Texas Tech guard talks return of Chris Beard to Lubbock

On Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET, Chris Beard will make his long-awaited return to Lubbock, where the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-5, 5-3) will play host to the visiting No. 23 Texas Longhorns (16-5, 5-3). And needless to say, it’ll be quite a hostile environment in United Supermarkets Arena.

Beard, an alumnus of Texas, now coaches his alma mater, a job he accepted just this year. But of course, Beard would never have gotten the opportunity to succeed Shaka Smart at Texas, if not for his time with Texas Tech: he last coached with Texas Tech for five seasons, amassing a 112-55 overall record at the helm, all while leading the Red Raiders to new heights. In fact, during the 2018-19 season, he managed to lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament finals, where they eventually lost to Virginia in overtime.

But when he left Lubbock in favor of Austin, Texas Tech fans were not happy to hear their coach of five seasons had left for a conference rival. As such, Texas Tech guard Terrence Shannon expects his home team to have quite the advantage as Beard returns to town.

“I’m not scared for him. He’s a tough guy. I hope they behave. Just don’t do anything to get us a technical foul,” Shannon said, when asked of Beard’s return to Texas Tech. “They don’t like him. They might throw stuff at him. Hopefully they don’t. Just chant stuff.”

Suffice to say, things could get chippy between Texas and Texas Tech tonight, two teams with identical records hoping to differentiate themselves from the pack of the Big 12.

Tip off between Texas and Texas Tech is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.

Beard retools Texas roster

Since his arrival in Austin, Beard has utilized both the NCAA Transfer Portal and the recruiting trail to create a unique roster, one that features several highly-capable scorers on which the Longhorns can rely.

Beard’s team has three different players averaging double-digit points per game: forward Timmy Allen is averaging 11.8 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game; guard Marcus Carr is averaging 10.6 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game; and guard Andrew Jones is averaging 10.1 points per game, coupled with 3.0 rebounds per game. But perhaps most impressively, Texas’ well-rounded scoring approach extends beyond these three — Beard has several more weapons averaging 9.8 points, 8.9 points, 5.9 points and 5.9 points per game, revealing his balanced offensive attack.