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Texas Tech Basketball: Analyzing the Red Raiders’ 2018-19 rotation

By Tristan Freeman

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Josh Webster #3 and Brandone Francis #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrate defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 78-65 in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: Josh Webster #3 and Brandone Francis #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrate defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 78-65 in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 17: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dribbles the ball while being guarded by KeVaughn Allen #5 of the Florida Gators in the second half during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center on March 17, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – MARCH 17: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dribbles the ball while being guarded by KeVaughn Allen #5 of the Florida Gators in the second half during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center on March 17, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Small Forward

Minutes Allocated (40 total): Jarrett Culver (20), Deshawn Corprew (10), Brandone Francis (6) and Khavon Moore (4)

A number of players on the roster can play the “small forward” position but the favorite to start will be Culver, who at the end of the day could be the MVP of the team. As good as Smith was last season, Culver was statistically as good and might’ve been an even better defender. The 6’5 wing will be tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best non-center and will be thrown anywhere on the court.

The minutes will be split with a couple of newcomers including Corprew. Considered by some to be the best JUCO prospect, the 6’5 wing is a physical player who’ll have no problem banging down low against bigger players to get rebounds. The Red Raiders struggled at times preventing opponents from grabbing boards in their small lineups, so Corprew’s presence will immediately help in that regard.

The reason why Texas Tech was so successful last season in the Big 12 was that they had such an advantage on the wings. Their variety of weapons overwhelmed their foes on transition and on defense. Teams weren’t even able to take advantage of height or size mismatches due to how defensively sound each Red Raider wing was. It’s early but next season’s team looks similar.

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