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Saddle Tramp News:
Our New Members got back from a successful pledge retreat this past weekend! They now have their pledge class song, their pledge names, and they are now, officially, known as the 12 Gauge Raiders! These new guys are officially part of history now as the Spring 2020 12 Gauge Raiders!
Saddle Tramp of the Week: Jake Van Horn
Jake is a Junior, Public Relations major from Weatherford, TX, about 30 minutes West of Fort Worth. He came to Texas Tech because when he toured the campus and attended a Football game against Louisiana Tech, it "felt like the place to be". Jake rushed Saddle Tramps because he heard about Tramps from several Tech Alumni and was told he would be a great fit. Jake is part of the Fall '17 Neff Said pledge class. Jake has tried to get involved in Saddle Tramps as much as possible. He's been on the Social Committee, the Branding Committee, and Fall '18 Pledge Staff. He's also been the Public Relations Chairman since October 2018, Spring 2019 2nd Vice President and is the current 1st Vice President. Jake's advice to future Freshman is to "enjoy every minute of college, it comes at you fast so take some time to smell the roses". A fun fact about Jake is, due to an injury that happened while playing Football in Middle School, Jake's right thumb is shorter than his left.
Basketball Breakdown
The Following breakdown was completed by Russ Morris.
TEXAS TECH BASKETBALL: ROAD TO THE BIG DANCE
General Analysis/ ISU Takeaway
Texas Tech is coming off an impressive win against Iowa State on Saturday and goes to Oklahoma to take on OU on Tuesday and returns home to play UT on Saturday. The most surprising stat of the game was that Tech held ISU to 29% from the 3-point line. This is the second to last week of the regular season and Tech needs to continue to be impressive if they want to impress the seeding committee. Jahmi’us Ramsey has finally turned the corner in playing with consistency. Ramsey tallied 25pts, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He is currently the Big 12's second-leading scorer and has notched 14 or more points in eight straight games. He's also shooting 23 of 42 from 3-point range in that span (55%). Kevin McCuller has separated himself from the team defensively. Consistently he is throwing his body out there for loose balls, fighting for rebounds, and doesn’t have many little errors. TJ Holyfield leads the team in field goal percentage (56.6%), and blocks (1.6 pg). When he is consistent, he looks like a potential NBA prospect and that is the key going forward. There must be consistent play from everyone. Moretti needs to play better as well. He looks like he’s been playing with too much pressure on himself. If he can go out and play loose, he'll be fine. He leads the team in free throw percentage, shooting 88.8% from the line and shoots 39.5% from 3, but needs to be consistent.
Oklahoma Sooners: Big 12 (6-8) 16-11
The Sooners look to defend the Chesapeake Energy Arena after an embarrassing showing against OSU. The Sooners lost 83-66 and the stats show the flow of the game. The team's best 3-point shooter, Brady Manek, was only held to two points going 1-8 from the field. The Sooners were held to 38.2% from the field, 26.9% from 3, and 68.0% from the free-throw line. OU were looking at being one of the last four in if things went their way the rest of the season, but with this performance, they might be one of the first four out. OU turned out to be very inconsistent this season. OU had high hopes for this season. They were projected to finish 4th in the conference with a decent schedule. However, the conference play ate this team alive. They have maybe three players that can take over a game, but they fail to show up when the game matters most. Too many little mistakes and inconsistent play have once again put this team on the bubble for the tournament. Don’t expect an easy win because the game is in Oklahoma City but expect them to play us hard.
Texas Longhorns Big 12 (6-8) 16-11
(This section was written before Texas beat West Virginia)
Texas returns to Austin to start this rough week after a win against K-State (70-59) as they take on West Virginia and then hit the road to take on Texas Tech on Saturday. In this breakdown, we’ll only focus on the win against K-State and the showdown in Lubbock on Saturday. UT’s win over the Wildcats has put this team back on the bubble. UT looked like they had something to prove. Ramey tallied 26 points to end the night and played great on the defensive end. UT played well all night long and K-State played typical. Typical meaning that they were unable to be separated until the very end. UT is now back on the bubble and the only way to get a for sure lock-in would be to win three of their next four games. They have already finished the series with Baylor and Kansas. To preview their matchup on Saturday, UT will be playing with something to prove. The players are trying to not get their coach fired and it looks like they have an identity. They are aggressive on the boards, are decent from three and have the potential to be great on defense. With that said, the Longhorns have been very inconsistent all year long and their record shows. As of now, they can’t be trusted to lock in a spot and get the job done. Expect this game to be close until the last 5 minutes of the game. UT will be trying to impress voters and will play the best game of their year up to this point.
Updated Bracketology
With the Road to March Madness ramping up so are the shake-ups in bracket and seeding projections. Last week Tech was looking at earning the 8 seed playing Illinois for the 8-9 game. Today there has been a shakeup across the entire league with the entire top 25 eating themselves alive. San Diego State lost, Kansas beat Baylor and that’s just a couple games. The new number one overall seed is Kansas followed by Baylor, Gonzaga, and San Diego State to round out the one seeds. For the rest of the Big 12, West Virginia is a 5 seed, Texas Tech is a 7 seed, and Oklahoma is a 10 seed. Texas is on the bubble but on the outside looking in. They are projected to play in the NIT. Tech has a shot to move up to either the 4 or 5 seeds based on resume and quadrant wins compared to the others and how impressive we look along with winning out, which includes the Big 12 Tournament, which will determine everything. Right now, based on how we look, Tech is looking at a 6 when selection Sunday comes around. I believe ESPN has us playing Virginia (yes, the defending National Champions) is the first round of the Tourney, so that should be a fun one. As we get closer to selection Sunday, there will be updates on the pecking order and current seeding situations. Until then enjoy the last two weeks of the regular season. WRECK’EM!
Thank y'all for reading this week's edition of The Bell Ringer, the official Newsletter of the Saddle Tramps!
