Texas Tech looking for third straight win while Shannon remains off court due to NBA draft compliance
Two games. Two wins.
The Texas Tech men's basketball team has shown its depth early in the season following a pair of victories over North Florida and Grambling State.
And while starting the season 2-0 is a nice statistic to show for their hard work, the Red Raiders know they've done it without one of their best players on the court.
Terrence Shannon, Jr., who elected to go through the NBA Draft process in the summer before choosing to return to Lubbock, will be withheld from competition "out of an abundance of caution," as the compliance department works to ensure all NCAA rules were followed during the draft process.
Shannon is not expected to return to the court until the process is completed, which will likely increase to three games missed if he does not suit out for a 7 p.m. Monday contest against Prairie View A&M at United Supermarkets Arena.
"Experience is the best teacher we have," Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said following an 88-62 win over Grambling State last Friday. "And we'll learn from this game and get a little better the next one."
Indeed.
The Red Raiders struggled to make shots against the 2-3 and 3-2 zones Grambling State ran last Friday night. It's been a problem for the last several years as Texas Tech has been unable to make shots against zone defenses.
Adams feels it's a product of a team filled with new faces and still trying to figure out its identity on offense and defense.
"The biggest issue with that is we just aren't working as much on zones (defenses) right now," Adams said. "So early in the season, in November, it's smart teams that zone and pressure that are probably going to have a little more success with it. ... We're still trying to find ourselves, working on offense and defense."
But the current Red Raiders seem built to break out of that trend, and they did that against Grambling State.
"You know what I told them? 'Quit shooting 3s.' That's what we said at halftime," Adams quipped when asked of the halftime adjustments against the Tigers last Friday.
Joking aside, Adams admitted his squad is making strides when it comes to playing against different defensive schemes — including zone.
"Typically, a 2-3 zone is not a great defense but you have to be patient against and you don't want to turn the ball over," Adams said. "And we still struggle with that, with our patience. If we could just get the ball side to side, then attack the middle — things seem to work well for us."
That's all thanks to a solid post play, led by Bryson Williams and Kevin Obanor who combined for 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win over GSU. Marcus Santos-Silva has also contributed off the bench.
Williams, who started his Texas Tech career with a 22-point, seven-rebound outing in an 89-74 season-opening triumph over North Florida, continued his stellar play against the Tigers.
The 6-foot-8 forward did most of his work around the basket, nabbing four offensive rebounds and either earning a well-deserved putback or kicking it back out for second-chance opportunities on the way to finishing with 16 points and nine boards.
"A lot of times guys will have a great game and have a little bit of slippage and feel comfortable," Adams said. "But Bryson has put two great games together and he's just been solid. ... We're going to have to try and figure out more ways to run some sets and plays to get the ball inside."
He got help from Obanor, who chipped in nine points and two rebounds, while Kevin McCullar stepped in and played aggressive near the top of the paint as he netted 24 points and nine rebounds — four offensive.
"Shots weren't falling early for us, so we just have to keep playing," McCullar said last Friday."Like coach (Mark Adams) always says, 'Shots are gonna fall, some aren't going to fall. You just have to make it up on the defensive end.
"He told us to stay on the offensive glass and try to win the rebound count there and get paint touches and play through the paint since we were the bigger team than them."
Now, the Red Raiders get another chance to learn Monday night.
Back in charge
Davion Warren is finding a way to catch the eye of his head coach in his first two games.
The 6-6, 205-pound guard drew four charges against Grambling State to end defensive possessions, while netting several in the season opener against North Florida. This is on top of averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
"How about that," Adams said, cracking a smile, when he was told of Warren taking charges. "I'm about ready to adopt him. I love the kid — a guy that takes that many charges.
"It's kinda like the Marines, we're looking for a few good men on defense. We need to find four or five guys that we can stick out there and trust. And we're still looking for those."
TEXAS TECH VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: United Supermarkets Arena
Records: Texas Tech 2-0, Prairie View A&M 0-3
Online stream: ESPN+
Radio: FM 97.3
Follow Along: Follow @byStephenGarcia on Twitter for live game updates, with post-game recap and interviews to follow at www.lubbock.com.
Notable: Texas Tech has started a season with two straight wins for the seventh straight year
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech looking for third straight win against Prairie View A&M
