By many accounts, Texas Tech’s excursion to the Bahamas a week ago was a successful one. The Red Raiders, after dropping the opening game against eventual Battle 4 Atlantis champion Villanova, went on to stage a comeback win against Northern Iowa before dominating Michigan on the final match day Friday. Head coach Grant McCasland chatted with the media Tuesday to give his insight on what went right for Tech in paradise.

After falling behind by as much as 15 points in the second half against UNI, the Red Raiders proceeded to outscore the Panthers 29-12, with Pop Isaacs dropping a final-second floater to put the game away. From midway through the second half to through Friday’s contest against the Wolverines, Tech rolled in a dramatic shift from what was seen against Villanova.

“One, it felt like our defensive identity was simpler,” McCasland said. “We started to get a rotation to where we could switch screens but also when we were in coverage that we knew how we were closing out, who we were closing out to. You could just tell there was a different level of comfort in regards to the guys we’re playing with. I thought we were playing hard and that’s a big part of it, right? You play so many guys, sometimes the rotation can get out there and you don’t know when your minutes are coming. It felt like we got more solidified and that really helped us.

"Two, we took care of the basketball. You didn’t have those transition baskets you were giving up off turnovers that led to easy baskets and then you’re playing from behind. I thought our offense really helped our defense. I did feel like our rotation got simpler and it really helped our team.”

The rotation and minutes spread have been looked at intently as the season has wore on for the Red Raiders. As of Tuesday, McCasland said the player rotation is running in the “seven to eight range” but could eventually push it to as many as ten, if improvement continues as hoped. One player in particular who saw his minutes take a steep incline was guard Kerwin Walton. After only seeing the floor for 15 minutes in Tech’s first four games, Walton doubled his load in the Bahamas, playing 16 minutes in both games against UNI and Michigan.

“I think the biggest thing in Kerwin is he allows the floor to get more space,” McCasland said. “He’s got a real identity to how he plays the game. And really, the better he defends and the better he rebounds, the more he’s gonna play. So as we see growth in those areas, the more opportunities he’ll get.”

Through the first three games of the season, the Red Raiders lived in the paint, scoring more than 30 points in the key in each of those contests and as many as 38 against San Jose State. Tech seemed to have met its match against Villanova, being held to 14 against the Wildcats. Against UNI and Michigan however, the Red Raiders were able to get back to their ways, scoring 26 and 28 in the paint in those games, respectively. After struggling against Villanova, Tech was able to emphasize the paint more, reverting back to the identity they found success with early while uncovering other areas that could be vital down the line.

“Honestly the biggest thing is how do we minimize some of those early three-point shots that we don’t get paint touches first?” McCasland said. “How do we get an opportunity to get to the free throw line, get an inside-out shot as a part of what we’re doing? It feels like early in the game we’ve fired several threes before we’ve got paint touches. And I like our best shooters shooting shots if they’re open, so I don’t want that to be a second thought. But if they’re half contested, how do we get a better one…

"Let’s be honest, Villanova’s defense is really good. So how do you puncture the inside of that defense, we couldn’t. We didn’t do a great job and that was one me. I didn’t do a great job of that game plan and helping us have enough space to attack them. But also, give them credit man, Villanova is a tremendous defensive team. I think more space got added as we played different schemes and in the way we were defended. But I thought we spaced each other significantly better in those last two games.”