Texas Tech is finally among Elite company
BOSTON — Bobby Knight spent seven years at Texas Tech, and the Hall of Famer never led the Red Raiders past the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
But neither did anyone else at Texas Tech — until now. And that was clear. “We just made the — what’s it called? The Great Eight?” coach Chris Beard, Knight’s longtime assistant, asked.
“Elite,” senior guard Keenan Evans corrected.
In just his second season as Texas Tech head coach, Beard has made program history, bringing the Red Raiders to within one win from the Final Four following his third-seeded team’s 78-65 win Friday night over No. 2 Purdue at TD Garden.
Texas Tech, making its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2005, had lost all five of its previous trips to the regional semifinals. The Red Raiders (27-9) will face the top seed in the East Region, Villanova on Sunday in the Elite Eight.
“As soon as he got the job, he has been putting time in,” said Evans, who led Texas Tech with 16 points. “Flying around, meeting our families and the amount of hours he has put in, I don’t think any coach does [the same]. The way he gives his heart to working here is just unbelievable.”
Purdue (30-7) fell in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, and lost to Beard for the second time in the NCAA Tournament in the past three years. The coach led Arkansas-Little Rock to an upset of the Boilermakers in the first round in 2016.
Though Beard downplayed the program’s breakthrough, his players soaked in the moment, dancing, and spraying each other with water in the locker room.
“The Elite Eight our second year together ... why shouldn’t we [be here]?” Beard said. “We’ve got a great university. We play in the best league in college basketball. We’ve got really great players. We’re blessed to be here, but I think we’ve earned the right to be here.”
Purdue led for the majority of the first half, but the Red Raiders’ defense turned the game with a 10-0 run to close the first half, bothering the second-most efficient offense in the nation with their length, and depth, and dominating the offensive glass.
Purdue’s Carsen Edwards scored 30 points, but only two teammates scored more than four points, enabling the Red Raiders to finish with a 31-6 edge in bench points, while also holding a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
“It feels amazing to share this moment with these guys and this coaching staff,” Evans said. “We don’t want it to end. We feel like we have more work to do, and we’re going to do that work.”