Texas Tech envisioned a different ending against Jayhawks: ‘Life’s unfair sometimes’

Suffice it to say Texas Tech’s men’s basketball fans, players and head coach Mark Adams disagreed with a no-foul call on one of the biggest plays in the Red Raiders’ 75-72 loss to the Jayhawks on Tuesday night at United Supermarkets Arena.

“I really don’t know what to say about it. I think it was a foul but life’s unfair sometimes, … so got to keep pushing,” Tech freshman guard Pop Isaacs said after the Jayhawks snapped the Red Raiders’ 29-game home-court win streak.

To set the scene of a big play involving Isaacs ... the Red Raiders (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) were down 73-72 entering what could have been their final possession.

Isaacs dribbled up top then stormed down the middle of the lane and drew contact with KU defender Bobby Pettiford. Bothered by what one reporter called a “hip check,” by Pettiford, Isaacs lost the ball. Kevin McCullar, the former Red Raider who transferred to KU last spring, made the steal and passed ahead to KJ Adams, who dunked with seven seconds left to increase KU’s lead from one point to 75-72.

The Red Raiders feel Isaacs should have been sent to the free throw line, a trip that could have given Tech the lead with nine seconds left and definitely would have negated the Adams jam, which came at 0:07.

“I caught the ball (and) drove down the middle. There was some contact. There was no call obviously,” explained Isaacs, who had a fabulous game with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting (4-of-9 threes) in 34 minutes. “It was a physical game the whole time.”

Second year Tech coach Adams backed Isaac’s statement in commenting: “Pop said it better than I could. You know life is unfair. There was a lot of contact.”

Right before Isaacs darted down the lane, KU’s Jalen Wilson and Tech’s Daniel Batcho became tangled up around the goal, with Batcho falling to the ground yet no foul called on Wilson.

“That’s a good refereeing crew,” Tech coach Adams stated. “And we were hoping we get that call (on Isaac’s contact with Pettiford). It just saddens me for the players that played so hard. They didn’t want this winning streak to come to an end. Our fans have been great. Red Raider nation has been absolutely the best and our guys love playing for the crowd and our fans. It was a very painful time right after the game to talk about that, a lot of tears.

“The guys just played their hearts out,” Adams continued. “I was so proud of them the way they responded that second half. It just hurts the game had to end that way.”

Adams did not raise his voice with media. He spoke matter-of-factly about the end of the contest.

Tech had a final possession after the KJ Adams slam. KU’s McCullar guarded Kevin Obanor, who missed a possible game-tying three with a second left.

“We all know how great Kevin Obanor was tonight. It goes back to a guy who had one of his worst games of the year against TCU,” coach Adams said. Obanor, a 6-8 senior from Houston, scored six points with four rebounds in Saturday’s 67-61 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Then he responded the way we knew a champion would in K.O. Very pleased and impressed with how he played. He had what, 26 points (including four threes and seven rebounds in 37 minutes)?” Adams asked. “He hit some big shots down the stretch and I’m not sure he got fouled on that last one (that missed to end game). He was fighting all the way through.”

Adams did offer an interesting take on the Jayhawks that involved officiating.

“There’s a lot of mistakes we made. The most important thing is we fought. We attacked. We didn’t give up,” Tech’s Adams said. “Our guys were very resilient. They believed in each other down the stretch. There’s a reason Kansas won a national championship last year. They are third in the country now. A lot of times when you play those teams you really have to go out and beat ‘em. A lot of times they get the close calls. But we’ll continue to learn. One thing we learned (is) we played great at TCU the first half and really well against Kansas the second. We’ve got to put those two 20 minutes together and play a full game.”

KU coach Bill Self didn’t comment on the officiating Tuesday. He credited McCullar for his steal and pitch ahead to KJ Adams to put KU up three late. Some thought Adams was fouled by Batcho on that dunk.

“He (McCullar) was aggressive. He didn’t make shots, but made the biggest shot of the game (to put KU up 73-70 at 1:20). He didn’t do a ton. He got the biggest steal of the game. We wouldn’t have won without Kevin in the last 40 seconds or whatever it was,” Self said.

Self credited his players for hanging on at the end.

“They did cut it to one,” Self said of the Red Raiders. “When the other team is playing with house money, coming from behind, the basket grows and ours shrinks and the crowd is into it. It’s tough. I’ll say this about my guys. We don’t always play well, but my guys have played in a lot of big games. Key players have played in big games. When you’ve got a point guard that can handle a game as well as we have, that gives everybody confidence. We would have had to play extremely well tonight to have a chance to win this game. Fortunately for us we did.”

More on big KU victory

Self wanted desperately for his Jayhawks, who led by 10 points with 3 1/2 minutes left to play, to hold off hard-charging Texas Tech in regulation.

“We didn’t have much left,” Self said after KU’s 75-72 victory. “If it had gone to overtime, it probably wouldn’t have been a good thing for us today.”

The Jayhawks — they exerted plenty of effort in overcoming a 15-point deficit in a 69-67 come-from-behind victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse — on Tuesday were missing guard Joseph Yesufu, who Self said is “day-to-day” after tweaking his hamstring at practice this week.

“I think it shows we’re tough, gritty (in winning two close game in a row),” sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford said after scoring seven points and dishing six assists with four rebounds in 25 minutes.

Self noted that he felt “we played well (Tuesday). Anytime you score 75 points on the road it’s a good thing, especially against a team that guards like Texas Tech.”

Rotation cut against Tech

Self wound up using primarily six players Tuesday.

Jalen Wilson (16 points, six rebounds, three assists) played 39 minutes. Dajuan Harris (career-high 18 points, three assists, just three turnovers, two steals) played 36 minutes. Gradey Dick (11 points, eight rebounds) and KJ Adams (14 points, five rebounds) each went 31 minutes while Kevin McCullar (seven points) and Pettiford played 27 and 25 minutes respectively.

Zuby Ejoifor played five minutes, Cam Martin played four and MJ Rice went for two. They combined for two points and two boards.

“I was prepared to play different spots (and) know different spots, not just the 1 (point guard),” Pettiford said. “Coming in for Juan (at point), … I (also) had to know if I’m in for ‘J-Will,’ Gradey or Kevin. I have to know all the plays, know all the offenses. Even with the mistakes I made I’ve got to play through it. Our team is short right now. I had to bring energy,” Pettiford added.

KU (13-1, 2-0) will next meet West Virginia (10-4, 0-2) at 5 p.m. Central on Saturday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.