Basketball Bonus

So, today, Texas Tech Sports included the men's basketball team playing the University of Texas Longhorns in Austin.  The Red Raiders had not won in Austin since 1996, but they won today!  The game was televised on the Longhorn Network.  It is difficult to watch a game with the opposing announcers commenting, but watching the game is better than listening to the radio.  Years ago, I would have listened to the radio, but with the changes in technology, sometimes listening to the radio and watching TV is not well synchronized.  

So, after the men's game, the Lady Raiders played against the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls in Stillwater, Ok. I was surprised to learn that the game was televised on Fox Sports Southwest, which is part of the Oklahoma State University network, and the Big 12 network.  

So, I was able to watch 2 Texas Tech basketball games on TV today. Yeah!

Basketball Tonight

Tonight, the Big 12 Women's Basketball conference games included a game in Lubbock, Texas between the Lady Raiders, and the Kansas Jayhawks.  it was a good game, even for much of the game, with 9 points being the highest point advantage by the Lady Raiders. It was closer than that during much of the game, but the Lady Raiders won by 3 points.  It was an exciting game, and a Big 12 win for the Lady Raiders, and the first for Coach Marlene Stollings.  Yeah, Lady Raiders!

Politics vs. Basketbal

On January 8, 2019,  President Trump was addressing the country live regarding the need for a border wall with Mexico to curtail/limit illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America.  He and Congress have shut down part of the government in their disagreement about this issue, and it appears no one will budge.  He started by saying he would own the shut down, but in true Trump fashion, he has been blaming the Democrats.   He has started making a case that this is a national security emergency, which lays the groundwork for him to order the military to build a wall, if Congress does not agree to otherwise fund it.  Where are we? Germany during the Cold War?  Berlin?  Check Point Charlie?  

So many of Trump's "policies" have been or bordered on inhumane.  The travel bans from various countries that eventually were enacted. Separating immigrant children from their families without regard for the welfare of the children or their families that were not upheld. The holding of immigrant children in conditions that lead to their deaths.  He even threatened to withhold emergency aid from California after some wildfires, because California has defied him. 

So, anyway, on January 8, 2019, President Trump addressed the country.  But, you know what, the No. 8 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders were playing the No. 23 ranked Oklahoma Sooners at home. The game was televised but on channels I do not get, so I listened on the radio.  It is a lively, close game.  

Basketball was more important than politics.

Conflicting Basketball GamesI

I get frustrated with Texas Tech Athletics when they schedule conflicting sporting events, especially in the same sport.   Tonight, the men's basketball team played against West Virginia in Morgantown, and won by 3.  That game started at 6 PM.  The women's team played against Oklahoma at Norman, starting at 6:30 and lost by 5, finishing just a few minutes after the men's team.

It was really frustrating to me also that the men's game was advertised as carried by ESPN2/ESPNU/TTSN, and not one of the cable channels I get carried the game, ESPN2 carried some other game.  I could have watched the game on my laptop or phone, but decided not to.  I listened to the first hour of the men's game on the radio. 

Then, Tech lost me.  Two NBA teams were playing on a channel I did get:  The Minnesota Timberwolves at the Boston Celtics, starting 7 PM.  This was a no brainer to watch, and the Celtics won, 115 to 102.  

A Basketball Bonanza

Thursday night, the Texas Tech Red Raiders Basketball Team played the Duke University Basketball Team at Madison Square Garden. The Garden was sold out and the people at ESPN said the viewership was the highest for a basketball game since 2015.  The announcers were very complimentary of the Tech team.  The Tech team got behind at first, lead for much of the game, and lost by a wider margin that would indicate how close the game was.

Friday night, I watched the Milwaukee Bucks win against the Boston Celtics NBA teams in Boston.  

Saturday, I watched the Texas Tech Lady Raiders play against the Texas Southern Lady Tigers.  The Raiders won.  After the game, there was an announcement on the radio that Coach Marlene Stollings is the first Lady Raider coach to start her career with an 8 and 2 record.  I hope this bodes well for her.  We shall see.

A Sports Day

Saturday, the 24th, was quite a sports day.  It started with the Texas Tech football team playing Baylor in Arlington, Texas.  The Tech team lost.  I went to see the Lady Raiders basketball team play the Houston Baptist Huskies.  The Lady Raiders won.  I stayed to watch the Red Raider basketball team play the Northern Colorado Bears.  The Red Raiders won.  The NBA Boston Celtics played the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas.  The Celtics lost.  Well .500 is not the best average, is it? 

Texas Tech Men's Basketball

Earlier this week, the Texas Tech Men's Basketball team played in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri.  The first game was against Southern Cal.  Tech won.  The team faced Nebraska the second night of the Classic, and I watched the pre-game show. Two of the announcers opted for Tech to win.  They also said that Tech might be a team the Duke team would lose to when they face them later in the season.  The Texas Tech basketball team has obtained some national credibility as a team!  Go, Texas Tech.

And it does not hurt that during the second game, Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech alum and former football quarterback at Tech, and now headline making quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, was in the audience.

You cannot pay for publicity like that!

Basketball

I bought season tickets for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders Basketball Games, which might be a rip off.  The tickets average out to $5 a game, and they are being sold singly at $3 a game. Oh well, I wanted to be supportive of the new era under Coach Marlene Stollings, and as a season ticket holder, I get preferred parking, free entry to other Tech female sports that are also Olympic sports, and some restaurant discounts for restaurants I do not usually frequent.  

Tonight was the season opener for the Lady Raiders, and they won.  I was smart enough to check the men's basketball schedule, and know they had a home game scheduled about an hour after the women's game.  That meant my ticket was good for both games.  I planned to work my 8 hours, and leave in time to go home, feed the cats and get to the Lady's game before it started at 5:30 PM.  I had dinner at the arena, and stayed for the men's game, too.  The men also won!  

This year, there is only one other double header at the United Supermarket Arena.  It is scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I will plan to attend both games that day.

There are other days that the men's team and the women's team play at home on the same day, but the amount of time separating both games allows for emptying the arena and the parking lot and charging two admissions.  What a bummer!

NCAA Final Four- March Madness - Basketball

Since Texas Tech lost to Villanova in the Elite Eight, I am not really interested in watching the Final Four games, which consist of Loyola-Chicago against Michigan, and Villanova against Kansas.  Today, Michigan won against Loyola-Chicago.  My hope is that Villanova will win against Kansas, and win the championship, so Texas Tech can say they lost to the champions.  Many people in Lubbock feel the same way!

West Texas Basketball

Texas is known for its love of football, and West Texas is no different than any other part of the state.

But guess what, West Texas has a long history of basketball excellence.  One place it started is with the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens , who are in the NAIA tournament 2018. The Texas Tech Lady Raiders won the 1993 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. The South Plains College Basketball history is amazing. And for the 6th year in a row, the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 championship will be held in Lubbock.  And in recent years,  the Lubbock Christian University Women's Basketball team  won their championship in 2016 and are in the running again this year.   And, this year, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are in the NCAA tournament.  



Go basketball!  

March Madness 2018

I like basketball, but I do not watch it just to watch it.  I have to be interested in a team that is playing. This year, the Texas Tech men's basketball team is in the hunt.  They won their first round of 64 game against Stephen F Austin University last night, so will progress to the round of 32 on Saturday.   I am excited about following their progress, and have good hopes for their success. 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Brackett.

Missing Games

I have been missing Texas Tech men's basketball games, and Lady Raider games.  Sometimes it is because I have something else to do, sometimes it is because I cannot find the radio broadcast of the game, and lo and behold, today, it was because I mis-read the schedule.  But that is okay.  The men won, and the women were routed.  I would have been miserable at the woman's game, anyway.

The men are having a very successful season, the women, a horrible season.  So be it.

25th Anniversay

2018 is the 25th anniversary of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders winning the NCAA National Championship Texas Tech basketball history.  The university has started celebrating this fall, although the game happened in 1993 in the spring.

At various Lady Raider games this year, the National Championship team, Coach Marsha Sharp, and Sheryl Swoopes have been honored.  So it was today at the throw back game. Of course, you would expect that.  Why celebrate if the stars cannot be there. 

Throw Back Basketball

The Texas Tech Basketball teams had a throw back weekend.  The men's and women's teams played in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum .  I have been to the Coliseum before, but I never went to a Tech basketball game there before today. I think a large reason for the change in venue was the United Supermarkets Arena was used for graduation this weekend. 

Yesterday, the men had an old timers game, and played their game against Rice and won.  Today, the women played against the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley and won.  

When I went to the Coliseum,  I thought the ease of parking and the closeness and intimacy of the arena was very nice.  I thought I would miss the electronics: no jumbo tron, no listing of players and points, rebounds and fouls.  

But the intimacy of the of the arena outweighed the lack of the electronics.  

It was really a fun experience.  If the Lady Raiders have more games in the Coliseum, I would not mind. 

Lady Raider Basketball

I have season tickets for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders Basketball team.  I went to the exhibition game against St. Edwards University.  It was a good game, in the respect that Texas Tech won.  The players had lots of energy, and they won by more than 30 points.  St. Edwards' team were not as good as Texas Tech, but even so, Texas Tech made a lot of mistakes.  As I left the game, I heard people talking about how good the team is was and how much energy they played with.  There is a lot to do to get ready for season play, and they have some serious opponents before pre-conference play.  We shall see how the season progresses. 

A Sports Week

The Celtics are in the NBA play offs http://www.nba.com/playoffs, so I have been able to watch their games the last few weeks. This week, so far, I have been able to watch either a Yankee or Red Sox baseball game or a Celtic basket ball game every night.  Tonight, I am watching the Yankees against the Blue Jays in New York  https://www.mlb.com/. I will watch Celtics basketball tomorrow night.  I think there is no Yankee or Red Sox baseball Friday night, and the only basketball I have a remote interest in is the Houston Rockets against the San Antonio Spurs, but Friday is Blue Bloods https://www.mlb.com/ night so no sports is okay, but if I decide on sports I can watch Blue Bloods on demand.

Basketball weekend, basketball night

This past Saturday the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Lady Raiders played basketball.  I listened to the men's game and attended the women's game.  Both teams played hard but lost.  Tonight, another Red Raider game against 4th ranked Baylor, and it is a good game.  The Red Raiders have a chance to win if they do not defeat themselves http://www.texastech.com/#headlines.   So, I am listening to the game again.

Tonight, the Boston Celtics play the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas http://www.nba.com/.  The game is in progress and I will watch it after the Texas Tech game is done.  I have been known to watch a game on TV and listen to a different game on the radio, but the Tech game is too exciting to be distracted by that.

The Tech game is close, but Tech is having trouble defending against Baylor, although Baylor's big scorer fouled out.  Just seconds left to go and it is a close game.  Tech is up by 7 with 26 seconds left.  Now it is a 4 point game with 15 seconds left, and Tech is shooting free throws.  Now it is a 6 point game.  With 3 seconds left, Tech is fouled.  Tech won the game, the students stormed the floor.   Go Tech.

Basketball

I like basketball.  I liked basketball when I was in high school, but followed it less when I was in collage.  When I moved to Texas, I tried to follow the Celtics as best I could.  I started following the Lady Raiders in the late 1980's and have followed them since.  I sometimes have season tickets, as I do this year.

I also watch and listen to the Red Raiders team. I still follow the Celtics, and to a lesser degree the Mavericks and Spurs.  I just am really a Celtics fan.

I had the opportunity to go to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.  I grew up in western Massachusetts, and never went to the Basketball Hall of Fame. It always looked so rundown and dingy.  But in it is in a nice modern facility, so I made it a point to go there, and enjoyed the tour. 

I just like basketball. 

A Very Nice Appreciation

This year, but not every year, I am a season ticket holder for the Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball team http://www.texastech.com/index.aspx?path=wbball.  Recently, the team had a home game against the New Mexico Lobos http://golobos.com/index.aspx?path=wbball, which is a very good team.  After the game, season ticket holders were invited to attend a meet and greet, and have a Fuddruckers hamburger meal http://www.fuddruckers.com/.  Each table at the event had a player or coach assigned.  I sat at Zuri Sander's http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/players/45994/ table. Ms. Sanders was a most gracious, gregarious giving and open ambassador of her team and her sport. It was a very pleasant experience, and I am grateful to Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball for sponsoring the event. It was really fine. We even were able to talk to and thank Coach Whitaker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candace_Whitaker for the event!  Thanks Coach

Texas Tech Men's Basketball

In my mailbox the other day, I received an invitation to attend the Texas Tech Men's Basketball exhibition game on November 4, 2016 against Missouri Western State University http://texastech.com/news/2016/11/3/mens-basketball-faces-off-with-missouri-western-state-in-lone-exhibition-tilt.aspx.  I was also supposed to get a voucher for two more tickets.  I went to the game tonight, and received my free ticket. I forgot about the voucher, and did not get it.  I think I need to complain to someone. But I am not sure to whom I should complain.  I can call the ticket office Monday morning.

I went to the game. It was okay.  Tech blew out the opponent, but that was expected, I think.