Aggies outlast Raiders in foul-filled clash
BY JEFF WALKER l A-J SPORTS EDITOR
As he walked off the United Spirit Arena stage after his post-game news conference, Pat Knight asked if there will be a collection for the fine he expects to receive from the Big 12 Conference.
Coaches usually draw fines when criticizing officials and Knight didn’t hold back following Saturday’s 79-73 loss to Texas A&M.
“I don’t care right now what the Big 12 thinks,” Knight said. “They tell us to send tapes in and that obviously doesn’t work. Call (someone in the league office) and talk to them … it’s just tough. I don’t care about me, it’s my kids. My kids bust their butt and they have enough of a time playing against A&M let alone have somebody else they have to play against. I just think it’s a shame. Take nothing away from A&M, but we play at home and they get 50 free throws and I have, shoot, four guys that foul out. It’s just not right.”
The Aggies attempted 55 free throws (and made 30), while the Red Raiders attempted 22 (and made 16). Four Tech players — Robert Lewandowski, Esmir Rizvic, John Roberson and Nick Okorie — fouled out.
A&M (19-8, 5-7) scored 19 points in the final 6:05 and only three came on field goals. The Aggies were in the one-and-one situation for the final 8:38 of the game and the Red Raiders put them in the double bonus at the 5:08 mark after picking up their 10th team foul of the half.
Knight, who was ejected earlier this season during a home game against Nebraska for receiving two technical fouls, picked up another technical at the 4:48 mark of the second half.
Roberson was battling with Bryan Davis under the A&M basket for a rebound and it appeared the two were about to get a jump ball call. Roberson, though, was called for a personal foul. Knight called time out and during the time out, he went out to question the call and was given a technical.
Roberson and Okorie were questioning calls throughout the game, and fans were blocked off by security under the Tech basket at one point after they got up to complain about the officiating.
“The guy said that John grabbed him first,” Knight said. “It’s what you see and it’s a judgment deal, but it’s just sad. You know, call it both ways. Don’t take something away from these kids. These kids have worked way too hard. And I’m not saying that’s why we lost, but it just didn’t help.”
The fouls didn’t help, but the reason the Aggies won had as much to do with their rebounding (45-28) and the 3-point shooting of Josh Carter.
Carter finished with just 10 points in A&M’s 79-70 win earlier this season in College Station and was 1 of 5 from 3-point range. The 6-foot-7 forward, who led the country in 3-point shooting as a freshman, converted 4 of 6 from beyond the arc to finish with 20 points in Saturday’s win.
Carter’s 3-pointer at the 6:05 mark gave A&M a little breathing room at 60-55 as neither team led by double digits for most of the game.
“They were switching screens, and a couple of times he hit threes they switched out and put a four-man on him,” A&M head coach Mark Turgeon said. “Josh knew he could get the shot off. They don’t get quite as close. It was some good decisions by our guards to read it and get him the ball in position to make shots.”
Chinemelu Elonu finished with a career-high 21 points and added 12 rebounds. He was one of four Aggies who attempted at least eight free throws.
Carter said he thought the fouls — a combined 56 called on both teams — were a combination of a physical game and the officials sometimes calling “ticky tack fouls.”
“I thought it was a little bit of both,” Carter said. “Tech came out and played hard, played physical and did a good job. We like to play hard and play physical too, so I think it was a combination of both.”
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Boo Hoo this, boo hoo that. We wus screwed by the refs. My kids were treated awful. When you don’t move your feet, guard with your hands, and don’t play hard, fouls are called. These kids and the coach need to grow a pair and play like men. Did you see the OU-UT game? I didn’t see Barnes or Capel crying about the officials & the players got after it like they did in the Cotton Bowl, w/o the pads!
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Pat – since daddie is gone I think “some” of the refs may be taking things out on you , maybe, to get to him. Your intentions are good, and I totally support you, but for now I think you better keep your mouth shut and be patient and recruit a few better quality players. What goes around comes around – with patience and grit our time will come. Just hang in there……..
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Even for Texas Tech-A&M this was high strangeness. I think the better team won tonight but it was hard to tell. Nevertheless, when a team needs 55 free throws to win by 6 points the referees need to be sent packing before they phone it in again in a game that really matters.
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The worst call was the Aggie rolling around on the ground with the ball and gets a time out. If I was a ref I’d probably hate this team too.
This team may play their rears off in practice, but they don’t play 40 minutes when you tip it off in a game. What you need is tall, athletic, muscular kids. You have too many slow, clumsy kids. And too many quick little one who are turnover machines.
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Watched most of the game. While A&M did win many of the aspects of the game, it was more tham shame that the out come of the game very well might have hinged on the ‘easily seen’ lack of applying same judgement of calls on both ends of the court and the one very bad call rolling first and then making the call for a time out. Doen’t matter intention, how it was done was wrong. Period. I din’t go to Tech, I just enjoy watching college basketball. Yeah, crying foul seems so wimpy, but the calling of the game was just plain embarassing.
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Visit Prarie Dog Town!
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Tech basketball is a joke. The players are scrawny looking and very slow. Tech coaches knew the only chance they had was to get physical against A&M and hope it would turn into a war in the trenches. Well, A&M is simply “bigger, faster, stronger, and better” in the trenches so it back fired on Pat Knight.
Hey Pat, shut up and try to practice REBOUNDING joker !!
The TV announcer said “the 10,000 plus here in attendance do not like that call”……………there is no way 10,000 Tech fans showed up for this game because it looked like the same 40 fans who showed up for the Mike Leach support rally where the only fans at the game.
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Gerald’s last act before retiring will be to make Bubba head coach.
Mark it down.
~Soapy
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Can’t wait to follow the Aggies in the NIT.
Yee Haw. Can’t wait.
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I hope the Big 12 fines him the amount of his entire contract! The officiating was bad, but the coaching was worse, and the playing was worser! Hey Pat, there’s a junior high tourney next weekend in Amarillo you might want to consider!
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Worser?
This is a forum to comment about the game, not to bash on the coach.
How is that helping?
I’m glad we have a coach who is passionate about his kids.
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Obviously Jeff wasn’t at the actual game. It was one of the biggest I’d seen in a while and pretty loud at times. i hate it when people complain about attendance when they aren’t actually present.
The refs in this game were horrid. NO ifs, ands and buts about it.
Did they cost us the game maybe. Figure it out with the free throw discrepancy. Could we have played better – you bet. But they battled back after being down a bunch and kept the game close.
I do hope that we learn rebounding, both offensive and defensive soon.
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Freddie why don’t you shut your mouth and learn proper english, I was at the game and it was ridiculous even the aggies near me said it. You my friend are ignorant and should never speak your mind again. And if you do make sure its something legit
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If they aren’t themselves, I am embarrassed for the people in the City of Lubbock and that part of my homeland…… …….Lamar University draws more fans to their basketball games than Tech has had at the last (2) games I have watched on TV.
Support is support…. not “follow a winning team”…… and for long, long, long time Tech supporter and broadcaster John Harris to say on the TV broadcast “……..the 10,000 plus fans in attendance…” he should also be ashamed…….. it was not the radio audience he was speaking to…….
1500 fans…..maybe …… and I am proud of everyone of them and if I wasn’t 600 miles away I’d have been there…… win or lose……. Pat Knight….. Bobby Knight….. whom ever the coach……heck I was at everyone of Tech’s games when Gerald was coach!!!!!
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GoTeam…. who are you kidding?………. TV camera’s don’t lie………. it may have been “one of the biggest” you’d seen in a while but the TV cameras showed the crowd many times and empty seats show up significantly on television………..
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Pat Knight…….. if you read this………, even if I am 600 miles away the Tech Basketball Team has supporters (not just me) in this part of Texas………… we suppport the TEAM of which the coach is a part………..Keep trying!!!
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I can speak my mind about you students. I am the Coach !
You fans say you support Leach but only 40 fans show up for his rally !
You say you support TTU basketball and the arena (all bright and new looking) is EMPTY.
The upper deck was EMPTY ! The TV does not hide this view.
I miss Indiana, although you guys are fun to party with at the Frat houses and don’t forget I brought you pizza during the football season.
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Why go to a game if it’s on TV!? Stay home, save yourself some money, be closer to the nachos, but better yet, don’t worry about getting run over by “fans” headed for the exits before the game is over! Those are the “true” fans!! There are plenty of people there, disguised as empty seats, I don’t need to be in attendance!!
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Outrebounded by nearly 20! Reminds me of the Harrelson/Snipes thing a few years ago; you remember, “White Men Can’t Jump”!!!!!!!
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Everybody take a deep breath, and relax. This is Pat’s first year. Nobody likes losing, but give him and the staff a chance to recruit under his system not his father’s system. UCLA gave John Wooden 15 years before his teams won a national championship. His first four teams at UCLA won the conference championships but after that his teams barely won more than they lost until 1964 when they went all the way to win the national championship. How did that work out for them after that? I am not saying Pat is the second coming of John Wooden, nobody will be or can be with the way college athletics are today, but one season is a little quick to be pushing the panic button. Reevaluate him three years from now. I am glad Coach Leach and the administration got things worked out, but I have to wonder if some of the people who want to get rid of Pat after one season, were some of the ones who were willing to give the Head Pirate in Charge anything and everything to get him to sign a contract. He has been at Tech NINE years and has yet to coach a team that has come close to winning the Big 12 South, much less the Big 12 Championship. But we know he is now being able to recruit the type players that might be able to get Tech over the hump. Just give Pat a real chance to show what he is capable of.
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Maverick, at first glance your post made since concerning a comparison to John Wooden with Pat Knight. Then reality quickly came into view. Please check out John Wooden’s coaching stops BEFORE UCLA.
Dayton & South Bend Central High School – record 218 – 14 (11 high school seasons)
Indiana State – record 44 – 15 (2 seasons)
UCLA – record 664 – 162 (27 seasons)
By bringing up John Wooden I think you have helped locate the problem with Pat Knight………….the Tech job is his first as a head coach !!!
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You Tech fans are getting your just deserts for letting the General force Pat on you. He couldn’t play at IU, Daddy got his high school coach fired because he wouldn’t start. Every time he missed a shot in pickup games at the local YMCA he whined that he was fouled. He’s got most of his father’s faults without any of the skills.
Bill from Bloomington, IN.
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