Mark Adams takes the blame, looking to get Texas Tech Red Raiders out of eight-game funk at LSU

[ad_1]

Texas Tech coach Mark Adams talks about playing LSU in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge

Texas Tech coach Mark Adams talks about playing LSU in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Texas Tech Athletics, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Mark Adams was candid Wednesday night.

In a game his team was favored to win, the Texas Tech men’s basketball coach was quick to reveal who was to blame after a 76-61 home loss to West Virginia.

“It’s up to me as the head coach, I have to get these guys to play better,” Adams said after the game, which dropped Texas Tech to 10-10 overall and 0-8 in the game. of the Big 12 Conference. “We have a bunch of good kids and they’re trying hard. It’s all up to the head coach, and (I) certainly take that responsibility. I don’t want us to take it on those kids.

“They try hard, they are good kids and they want to win.”

With the loss, the Red Raiders fell to sole possession of the bottom spot in the Big 12. That’s a year after Texas Tech moved to the Sweet 16 and finished with a 27-10 mark matching their total of losses with 11 games left in the regular. season.

The first of those being against LSU (12-8), a program looking to snap a seven-game losing streak when the two teams face off at 1 p.m. Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

So what’s wrong?

Adams had a chance to answer a few questions and leaked some information on Wednesday night.

Why not go from midfield-less side defense to a 2-3 zone when the Mountaineers were going for a season-high 35 three-pointers making 10, the fourth time WVU scored double-digit treys this season .

If you look at the stat sheet, it’s one of the best defensive plays, Adams said when asked to switch defenses. They shot 37% from the field for the game. If you can keep anyone under 40%, you should win every game.

For the first four minutes, things worked out as the Mountaineers shot 0 for 6 from the field. But that improved when a new lineup replaced after the starters trailed 10-2 and turned the ball over five times at 14:57 of the first half.

“They did a great job, they did a great job playing on the perimeter,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “So we had shots and we took them. It’s not really, normally, the way we would play.”

During the conference’s eight-game losing streak, the Red Raiders held four teams Oklahoma (37%), Iowa State (37%), Kansas State (32%) and West Virginia (39%) within 40 % shots from the field.

Huggins, a longtime friend of Adams, shared those struggles over the past two seasons. The Hall of Famer gave insight into why difficulties can arise, going so far as to say the transfer portal can be a savior and a detriment to a program when asked to snap a 12-game losing streak straight in conference road games.

We were actually lucky to have a few more, we just gave it away, Huggins said, referring to several Big 12 losses. Hopefully we learn. This portal and transfer thing and all the time it takes to get the guys together. I think they were starting to get along a little better.

I think it’s taking longer than obviously we anticipated and longer than most people anticipate.

Last season, the Red Raiders thrived with the portal additions of Bryson Williams, Adonis Arms and Davion Warren. Williams became a leader by example and a go-to scorer in the position, while Arms and Warren provided solid defense on the perimeter with their size and speed.

This year the coaching staff opted to get shooters and missed out on several players who could have boasted the same length and athleticism needed to improve the side defense without a midfielder with more deflections and load in something that was missing during 20 matches.

But, the biggest area of ​​concern was the effort during a crucial point in the Wednesday night contest.

A prime example followed a 3-point miss by Stevenson, which was rebounded by Seth Wilson one of 19 offensive rebounds of the night for the Mountaineers who dived into his own bench as Jaylon Tyson watched it all happen. Stevenson got the ball back and hit the triple to put WVU up 52-47.

Of course, having a full assortment of players helps. Fardaws Aimaq missed the majority of the season with a foot injury, Daniel Batcho missed stretches through illness or various injuries and Pop Isaacs suffered a concussion and twisted his ankle on Wednesday evening.

Aimaq was to be the centerpiece of an offense led by assistant Steve Green, who was to bring his offense inspired by the Golden State Warriors he led while at South Plains College. The posts were receiving the ball and either looking to score or send it back to a host of shooters who were supposed to be open.

To say that this did not materialize would be an understatement.

But, at some point, the responsibility has to come from the coaching staff who brought the players together on the pitch.

If there’s a silver lining, Adams and company watched Elijah Fishers develop defensively as he clocked 15 minutes his first significant time on the court since he recorded 13 in the state of Iowa on January 10.

The young talent has a chance to shine, with Fisher making the most of his opportunity. Will Robert Jennings and Lamar Washington do the same, or can DMaurian Williams and Kerwin Walton find their shooting form to save time in the field?

That remains to be seen, but the only fact is something isn’t an excuse or not.

“It’s true, but we have a whole list of excuses if we want to go there,” Adams said Wednesday when asked if the 44-27 rebound deficit could be attributed to Aimaq’s lack of on field. “But right now we have to play the cards that have been dealt to us and we have Pop right now and Daws. We just have to play better as a team.”

And that’s all down to Adams and his coaching staff.

TEXAS TECH AT LSU

What: Big 12 second challenge

When: 1 p.m.

Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Records: Texas Tech 10-10, LSU 12-8

Television: ESPNU

Radio: FM 97.3

Fast fact(s): Texas Tech has lost eight in a row and LSU has lost seven. The Red Raiders are likely to be below .500 for the first time since Tubby Smiths’ second season when TTU fell to 12 -13 overall and 2-10 in the Big 12 game after a 71-53 loss to the then No. 1. 8 Kansas on February 10, 2015.

[ad_2]