Week 7 Player of the Week: Kevin McCullar

Photo cc: AP/ thestar.com

The Red Raiders are coming off of their first 2-0 week in conference play, taking advantage of matchups against two of the Big 12’s bottom feeders in Kansas State and Iowa State. Sandwiched in between the two victories was shocking news that Freshman 5-Star Nimari Burnett would be exiting the program. One of the many players that stands to benefit from a minutes perspective, is this week’s player of the week, Kevin McCullar.

McCullar missed the team’s first nine games of the season due to an ankle injury sustained in practice. Since his return, he has picked up right where he left off last season, finding himself in the right spot at the right time seemingly every possession. His shooting numbers so far this year don’t jump off the page, but he is leading the team in rebounds, steals, and blocks per game in Big 12 play. In the most recent game at Iowa State, McCullar posted his first collegiate double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. After finding his way into the starting lineup for the last three games, McCullar looks to be figuring out his role within the team and Tech fans should expect the shooting numbers to get better sooner rather than later.

The showings by both Mac McClung & Kyler Edwards in Saturday’s win over Iowa State should boost confidence moving forward as both guards scored almost at-will. They combined for 37 points on 14-19 from the field, including 4 of 8 from three.

This week, Texas Tech faces its toughest week to date, taking on a pair of top four teams in the country in Texas and Baylor. Both teams are still undefeated in conference play, and Baylor will be coming off a full week of rest on Saturday in Lubbock as their game against West Virginia was postponed. One major area of influence for both outcomes will be on the glass, with both teams presenting a combination of forwards and guards that rebound at a high rate. A split in these two games should be considered a success while dropping both would make the regular-season conference championship virtually impossible as the halfway point in conference play nears.