Texas Tech Basketball: 3 reasons why the Red Raiders will be better than Texas in 2018-19
3. Texas Tech has a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate – does Texas?
The rise of Zhaire Smith from unknown three-star recruit to near lottery pick received all the deserved attention this NBA Draft season. But there was another player who was just as good for the Red Raiders and is primed for a breakout sophomore campaign.
Jarrett Culver is a 6’5 wing who averaged 17.0 ppg and 7.2 rpg as a freshman while producing great shooting splits. He had the second-best defensive rating in the Big 12 and is already considered an elite individual defender who can guard multiple positions.
With him being the only returning double-digit scorer (excluding grad transfer Mooney) on the team, look for Culver to be a focal point of the offense. Look for his stats to take a big jump and if a Kansas Jayhawk doesn’t win the award, the sophomore is a true threat to win Big 12 Player of the Year.
That’s not to say that the Longhorns doesn’t return talent. In fact, they bring back four double-digit scorers, including Andrew Jones, who’s coming back from Cancer treatment. The question is, which of them will take the reigns and lead the Longhorns? One problem Texas has had is that they haven’t been able to rely on a player to score 20+ on a given night to win the game.
A balanced effort is good but sometimes a player has to carry their team to victory, just as Evans did for the Red Raiders in the Big Dance this past season. That’s what allowed Texas Tech to win 27 games and make a big run in March, while Texas barely made it. Rising senior Dylan Osetkowski is the likeliest player to star for the Longhorns but he’s not an elite scorer by any means.
Next. Preseason Big 12 Rankings for 2018-19. dark
As long as Culver continues on his upward projection to stardom, the Red Raiders will once again be a top-half team in the Big 12 and should finish ahead of Texas for the second-straight year.