Here’s a Look Inside the Sold-Out Texas Tech vs. Texas Game
This was a special game. This was something people will talk about for a long time. It's not just because of the drama, but because of how hard Texas Tech players and coaches worked and how the community stepped up to show support.
I’m a Texas Tech graduate from the town the other team is from, so this was crazy for me. Now that the game is over I can say most of us never doubted the Red Raiders and the team they are. When I was at that game, I could feel the desire to win from all 15,300 people that sold out the United Supermarkets Arena.
This all started over some drama, but the support this community offered is unmatched by any school to ever exist. Even better, we just showed that to a national audience. The men’s basketball team proved they’re one of the best, and the crowd showed we had their back through every step of the journey.
The special thing about Texas Tech is that fans support and show up to every game, no matter how well the team is playing — every year, every sport. Even an hour before the game the arena was packed and my ears were already ringing.
Chris Beard didn't show up inside the USA until 3 minutes before tipoff and he was escorted by six police officers. When he walked in, the mood changed. You could see in every player's face they were ready to fight and win.
The crowd came to lose their voices. It was never quiet unless Texas Tech was shooting, and then it was dead silence. You can see this might be one of the best swag surfing to hit the USA to date.
And there was definitely some shade thrown throughout the game, like comments, signs and even some song choices by the arena itself.
What you might not have seen if you were watching the game on TV is that fans actually rushed the court, but not until a little after the final buzzer. Fans tried at first, but all the police officers, which there were a lot, blocked them until the Longhorns were fully gone and off the court. Then, it happened.
Everyone surrounded the Texas Tech team to congratulate and celebrate with them. It was like no atmosphere I have ever been a part of, and I've been to a lot of Texas Tech games. I was even there for the National Championship game.
This was something different. This year is going to be something different.
So to the Texas Tech fans who showed up and made me lose my voice and still have a racing heart the next day: thank you!
To Mark Adams: thank you for believing in this team, the university and for not getting on that plane.
To the team: keep doing what you’re doing, because we all believe in you and will be behind you every game. No matter what happens, we’re with you.