Takeaways: Tech will need playmakers to step up in Morgantown

-It feels like it's been ages since Texas Tech and West Virginia last played in Lubbock in early January, and both teams have now fully experienced the rigors of Big 12 play. As for the trip to Morgantown this weekend, Coach Beard knows his entire team will have to handle the ball well against the WVU press just as they in the win at home:

"I think every player on your team is important when you try to break West Virginia's press. It's impossible to do it with just one lead guard, because they'll pressure the primary ball handler. We'll need different guys to step up and help us with our ball handling, passing, releasing, and ultimately dribbling it up the court."

-Coach Beard's thoughts on West Virginia's brutal, overtime loss at Kansas earlier this week:

"They played great, played well enough to win the game for sure. They just missed some free throws down the stretch, had a couple of untimely turnovers, but in 45 minutes of play, they outlplayed Kansas in at least 38 of them."

-This Tech team has seemingly turned a corner ever since its home blowout loss to Oklahoma State a few weeks ago. Coach Beard on what he's seen different from his team since that game:

"I think we're a better defensive rebounding team. We've been working on that in practice. The guys have embraced that. Our guards are doing a better job of rebounding. We've been doing a pretty good ball handling team all year, just been a little inconsistent. I think our last few road games we've taken care of the ball for the most part. Then we've just had some individual players step up, Niem being at the top of that list. That's what it's about this time of year. It's a player's game."

-And in this league, with the margins for error being so tight, Coach Beard believes contests come down to one thing:

"When you think about the Big 12, it doesn't come down to who loses the game. It comes down to who makes the winning plays. I think I said the other day in our game against Kansas that one of the plays that was key late in the game was that Niem had a great drive to the basket, and Graham, their shooting guard, comes all the way from across the floor to block the shot above the rim. It wasn't necessarily what Niem did bad. It was what the player, Graham, made. That's true. You have to make plays this time of year. We're not going to be succssful at West Virginia unless we make plays. That's what late February and March is in college basketball."

-Junior guard Niem Stevenson has really turned it on over the last week, scoring 20 plus points against both Kansas and Baylor while getting rebounds, dishing assists, and rarely turning the ball over. Coach Beard was asked if he's changed his message to Stevenson now that he's having success after really pushing the JUCO transfer so far this season. He said he hasn't, and that he had one message for the junior:

"I said, 'Niem, there's two ways to look at it. I'm sure your phone is blowing up because you're having a little bit of individual success. But at the end of the day, you're 5-8 just like I'm 5-8. I didn't come to Texas Tech to be 5-8. I didn't bring you in here as the first recruit to be 5-8. Niem has played better, but until we start winning back to back games and get ourselves in contention, I think the message for Niem is the same for every other player. We've got a lot of work to do."

-Tech had their best offensive half of the season against Baylor, scoring 52 on the Bears on Monday night after halftime in the huge win. The Red Raiders were extremely aggressive, got to the free throw line, and hit some big shots in the contest. So, I asked Coach Beard how it is that you get the team to replicate that half of offensive basketball moving forward:

"Just continue to be aggressive. I think victory favors the team that's more aggressive, and it's so true in our league. I think we've got to continue to try to find that balance as we try to get to the free throw line but also taking and making big shots, no matter when they come in the shot clock. We have some good shooters on this year's team, but when we fall in love with the jump shot, it's very difficult to win in this league, so for us it's just continuing to find that balance."