No. 18 Texas Tech is back in the win column following a victory over No. 15 Iowa State. The Red Raiders outlasted the Cyclones, 72-60.
Here's what Mark Adams, Bryson Williams and Kevin Obanor had to say following the win on Tuesday night.
Tuesday Takeaways
... Williams said his teammate Obanor was just out there doing what he does. He said the Oral Roberts transfer has always been a productive player. He said they always believe in him and knew he was capable to fill up points in a hurry.
... Obanor said none of his threes fell so as a shooter it's a bit disappointing, but he knew he had to find another way to contribute. He said rebounding and defending on top of doing the little things helped him feel better about his night against the Cyclones.
... Adams said it was a lot more comfortable to coach in the rematch with players on the bench unlike the first outing when Texas Tech had seven healthy players. He mentioned his guys were fresh and played one of their best defensive games all year. They talked before the game about how tough the ranked matchup was going to be.
... The guys responded well, but struggled early boxing out and limiting Iowa State's rebounds in the first half. He tipped his hat to Obanor for his efforts. He thought they were a little careless in the first 20 minutes. The second half they responded well to coaching and made those positive adjustments.
... Williams has been a consistent scorer for them, Adams said. He helped them move up and reach their potential on the offensive end, he added. Terrence Shannon Jr. is working hard to get better, but is in a rut. Adams said Shannon hasn't played in a long time and thinks he's putting too much pressure on himself at times. He liked his defensive efforts but they're still waiting to get him back to his top form.
"I have all kinds of confidence in TJ," Adams said. "We've all seen him the last two years. He's just an explosive player, unbelievable athlete. He's just doing the best he can right now, but he's going to get his timing down and he's going to get his confidence. It's going to take awhile. You think of a guy that was not with us a lot in the summer and has had some issues her late and earlier in the year with his eligibility so he's had a tough road. I'm really proud of him coming back. He has a great attitude and the most important thing is he wants to get better and he's his worse critic."
... The students are back in town and the United Supermarkets Arena was alive on Tuesday. Adams said it's a boost to his players to play in a packed house and they felt it.
"Our student body - it was just amazing. It makes my job easier when those guys come out and look around and see a packed house. This is an amazing arena to play in. Our guys just loved it and they responded to the crowd. And I just can't say enough about how much I appreciate the support we're getting from Red Raider nation."
... The Red Raiders try to make every team uncomfortable, but Iowa State's constant moving offense was a focus to slow down. Adams said they were able to do that pretty well in the earlier loss in Ames so he kept the same gameplan this round with a full team.
... KJ Allen is out with an illness. It's a non-COVID sickness. Adams expects him back in practice on Thursday.
