Goodbye Forever, Lubbock: Texas dismantles Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena, 81-69...and it wasn't that close.
Dylan Disu, Max Abmas, and Chendall Weaver combine for 54 points as Texas leaves West Texas with a second rivalry-ending W to pair with Sarkisian's 57-7 victory in football.
Texas Tech students camped out, starting as early as Saturday, just to witness one final loss to UT.
Primer.
A GOOD CHUNK OF the Texas Tech student body camped out for three long, cold days in anticipation of a last chance to send their hated rivals, Texas, off to their new conference with an eternal scoreboard in basketball, a final “fuck you” as the Longhorns depart to join the powerhouse SEC.
After all, the Longhorns had failed to win in West Texas since 2020, and the lead up to this final conference matchup had many feeling that the pattern of futility would continue.
Lubbock was abuzz with hype – the Red Raiders’ biggest home game of the season was on the horizon, and as previously mentioned, the series had not been kind to the boys from the Capitol City as of late.
And don’t get it twisted – the hatred out there for Longhorn folk runs deep.
The cultural divide between the two schools only fuels the animosity: UT is in Austin, a sprawling, urban cityscape a far cry from the good-old-boy West Texas culture of Lubbock, where Texas Tech resides.
Tech fans feel that Longhorns are elitists that look down their noses at the rest of the state; Texas fans feel that Tech fans represent all of the worst of college sports, and call them classless.
It’s the perfect recipe for a powder keg to explode – and explode it did, all right.
The Game.
Despite missing Warren Washington, their dominant 7-footer, Texas Tech was favored by 3.5 at the closing line before the mayhem began at 8PM on a chilly Tuesday Night in Lubbock.
When I went to the Chris Beard return game as a journalist in 2022, the TTU admin brought out Ric Flair to “Woo” the crowd – this time, Public Enemy rapper Flava Flav represented the celebrity guest, because why not?
After all, this was to be a party, a romp, a channeling of all of the frustration of years and years of hatred culminating in one huge beatdown, a final “Horns Down” on behalf of all of West Texas.
A party it was not.
The first inciting incident was a flagrant-1 that resulted in Max Abmas needing six stitches – he took a flying elbow to the face on a defensive possession.
As they do, the Texas Tech fans chanted in unison, calling Abmas a pussy…for bleeding.
After the first WWE-style incident wrapped up (for the time being), Rodney Terry fed the Red Raider defense a healthy dose of Dylan Disu-focused offensive sets through the elbow, not totally dissimilar from what Texas used to do with Timmy Allen in his Longhorn playing days.
This is done both to take some pressure off the primary ball handlers as well as to get Disu more possessions, as he is easily their most consistent scorer as of late. He got his general midrange game going, scoring 21 points and keeping his hand on the rudder, helping them cruise control to victory.
Defensively, they played with tight rotations, avoiding unnecessary risks when guarding individually and keeping active hands to defend passing lanes. They didn’t allow any kind of dribble penetration either, and even made catches on the perimeter difficult by playing denial.
Tech forced terrible perimeter shots the entire first half because of the swarming defense, and unfortunately for them, they drew iron most of the time. After the first 10 minutes, they were 2-for-15 from the field with six total points to Texas’ 17. Pop Isaacs shot like a man with a hot hand, yet missed all 10 of his first-half field goal attempts.
It didn’t get much better from there.
In the paint, Texas made its presence known by out-rebounding the Red Raiders as well as protecting the rim despite that being an issue for the ‘Horns throughout the year. They blocked six shots as a team, and generally just made it hell to try to score.
Simply put, Texas was more physical, and looked like they wanted it more from the jump. They exuded confidence and played like a team that had nothing to lose.
A huge aspect of the victory also was the fact that Texas kept the Red Raider crowd out of the contest, and even when they finally began to get involved, the game was essentially out of reach.
While Texas Tech won the second half by 12 points, the damage was already done, as they lacked the firepower to overcome a 24-point deficit, even with the occasional spike of energy from an otherwise dead crowd.
Every loose ball, every rebound, every single possible thing that could have gone Texas’ way did – and credit them for that, because in this game, they created much of their own luck through hustle and effort.
After all of the fanfare, the screaming, the arrests, the flagrant twos, the cans being throw on the court, and a drunk TTU student punching a cop, Texas emerged victorious, winning the final regular-season matchup in the series.
It required blood, sweat, tears, and stitches, but the Longhorns left an empty United Supermarkets Arena and a devastated Red Raider fanbase with a 12-point dub.
Extracurriculars.
Given the game was in the Wild, Wild West (Texas), it’s no surprise arguably the biggest story of the game didn’t have much to do with Tech losing by double digits on their home floor.
I mentioned that a Tech kid assaulted a cop, resisted arrest, and was carried out of United Supermarkets Arena by five people. You can find that video here, and there is a little preview screenshot below.
First of all, Real Ass Dude of the Week. Obvious winner of that award.
To go out like that, FUBAR’d, when down 20+ is an all-time move.
Probation is temporary; glory is forever.
Of course it wouldn’t be fair to simply include this kid’s arrest without giving context to the situation’s start.
Despite Texas’ holding a 25-point lead at the time of the incident, a loose ball situation turned aggressive when Longhorns basketball enforcer Brock Cunningham laid out Red Raider Joe Toussaint with an admittedly vicious body check, sending Toussaint into the first row.
After a bit of a scrum between the two teams, Cunningham was ejected, but that didn’t stop United Supermarkets Arena from erupting with rage, culminating in the throwing of objects onto the court, forcing a delay of game and causing the referees to assess a technical foul on the Red Raiders.
The video is here.
Going out in Lubbock like the diehard, orange-bleeding Longhorn he grew up wanting to be was such a microcosm of his career. Everyone hates playing against a guy like that – a Pat Beverley, and Grayson Allen. He may not put up stats but if you need someone to jump on a grenade, Brock is your man.
Upon being disqualified, he put up one last “Hook ‘Em Horns” as he left the floor.
Reflections on the Texas vs. Texas Tech Rivalry.
I was going to try to be as unbiased as possible here, but seeing as (A) I cover the NBA Draft professionally and not UT anymore, I’m not bound by objectivity in this particular situation and (B) I’ve had so many horrendous experiences with this toxic fanbase that I don’t really care to pull punches.
Texas has a lot of rivals – or at least, a lot of teams that hate them and hate their fanbase.
This is understandable, as there is an undeniable aura of smugness that pervades the UT Athletics discourse. Considering their lack of tangible success in many sports over the last 15 years, there is some bitterness, as well as some entitlement. I can admit that, have before, and will again.
Additionally, every fanbase has its assholes, its unhinged morons, its bad seeds. I’ve had great and poor experiences with every team’s fans, but there is only one school whose fans are this consistently antagonistic, angry, and petulant – win or lose.
There is a reason that Texas athletics has no interest in renewing this rivalry, and it’s not because they’re scared to lose (if you want to play scoreboard, feel free; it’s not close).
The reason for ending this series is that a shockingly large part of the fanbase simply cannot control itself. Jeering and trash talk are encouraged when on the road wearing opponent’s colors in any stadium, of course. I’m also not a baby (I’m a big kid) so language isn’t the problem.
But being harassed is something different, whether in person or online. I’ve had Tech fans take shots at my family on social media, reposting pictures and being disgusting (has happened three times to me now). My policy of not blocking anyone is still in effect, unless of course you insult my wife.
Even schools that hate Texas like Oklahoma, A&M, or even TCU or Arkansas, aren’t half as toxic.
This does not apply to everyone, obviously.
My best friend and his wife live in Lubbock, and I have family that I love more than life that are Texas Tech graduates. Friends and coworkers of mine went there, friends of mine cover the team, and I’ll even admit that I don’t think Lubbock is a “shit-hole,” nor do I think it’s OK to say that to someone about where they live. Many Texas fans have earned the “elitist” moniker, and trust me. It’s deserved.
Still, I can’t express how glad I am that this series is over. It’s such a no-win situation for Texas; either they win a game they’re supposed to, or they get upset by a rival and have to have the police escort them to avoid getting caught in a literal riot.
I can’t think of a real upside to ever playing in West Texas again. Texas will have its hands full with Georgia, LSU, and Alabama – they don’t need to have “dodging batteries” on their list of concerns.
Goodbye, Lubbock. See you never.
atKeenanWomack on Twitter.