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SAN FRANCISCO — Darrion Williams tried again.
Two days after hitting two of the biggest shots of his life, two of the biggest shots in Texas Tech basketball history, it was only right for the 6-foot-6 junior forward to try again. Williams had done everything for the Red Raiders this season, battling through a litany of lower-body injuries and putting it all on the line when the spotlight shined on him.
Two days after the Red Raiders put together a 16-point comeback to beat Arkansas in the Sweet 16, Florida was doing the same thing to them on Saturday. The Gators trailed 71-61 with 6:18 left, Texas Tech having owned both sides of the floor for much of the season half.
Then Walter Clayton Jr. got going.
The comeback was swift and loud. Hitting just four 3-pointers in the first 34 minutes of the game, the Gators found their stroke when it matter. Clayton (30 points, four assists) hit three of Florida's five 3s in the final 5:24 and had given his team an 80-77 lead with under 30 seconds to play.
More: Texas Tech basketball vs Florida live score: Red Raiders blow 10-point lead to miss Final Four
But Williams had the look he wanted. Elijah Hawkins drew two defenders to the right wing, then threw it back to a wide-open Williams for the game-tying 3 at the top of the key. There was nobody else Texas Tech would've rather had taking the shot in that moment, and Williams rose up, looking to be the hero again.
Two days ago, that shot goes through the net, and the game's probably going to overtime once again. What worked on Thursday, though, didn't work on Saturday. Williams' shot hit off the rim, Florida collected the rebound and put away the 84-79 comeback win.
"It kind of just hit when the clock hit zero," Williams said. "I wish I could change a few plays that happened, but you can't go back and do that. I thought we could win it until it hit zero."
This year's version of Texas Tech was among the best teams in the country, though it came with a lot of added stress. Saturday's game was the 17th (out of 37) that was decided by single digits, and all nine of the Red Raiders' setbacks came by less than 10 points.
During their run to the Elite Eight, the Red Raiders had shown an ability to close games when it mattered, but that wasn't always the case. Each of their first three losses — against Saint Joseph's, Texas A&M and Iowa State — saw Texas Tech holding leads in the second half.
Saturday's letdown can be compared to the 85-84 double-overtime home loss to Iowa State. In that game, the Red Raiders led by nine early in the second half, by three with 20 seconds left and by two with six ticks remaining. None of those leads stuck because of key missed free throws and defensive breakdowns.
Florida had a similar approach. Before he got any offense going, the majority of Clayton's scoring came at the free throw line, 11 of his first 17 points at the time coming at the stripe. For the game, the Gators made 27 trips to the line and sank 25. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, were just 7 of 13 on free throws, with JT Toppin (20 points, 11 rebounds) missing all five of his.
"Who doesn't want to make free throws?" head coach Grant McCasland said. "Everybody does. Nobody steps up there and misses intentionally, especially in those moments. And I know everybody likes to ... but I think there's more effort things involved in this game that we could have done better, and I could have done a better job coaching us down the stretch to put us in better positions."
More: Texas Tech basketball's Darrion Williams wins Sweet 16 game for injured Chance McMillian
The same team capable of pulling off a 16-point comeback was just as capable of letting a 10-point lead in the Elite Eight slip away. Texas Tech had the talent to play any style, any team, and have an advantage. It also had the kind of team that had shown at different times they could get beat if they didn't have all their ducks in a row.
Texas Tech always had the talent to win the national championship, but it always had high-risk, high-reward situations. Like Kerwin Walton, who didn't play much in San Francisco, hitting eight 3-pointers against UNC Wilmington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Or Williams' clutch shot making against Arkansas, which, without it, the Red Raiders would've been home in Lubbock on Saturday rather than playing for a trip to San Antonio.
The loss to Florida is going to sting for a while because of how close Texas Tech was to making it to the Final Four in their own backyard. There's no telling what next year's Red Raiders are going to look like, but McCasland, his staff and whichever players decide to come back will take the same approach Williams did on his potential game-tying 3.
They're gonna try again.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Florida's comeback a microcosm of Texas Tech basketball's season
Continue reading...
Two days after hitting two of the biggest shots of his life, two of the biggest shots in Texas Tech basketball history, it was only right for the 6-foot-6 junior forward to try again. Williams had done everything for the Red Raiders this season, battling through a litany of lower-body injuries and putting it all on the line when the spotlight shined on him.
Two days after the Red Raiders put together a 16-point comeback to beat Arkansas in the Sweet 16, Florida was doing the same thing to them on Saturday. The Gators trailed 71-61 with 6:18 left, Texas Tech having owned both sides of the floor for much of the season half.
Then Walter Clayton Jr. got going.
The comeback was swift and loud. Hitting just four 3-pointers in the first 34 minutes of the game, the Gators found their stroke when it matter. Clayton (30 points, four assists) hit three of Florida's five 3s in the final 5:24 and had given his team an 80-77 lead with under 30 seconds to play.
More: Texas Tech basketball vs Florida live score: Red Raiders blow 10-point lead to miss Final Four
But Williams had the look he wanted. Elijah Hawkins drew two defenders to the right wing, then threw it back to a wide-open Williams for the game-tying 3 at the top of the key. There was nobody else Texas Tech would've rather had taking the shot in that moment, and Williams rose up, looking to be the hero again.
Two days ago, that shot goes through the net, and the game's probably going to overtime once again. What worked on Thursday, though, didn't work on Saturday. Williams' shot hit off the rim, Florida collected the rebound and put away the 84-79 comeback win.
"It kind of just hit when the clock hit zero," Williams said. "I wish I could change a few plays that happened, but you can't go back and do that. I thought we could win it until it hit zero."
This year's version of Texas Tech was among the best teams in the country, though it came with a lot of added stress. Saturday's game was the 17th (out of 37) that was decided by single digits, and all nine of the Red Raiders' setbacks came by less than 10 points.
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During their run to the Elite Eight, the Red Raiders had shown an ability to close games when it mattered, but that wasn't always the case. Each of their first three losses — against Saint Joseph's, Texas A&M and Iowa State — saw Texas Tech holding leads in the second half.
Saturday's letdown can be compared to the 85-84 double-overtime home loss to Iowa State. In that game, the Red Raiders led by nine early in the second half, by three with 20 seconds left and by two with six ticks remaining. None of those leads stuck because of key missed free throws and defensive breakdowns.
Florida had a similar approach. Before he got any offense going, the majority of Clayton's scoring came at the free throw line, 11 of his first 17 points at the time coming at the stripe. For the game, the Gators made 27 trips to the line and sank 25. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, were just 7 of 13 on free throws, with JT Toppin (20 points, 11 rebounds) missing all five of his.
"Who doesn't want to make free throws?" head coach Grant McCasland said. "Everybody does. Nobody steps up there and misses intentionally, especially in those moments. And I know everybody likes to ... but I think there's more effort things involved in this game that we could have done better, and I could have done a better job coaching us down the stretch to put us in better positions."
More: Texas Tech basketball's Darrion Williams wins Sweet 16 game for injured Chance McMillian
The same team capable of pulling off a 16-point comeback was just as capable of letting a 10-point lead in the Elite Eight slip away. Texas Tech had the talent to play any style, any team, and have an advantage. It also had the kind of team that had shown at different times they could get beat if they didn't have all their ducks in a row.
Texas Tech always had the talent to win the national championship, but it always had high-risk, high-reward situations. Like Kerwin Walton, who didn't play much in San Francisco, hitting eight 3-pointers against UNC Wilmington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Or Williams' clutch shot making against Arkansas, which, without it, the Red Raiders would've been home in Lubbock on Saturday rather than playing for a trip to San Antonio.
The loss to Florida is going to sting for a while because of how close Texas Tech was to making it to the Final Four in their own backyard. There's no telling what next year's Red Raiders are going to look like, but McCasland, his staff and whichever players decide to come back will take the same approach Williams did on his potential game-tying 3.
They're gonna try again.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Florida's comeback a microcosm of Texas Tech basketball's season
Continue reading...
