Week 12 Player of the Week: Micah Peavy

The end to Texas Tech’s third month of the season was a forgettable one to say the least. In a week that featured just one game, a second loss to West Virginia, the feelings of Red Raider nation were put on full display by Chris Beard. Likely a buildup of frustrations spanning the entire conference slate, Beard uncharacteristically lashed out at an official voicing his disagreement with a call late in the game, even falling to the floor while reenacting the play. Tech fell to 6-5 in Big 12 play with just three scheduled games remaining while four others have been postponed and yet to be rescheduled. 

One of the lone positives produced in the loss was a strong performance from freshman Micah Peavy. The true freshman from Duncanville has started all but one game for the team this year, but has seen a steady decline in minutes since the start of conference play. It is not uncommon for freshmen to go through the natural ups and downs of Big 12 play, in fact, last season Terrence Shannon Jr. had his fair share of freshman woes down the stretch and is now an integral piece to this year’s success. However, in the loss to the Mountaineers, Peavy established more of a presence than he had shown in several games. Notching his highest point total in over a month, what he was able to provide in hustle plays and positioning on the court was the real improvement for Peavy that won’t show up on the box score. His length and athleticism give him a good shot at every rebound that comes his way both offensively and defensively, and he plays with a controlled intensity that’s come to be expected of Beard’s players. He’s not one to fill up the stat sheet on a regular basis, but with a valuable 15-20 minutes each night playing with high energy, Micah Peavy could play a valuable role in a Texas Tech run during the NCAA tournament. 

Due to more delays, this time because of weather and not Covid-19, Tech has just one game lined up for the upcoming week. The Red Raiders will take a trip to Kansas in search of evening the season series versus the Jayhawks after dropping the first conference game of the year to them in mid-December. Kansas is on a four-game winning streak and finds themselves in sole possession of second place in the conference at 10-5. With Tech heading to Lawrence 5-1 on the road this year and Kansas currently 10-1 at home, something’s gotta give in this pivotal matchup that could have large implications on seeding come March.