Big 12 Basketball: Kansas, Oklahoma shines, K-State upset in Round of 64

Big 12 Basketball: Kansas, Oklahoma shines, Kansas State upset in Round of 64

By Chris Kern | Mar 23, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: Mark Vital #11 of the Baylor Bears reacts as they take on the Syracuse Orange during the second half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Baylor Bears won 78-69. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders drives on Jalen Tate #11 of the Northern Kentucky Norse during the second half of the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 22, 2019, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Jarrett Culver Should Be A Top 5 Pick

The Texas Tech Red Raiders were in a close battle with Northern Kentucky for much of the game before they were able to pull away to win 72-57. Jarrett Culver was an absolute superstar in this win, impacting the game in every way as he finished with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and seven assists while also making plays on the defensive end.

His ability to carry this offense is unreal and one that NBA scouts will be impressed by. This is a Texas Tech team that is elite on the defensive end but they often struggle on offense. They have continued to get better as the season goes along but the majority of that is because of how well Culver has played.

All they need is a few buckets from each of the other guys and that’s what they got in this game. The other guys don’t light up the scoreboard but they do still make a big impact. They have two graduate transfers on their roster who have been fantastic all season long and were again in this game as well.

The graduate transfers are Tariq Owens from St. John’s and Matt Mooney from South Dakota. Owens was good on both ends of the floor as he finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Mooney was also very good as he finished with nine points, eight assists, three rebounds, and five steals. They both were elite on the offensive end which was a big reason Texas Tech was never in major trouble of getting upset.

Those guys will need to be great but Jarrett Culver is what makes this team special and is why they’re a three seed in the NCAA Tournament and earned a share of the Big 12 regular season title. If they want to reach a Final Four, they will need him to play like the superstar he is. They continue that run on Sunday against a very dangerous Buffalo team.

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