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Big 12 Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from first month of 2019-20

By Zach Stearman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Udoka Azubuike #35 and Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks react in the first half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden on November 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 05: Udoka Azubuike #35 and Devon Dotson #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks react in the first half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden on November 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Texas Tech’s offense needs time to develop

It’s not quite time to panic in Lubbock yet, but Texas Tech fans must be uneasy with how the season has started. The Red Raiders are riding a three-game losing streak into a matchup with top-ranked Louisville on Tuesday.

Chris Beard has established a tough, defensive-minded brand of basketball at Texas Tech, and the defense has performed admirably this season despite the turnover in personnel. The offense, on the other hand, has been poor. Texas Tech is ranked 146th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency per prophetratings.com. Despite being led by sharpshooter Davide Moretti, the Red Raiders are not a threat from behind the arc, ranking 260th in three-point rate.

There are a number of factors to point to when analyzing Tech’s offensive struggles compared to last season. The loss of Jarrett Culver was always going to be difficult to overcome. He was an elite playmaker and shot creator that the offense could turn to when they needed a bucket. Matt Mooney and Tariq Owens were also experienced players that could contribute offensively. Thus far, those holes are yet to be filled for this season’s team.

Davide Moretti has seen his usage increase as expected, but his efficiency number has dropped in turn. Moretti is shooting 45.9% from the field this season, down from 50.5% last year. This is almost certainly a function of defenses giving him more attention without Culver and Mooney on the floor. Sophomore guard Kyle Edwards has also stepped into a much larger role this season, but his shooting numbers are very poor so far this year. Edwards is shooting a dreadful 34% from the field and 27.8% from three-point range. A high volume shooter with percentages that low is guaranteed to drag efficiencies down.

One reason to be confident that Texas Tech will turn the offense around has been the play of Jahmi’us Ramsey. A highly touted recruit, Ramsey has looked every bit of the player he was hyped up to be. Ramsey is averaging 17.3 points and 5.8 boards on just over 13 shots per game. Ramsey has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury which hurt the Red Raiders, but he is now day-to-day. As Ramsey continues to adjust to the college game over the season, he will look to fill the go-to role that was voided by Culver. So far, he looks to be up for the task.

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