Texas Tech too much to handle
Seniors Tommy McGhee, Kevin Nanney and Jeff Pope said goodbye to their Rice basketball careers over midterm break as they watched seventh-ranked Texas Tech University walk into the Dr Pepper Southwest Conference Classic finals with a 68-53 win over the Owls.
Tech eventually went on to win the final SWC postseason title by a field goal, 75-73, over the University of Texas. That was no consolation to the team who ended the season at 14-14 and fifth in the SWC with a 5-9 conference record.
"I think the team is very disappointed," guard Eric Singletary said. "We understand the nature of the injuries and such, but ... we were not playing up to our capabilities in many games."
McGhee finished his final game with 12 points, leading the team in scoring for the 19th time this season. Forward Robert Johnson also contributed 12 points in the loss to Tech. Center Shaun Igo and guard J.J. Polk each had 11 and 10, respectively.
Rice had a 17-12 lead at one point, but Tech was on top by nine at halftime, 31-22, primarily on their perfect free throw shooting. With 14 turnovers to Tech's seven, Rice let the game slip away.
Tech's Cory Carr made sure the team didn't rally back with a game-high 16 points off the bench for the Red Raiders.
"We just broke down, and we couldn't recover," Johnson said.
While the team voiced respect for Tech as the Red Raiders prepare to enter the NCAA Tournament as the number-three seed in the East, Johnson said they were not invincible.
"I don't think anyone feared them," Johnson said. "They're just a team. They can easily be beaten."
In contrast, Rice had no problems dispatching with the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs the previous night with a 78-67 win. TCU got within six in the early part of the second half, but Polk made 10 of his 11 points in the last 20 minutes of the game to put it out of reach. McGhee added a game-high 31 points.
"They shouldn't have beaten us the first two times," Johnson said. "They weren't a better team. We just played basketball."
The win against TCU ensured a sixth-straight season without a losing record.
The focus of the final games of the season turned to next year. Players feel that next year's team will be a lot more balanced with returning forward Jesse Cravens back, guard Bobby Crawford and forward Jarvis Kelly eligible to play, experienced senior leadership present and a strong freshman class to add to the roster.
"Everyone individually will step up a notch," Johnson said. "We'll have a better team contribution. We'll be a better team."
Johnson points to J.J. Polk and Singletary as next year's team leaders. Three frontcourt players will join the Owls next year.
"This class gives us the added depth on the front line that we need going into the Western Athletic Conference," Head Coach Willis Wilson said.
"With young, talented players such as these, not only will we have quality depth, but we'll have some promising players to build around for our future."
This item appeared in the Sports section of the March 15, 1996 issue.
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