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OSU's Mike Boynton: Texas Tech basketball getting comfortable, playing with enjoyment
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- OSU's Mike Boynton: Texas Tech basketball getting comfortable, playing with enjoyment
Darrion Williams let his feelings be known after the Texas Tech basketball team's 90-73 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.
Williams, the 6-foot-6 multi-talented forward, did a bit of everything in United Supermarkets Arena. He produced 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and solid defense to help keep the Cowboys out of the paint throughout the night.
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Extending their winning streak to eight games, and earning their second Big 12 win already, the Red Raiders have every reason to feel good about where they are.
"I think we're a pretty confident team in ourselves," Williams said. "Obviously not a lot of people believe in us, so we're fine with that. I think just playing as a team. That was the main thing. We made our runs at Texas and we played together just like we did (tonight)."
More: Pop Isaacs continues hot streak as Texas Tech basketball pushes past Oklahoma State: 3 takeaways
Williams has reason to think 'not a lot of people' believe in the Red Raiders. Much of it is because of the program's quick descent last year that created massive upheaval in every facet. This team, pieced together from April to August, looks far different than the one that took the floor together a calendar year ago.
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And that can be attributed to the team's mentality.
"We come into every single game playing for each other and competing for wins," said Texas Tech guard Kerwin Walton, a holdover from a season ago. "That's just how we approach the game every day."
Oklahoma State's men's basketball head coach Mike Boynton Jr. coaches on the sidelines against Texas Tech in a Big 12 conference basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.
For the second game in a row, Texas Tech (13-2, 2-0) started slow and saw the opposition jump out to the early lead. Much like Saturday's win over Texas, the Red Raiders figured it out, took control before the half and never looked back.
In the midst of Texas Tech's current winning streak, Walton's words have rung true. Against the Cowboys, the Red Raiders had 17 assists on 35 makes and had all five starters score in double figures. They also had a season-low four turnovers in the victory.
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"This team can share the ball," Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "I think on some teams, you have one or two guys that handle the ball almost all the time. This group, we're starting to share the ball."
Oklahoma State (8-7, 0-2) wasn't able to key on Pop Isaacs all game because of the help around him. Isaacs had a game-high 24 points — his fourth game in a row with at least 20 points — but had Walton and Warren Washington at 16 apiece, Williams with 14 and Joe Toussaint with 13.
More: Victory over No. 20 Texas a sign of Texas Tech basketball's growth under Grant McCasland
The Cowboys, meanwhile, had three guys in double figures, though their next highest scorers had six apiece.
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Sharing the ball has helped spread out defenses, and it's allowed everybody to get in on the act on offense. That flow caught the attention of Oklahoma State's coach.
"It looks to me that they're just starting to get really comfortable with the system that they've been asked to play," Cowboys coach Mike Boynton said. "These guys are a lot new to each other. Pop, who's been through this league, was trying to score against Joe a year ago and now they're figuring out how to help each other have success.
"It is quite obvious Coach Grant has their full attention on what he needs each guy to do. ... You can just see, as a coach who's watched them from the beginning of the season to now, that they have a greater understanding of what they're doing and they do it with a lot of enjoyment."
Texas Tech's Pop Isaacs scores a three-pointer against Oklahoma State in a Big 12 conference basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Mike Boynton can see Texas Tech basketball getting comfortable
