There have been stretches in games this season, some longer than others, where Texas Tech has seemed capable of competing in the Big 12 Conference. But a 76-52 loss to Iowa State on Saturday at United Spirit Arena once again proved that winning games in one of the nation’s strongest leagues won’t come until the young team can clear a major hurdle — one that only experience can prepare a group to leap. “We haven’t responded well to adversity,” Tech coach Billy Gillispie said. “We don’t do it in practice and we don’t do it in games.”

How good is Iowa State's Royce White? "I don't think there's a player in our league who has a bigger affect on the offensive end of the court than him," Tech coach Billy Gillispie said. "That's no disrespect to anyone else. I'm not saying he's the best player, but he affects the offense as much as anyone in our league." At 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, White excels in areas few players his size can. He enters today's game averaging 13.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.

Andy Ellis had to endure his fair share of losing at Texas Tech. The former Red Raider forward, who currently serves as the team’s radio analyst, suffered a shoulder injury midway through a promising sophomore season in 2000, (he was averaging 17 points and nine rebounds per game), and Tech, hampered by his absence, lost its first nine Big 12 Conference games. A year later, the final season under coach James Dickey, the Red Raiders again struggled, finishing 3-13 in the Big 12 for the second straight time.