Week 5 Player of the Week: Terrence Shannon Jr.

Photo CC: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Tech secured their first conference victory in narrow fashion against Oklahoma, winning by just two points in a game where the Sooners missed a game-tying putback attempt at the buzzer. Although being outrebounded 36-29, Tech was able to limit the Sooners to just over 40% from the field and fell back on their defense to win the game.

In what has become commonplace for this Red Raider team, three of their players combined for 68% of the team’s FG attempts. This time it was a combination of McClung, Santos-Silva, and Shannon Jr. For the second week in a row, Terrence Shannon Jr. earned Player of the Week honors with a team-high 21 points and continued his efficient shooting going 2-4 from deep and 8-12 overall. 

Shannon displayed another performance with much-improved confidence shooting the ball from behind the arc. He is 6-11 from deep through the first two conference games and is shooting 54% overall from the field. Shannon has cut his turnover percentage in half from last season while seeing his usage increase, a strong sign moving forward for this team as he will be relied on to carry the load of the offense when needed.

Shannon has hit his stride at a good time, playing his best two games of the year in the first two conference matchups in which the backcourt duo of Edwards and McClung have struggled shooting the ball. The two are a combined 3-20 from three-point range and just 11-43 from the field. McClung has found success getting to the line in both games, scoring 15 of his 37 conference points from the charity stripe, but Edwards has yet to find any offensive rhythm so far in Big 12 play. 

Looking ahead, this week includes a duo of home contests, one non-conference against Incarnate Word, and one Big 12 game where the Red Raiders play host to Oklahoma State. Expect to see an added emphasis in the first matchup of getting McClung and Edwards easier looks to find success scoring. Moving forward in conference play, both guards will be crucial to the success of the team & a game against Incarnate Word that breaks up the conference slate could be just what the two need to get back on track.