There are a lot of reasons Texas Tech basketball fans should be excited for the 2020-2021 season, but maybe none more than the team’s depth.
Full Roster on Display in 1st Half
Fifth-year coach Chris Beard took advantage of the team’s abundance of talent early on, making 33 subs in the first half. Texas Tech had 39 first-half possessions.
With two of the 14 roster players unavailable due to perceived injuries, sophomore Kevin McCullar out wearing a left boot and crutches, and freshman Vlad Goldin with a brace on his left wrist, every one of the twelve available players saw action in the first half, alone.
In fact, it all happened in the first 13:14 of the game when Chibuzo Agbo and Avery Benson became the final two players to touch the court for the first time.
Of the 12 players that received playing time in the first half, nine recorded a point, led by McClung’s 12. Additionally, 11 of the 12 players recorded either a point and/or a rebound in the first 20 minutes.
Nine of the 12 players recorded a positive plus/minus in the first half with no player having one lower than -2.
Everybody Getting in on the Action
As Clarence Nadolny sunk the back end of a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left to give Tech their 101st, and final, point of the game, he also became the 12th scorer on the night for the Red Raiders.
In the game, every Red Raider saw at least eight minutes worth of game time, while 11 of the 12 played double-digit minutes.
For Comparison
Tech recorded 31 bench points on the night, which accounted for 31% of the team’s total scoring. A season ago, less than 23% of the team’s total points came from the bench.
Last season’s team consisted of 11 players who saw game action. Tech used twelve in the season opener this season.
That number may have been 14 had McCullar, who started six games last season, and Goldin been healthy.
Beard jokingly said in a pre-season press conference that he may use all 14 players in the rotation this season, but maybe the real joke is on the opposing coaches who will have to plan for the ever-changing Texas Tech lineup.
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