Texas Tech

Texas Tech's Jordan Tolbert vs Oklahoma's C.J. Washington/AP Images

Texas Tech snapped an 11 game losing streak to the Oklahoma Sooners Feb. 11 –an embarrassing loss for the Sooners but everything but a momentous win for the Red Raiders.  

By Melissa Bronson-Tramel

The Red Raiders are dead last in the Big 12 conference. They are not a viable contender in the NCAA tournament again this year, and a non-factor in the Big 12 championship unless they win their last 6 games, but who are we kidding the ball doesn’t look like it’s in their court, in fact, the ball has not been in their court this entire season, literally.

Rolling steady at the most turnovers in the conference with 407, this puts them almost at 150 turnovers ahead of the  No. 1 team in the conference, the Missouri Tigers. 

A young team makes young mistakes, hardly, Jordan Tolbert is a freshman and the teams consistent go-to big man.  Tolbert averages 11.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG but he needs help from senior Robert Lewandowski who averages two minutes more play time than Tolbert but four less points than him. Not a significant factor when then team has lost 68 percent of their games this season by double figures. 

So what will it take for this young team to pick up the pace and make themselves a contender in the Big 12? First, finishing off the season with dignity, there are six games left, five of which against teams that have throttled them, defensively and offensively.  It is Billy Gillispie’s first season with the team and their less than perfect record of 8-16, shows there is a lot of work to be done. I take it as Gillispie getting acquainted with his team, and the team getting acquainted with him.

Gillispie previously worked as Kentucky’s coach but was dismissed from the school in 2009 when the team did not make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years. 

Gillispie took a 2 year hiatus. In those two years he was arrested and charged with his 3rd DUI, in a decade, he lost millions of dollars in the Ponzi scheme, and his mother and best friend died the same year.

Offered a second, third, and fourth chance, Gillispie was hired March, 20, 2011 to help resurrect Texas Tech’s basketball program after the team’s previous coach Pat Knight was fired. Gillispie is the basketball programs 14th head coach bound into a 5 year contract. 

His enthusiasm and agility may be nice characteristics to have, but fans, students, and program directors want to see a team that is a contender for the National title. 

Until then, Gillispe has until 2016 to whip the team into shape, otherwise Texas Tech may be looking for their 15th head coach.

Unlikely Competitors

Devoe Joseph (right)/AP Images

The Oregon Ducks have a chance to win the Pac 12.

By Kristina Callahan

A few weeks ago, Oregon looked like they could be in line to win the Pac 12 Conference Championship. After suffering losses to Oregon State and Colorado, the Ducks are sitting at 7-4 in the league behind Washington, California, and Colorado. Only two games behind leader Washington, Oregon will try and gain a game on the Huskies this Thursday. If the Ducks can pull out a win, Washington, California, Colorado, and Oregon will all be in a first place tie. After Thursday’s game Oregon will face both Colorado and Oregon State again and try to avenge the loss earlier in the season.

The Ducks have been playing without top Pac 12 freshman Jabari Brown who quit two games into the season and is now suiting up for Missouri. Although without Brown, Oregon is trying to get two key transfer big men, Tony Wood (from Wake Forest) and Olu Ashaolu (from Louisiana Tech) repetitions. Another transfer from Minnesota, Devoe Joseph, has meshed into the lineup. He is averaging 14.9 points a game.

"Devoe needed a change of scenery,'' Head coach Dana Altman said. "He's older. He's more mature. And any time a player has to sit and watch for a semester it makes a player see how important basketball is to him.''

Veterans E.J. Singler and Garrett Sim are contributing double figures this season.

With the race for first place ongoing, the conference title is still up for grabs. The combination of veterans and transfers, gives the Oregon Ducks a chance to make a run.