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Jeff Borzello
NEW YORK — Following Nolan Groves’ brief 20-second appearance in Texas Tech’s victory against Northern Colorado on Tuesday, Red Raiders head coach Grant McCasland pulled his rarely utilized freshman aside in the parking area and advised him to get ready for Saturday’s matchup against undefeated Duke at Madison Square Garden.
You’re going to see action, McCasland informed Groves. So stay prepared.
The Tech coach’s warning proved to be accurate, as Groves entered the game during the second half to ignite a 17-point turnaround that led the Red Raiders to defeat Duke 82-81, handing the Blue Devils their first loss of the season.
«It’s remarkable when you have a player like Nolan Groves, who shoots an airball and goes 0-for-2, logs 13 minutes with just one offensive rebound and three fouls, yet he’s a plus-13,» McCasland stated. «That illustrates the kind of impact one can have on a college basketball game, regardless of the stats.»
Texas Tech (9-3) faced the challenge of being without three players due to injuries, and then two others — LeJuan Watts and Leon Horner — fouled out. Star big man JT Toppin garnered his fourth foul with 18:26 to go. McCasland had virtually no established choices on his bench to match up against Player of the Year contender Cameron Boozer.
In response, McCasland called upon the 6-foot-5 Groves, who hadn’t played more than a minute in a game since late November and hadn’t logged double-digit minutes since the season’s second game.
During his first significant play of the match, Groves air-balled a 3-point attempt. He failed to make a shot in his 13 minutes but took on the task of defending Boozer, successfully limiting the star forward for the remainder of the game.
«He’s been consistent every day,» McCasland remarked. «The key factor is that he’s defended day in and day out. We placed him on the scout team for defensive reps, and he continually progresses. I believed he could move his feet well and defend physically. It was the optimal matchup for us, as it allowed JT to avoid foul trouble, with Groves able to patrol the rim, rebound, and offer support at the basket, and he successfully held his ground against Boozer, which is a feat many in college basketball struggle to achieve. Nolan executed that task exceptionally well.»
Texas Tech began the game by scoring the initial nine points, but Duke gradually found their rhythm and started to dominate both offensively and defensively. The Blue Devils received timely 3-pointers from their supporting players, while Boozer steadily put Tech’s frontline in foul trouble. Duke entered halftime leading by 10, with Boozer poised for a triple-double with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Toppin, who wound up with 19 points and 10 rebounds, incurred his fourth foul early in the second half, as Duke pushed their lead to 17 points with 16:31 remaining. The Red Raiders mounted a few comebacks, including one that narrowed the deficit to two points, but the Blue Devils promptly countered, extending their lead to 11 with just over six minutes to go.
Battered and bruised, Texas Tech fought back once more. Specifically, Christian Anderson stepped up again.
Anderson, the sophomore point guard enjoying an All-American caliber season, had a tough first half. Coming into the game averaging 19.3 points (top 50 nationally) and 7.5 assists (fourth in the nation), Anderson managed only 4 points, 1 assist, and 3 turnovers in the first half, shooting 1-for-4 from the field. McCasland called attention to Anderson during his halftime talk.
«Christian can be a bit slow to ignite at times,» McCasland noted. «He isn’t always in a scoring mindset. However, he has a great grasp of the game and is an excellent passer. … At halftime, I urged him, ‘Dude, you need to score. Be more aggressive. Don’t wait; go straight for the baskets.’ And wow, did he light it up in the second half. He was crucial for us when we required essential points.»
Anderson contributed 10 consecutive points for Texas Tech during one segment and ultimately scored 21 of the Red Raiders’ last 31 points. After five straight points from Boozer pushed Duke’s lead to 11 with 6:29 remaining, Anderson drained back-to-back 3s. He later hit another 3 to reduce the deficit to two a few possessions later, followed by a three-point play with 1:14 left to extend Tech’s lead to four — along with the winning free throw with just over three seconds remaining.
He concluded with 27 points and 5 assists, including 23 points and 4 assists in the second half.
«I started off a bit sluggish, not fully in sync with the game,» Anderson admitted. «But due to JT, my teammates, and coaches, they kept pushing me. I needed to be assertive if we wanted to secure this victory, not just by knocking down shots, but by applying pressure on the defense and making plays, keeping the defenders on their toes. So, I focused on that more in the second half, and I was pleased I managed to do it.»
Saturday marked Texas Tech’s initial standout win of the season following previous losses to Illinois, Purdue, and Arkansas.
Duke (11-1), on the other hand, had squandered significant leads on a few occasions recently — the Blue Devils were up by 13 against Arkansas and by 15 against Florida before needing to hold on at the end — and it finally caught up with them.
Following a nonconference schedule that included victories over Texas, Kansas, Michigan State, as well as the previously mentioned Arkansas and Florida wins, Duke will enjoy 11 days off before beginning ACC play on New Year’s Eve.
«This team has consistently responded,» Duke coach Jon Scheyer reflected. «In practice and games, I know I have a squad that will return ready to work, eager to grow, and take accountability as well.»
«For us, and personally for me, the silver lining in this is that it offers you — winning can lead to complacency, it really does,» Scheyer continued. «It provides a deeper understanding of the importance of each possession, especially when you’re leading and circumstances arise where a ruling might go against you, a missed free throw, a failure to box out, and those elements can determine the outcome.»‘
