12th in rebounding margin (minus-3.2).
Pop Isaacs has struggled from the field over the past four games (22.6% overall, 25% in three games), but he has made an impact with his ball movement. He has at least five assists in each of the last three games, with a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio during that time.
Chance McMillian tends to play in big road games. The Texas Tech sharpshooter has made 16 of 29 3-pointers on the road in the Big 12, compared to just 5 of 25 at home in league play.
more:Texas Tech basketball defeats No. 6 Kansas by 29 points, winning by three points.
Through Tuesday's games, the average margin of victory for all 76 Big 12 conference games was 9.89 points. A total of 61.8% of conference games have been decided by single digits, including four of Iowa State's last five games. Texas Tech's 29-point victory over Kansas was the team's fourth game (and third win) decided by nine points or more.
Another similarity between the Cyclones and Red Raiders is that both have far exceeded preseason expectations. Iowa State, tied for first in the Big 12, was picked seventh in the preseason coaches poll. Texas Tech, currently tied for third place in the league, was also selected.
Key statistics
If the team can take care of the ball, they can have success from beyond the 3-point line against the Cyclones. In league play, Iowa State's opponents have made 33.9% of their threes, which ranks 11th out of 14 teams. Texas Tech, on the other hand, is his best 3-point shooting team in Big 12 play, making 40% of his attempts.
Score prediction: Iowa State 67, Texas Tech 60
Conclusion: No one has found a way to win at Hilton Coliseum this season, and given Iowa State's commitment to fudging things with a stingy defense, it seems unlikely anyone will get it done this year. .
big 12 men's basketball
Texas Tech University, 10th place Iowa State University
when: Saturday, 11am
where: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
tv set: ESPN+
record: Texas Tech 18-6, 7-4; Iowa State 19-5, 8-3
Noteworthy points: Iowa State has won the last two games at home against Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders have won eight of 11 games since the 2018-19 season.
big 12 standings
All team meeting
Iowa State 21-3 8-3
Houston 19-5 8-3
Baylor 18-6 7-4
Texas Tech 18-6 7-4
Kansas 19-6 7-5
BYU 18-6 6-5
TCU 17-7 6-5
Oklahoma 18-7 6-6
Texas 16-8 5-6
Kansas State University 15-9 5-6
Cincinnati 15-9 4-7
UCF 13-10 4-7
West Virginia 8-16 3-8
Oklahoma State University 10-14 2-9
