Texas Tech coach’s game-changing speech fires up Red Raiders ahead of Sweet 16 clash

After losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, Texas Tech is now the No. 3 seed and heading into their Sweet 16 game against Arkansas tonight. The pressure is on for head coach Grant McCasland’s team, and he gave them an inspiring locker room speech ahead of the clash.

Grant McCasland’s pre-game pep talk fires up Red Raiders

It’s been six years since the Red Raiders found themselves in the final of the March Madness tournament. Unfortunately, they fell to Virginia that year. But this year, they’re looking to make a comeback.

Texas Tech is back in the Sweet 16 after defeating UNCW and Drake in the first and second rounds. Head coach Grant McCasland is hoping to lead them to that comeback in his second year at the helm. Ahead of the game, he called on the team to focus on the greater purpose.

“There’s a lot of distractions that happen,” said McCasland to the team. “People want to know if they can have tickets and people want your autograph and want to say hi to you that did not want to say hi to you before. And you know what? You lose and those same people do not want to say hi to you again.”

McCasland reminded the team to move on from how they’ve played in the tournament so far because he said it wasn’t their best.

“We have not arrived. We are not what we need to be. But we have put ourselves in the position to do what we need to do in order to win these basketball games,” said McCasland before adding how much he loves working together as a team to get the victory.

“There’s nobody I’d rather do this with than y’all. Nobody.”

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