Texas Tech University Athletics
McCasland previews BYU matchup
January 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball
5 p.m., Saturday | TV: ESPN2 | Lubbock, Texas
LUBBOCK, Texas – Life in the Big 12 moves quickly, taking you from one fight to the next with little time between. Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland has been through it before and on Friday afternoon talked about the latest challenge for his No. 25-ranked Red Raiders who played at No. 5 Houston on Wednesday and is now set to host No. 20 BYU at 5 p.m. on Saturday. McCasland and his team landed at Lubbock Aero a little past 1 a.m. on Thursday and went directly to the Womble Practice Facility where they took a cold plunge to help with soreness. After a little sleep, they returned and watched film – breaking down the loss at UH and beginning prep working on the next group of Cougars they'll play.
On Friday, Tech watched more film in the morning and then practiced from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on the USA court. McCasland walked directly from the court to the press conference dais, answering questions from local media members in advance of the 11th home game of the season. A Top-25 matchup on their home court, the second of four straight ranked opponents on the schedule.
"It's a great opportunity for our team to get back on the floor and play," said McCasland, who has started 10-0 at home as the Red Raider head coach. "We had a tough environment and an absolutely tough, grinder-type game against an experienced team in Houston. It's a game that we have grown from. Learned from. We are really excited about our game against BYU. They are one of the best offensive teams and a great offensive team. They are just a great basketball team. They are tough to defend and they cause a lot of problems because they play differently than teams we have faced. They are skilled at all positions and can stretch the floor. They share the ball well and put you on your heels. They are great defensively. Life in the Big12. Another tough game. We are excited to be back at the USA and are looking forward to the opportunity."
On lessons the team takes from the loss at Houston:
"You're always going to have to be learning. You can't be stagnant. You have to be moving forward and be competitive in the way you're doing everything. You can't walk through anything. We got after it today in practice. I loved our guy's approach. They love being out there. Yesterday we watched film and talked about what we wanted to do and then today our guys competed. That's the mentality you have to have. It's not talking, it's doing it. That's what I love about this team. They are responding well and are ready to play."
On what will make BYU a tough matchup on Saturday:
"They are averaging almost 13 3-pointers a game. That's wild. It's a unique perspective. They shoot them off early ball screens, early handoffs. They're an aggressive team. There cannot be a time in the game when you're looking at your guy and think that they're not a threat. Everyone is a threat."
On how he wants to see his team play against BYU:
"You have to stay aggressive but share the ball. When we are at our best, we are being aggressive. We are putting people on their heels. It's finding ways of attacking, but still sharing the ball. Creating opportunities and making the easy play for a teammate."
On BYU's Jaxson Robinson who is averaging a team-high 14.3 ppg. for a team scoring 85.7 ppg. through 17 games:
"Yeah, you want to talk about a scorer. He's got scorer all over him. Every time he catches the ball he's looking to put pressure on the rim. Anytime you're guarding him, you've got to know he's capable of putting you on your heels and scoring a basket. You need attentiveness from everybody because of the way they move. You better be ready to guard everybody on the floor. Knowing personnel will be a big deal."
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 20 BYU Cougars (14-3, 2-2) at No. 25 Texas Tech (14-3, 3-1)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 5:05 p.m., Saturday, January 20, 2024
TV: ESPN2
TV CALL: Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
RADIO (Texas Tech Sports Network): 97.3 Double T FM
RADIO CALL: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Tickets are available for the game and can be purchased at this link.
On Friday, Tech watched more film in the morning and then practiced from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on the USA court. McCasland walked directly from the court to the press conference dais, answering questions from local media members in advance of the 11th home game of the season. A Top-25 matchup on their home court, the second of four straight ranked opponents on the schedule.
"It's a great opportunity for our team to get back on the floor and play," said McCasland, who has started 10-0 at home as the Red Raider head coach. "We had a tough environment and an absolutely tough, grinder-type game against an experienced team in Houston. It's a game that we have grown from. Learned from. We are really excited about our game against BYU. They are one of the best offensive teams and a great offensive team. They are just a great basketball team. They are tough to defend and they cause a lot of problems because they play differently than teams we have faced. They are skilled at all positions and can stretch the floor. They share the ball well and put you on your heels. They are great defensively. Life in the Big12. Another tough game. We are excited to be back at the USA and are looking forward to the opportunity."
On lessons the team takes from the loss at Houston:
"You're always going to have to be learning. You can't be stagnant. You have to be moving forward and be competitive in the way you're doing everything. You can't walk through anything. We got after it today in practice. I loved our guy's approach. They love being out there. Yesterday we watched film and talked about what we wanted to do and then today our guys competed. That's the mentality you have to have. It's not talking, it's doing it. That's what I love about this team. They are responding well and are ready to play."
On what will make BYU a tough matchup on Saturday:
"They are averaging almost 13 3-pointers a game. That's wild. It's a unique perspective. They shoot them off early ball screens, early handoffs. They're an aggressive team. There cannot be a time in the game when you're looking at your guy and think that they're not a threat. Everyone is a threat."
On how he wants to see his team play against BYU:
"You have to stay aggressive but share the ball. When we are at our best, we are being aggressive. We are putting people on their heels. It's finding ways of attacking, but still sharing the ball. Creating opportunities and making the easy play for a teammate."
On BYU's Jaxson Robinson who is averaging a team-high 14.3 ppg. for a team scoring 85.7 ppg. through 17 games:
"Yeah, you want to talk about a scorer. He's got scorer all over him. Every time he catches the ball he's looking to put pressure on the rim. Anytime you're guarding him, you've got to know he's capable of putting you on your heels and scoring a basket. You need attentiveness from everybody because of the way they move. You better be ready to guard everybody on the floor. Knowing personnel will be a big deal."
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 20 BYU Cougars (14-3, 2-2) at No. 25 Texas Tech (14-3, 3-1)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 5:05 p.m., Saturday, January 20, 2024
TV: ESPN2
TV CALL: Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
RADIO (Texas Tech Sports Network): 97.3 Double T FM
RADIO CALL: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Tickets are available for the game and can be purchased at this link.
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