It would appear that sixth-ranked Texas Tech may have avoided its worst-case scenario with star guard Keenan Evans.
The senior is considered day-to-day with a toe injury suffered Saturday in a loss at Baylor, and could play as soon as Wednesday against Oklahoma State, Red Raiders coach Chris Beard said Monday.
“It’s going to come down to just pain tolerance and can he move,” Beard said, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “We all know Keenan is a warrior. He’s going to do everything he possibly can to play. ... At the end of the day, just kind of how he reacts to his body.”
Tech coach Chris Beard on Evans: “It’s going to come down to just pain tolerance and can he move. We all know Keenan is a warrior. He’s going to do everything he possibly can to play. ... At the end of the day, just kind of how he reacts to his body.”
— Carlos Silva Jr. (@cmsilvajr) February 19, 2018
Evans is averaging 18.2 points per game for the Red Raiders, and his health is paramount for their attempt to unseat Kansas atop the Big 12. Texas Tech and the Jayhawks are locked in a first-place tie with matching 10-4 league records with four games to play. After the Red Raiders’ trip to Stillwater on Wednesday, they host Kansas on Saturday in a game that very well could decide the fate of the Jayhawks’ 13-year run of conference championships.
While the Big 12 race is certainly front of mind, the fact that Evans is potentially going to be able to play this week is a great sign for Texas Tech. Even if Evans does need to miss a game or two to get his toe fully healthy, the timeline and conditions Beard laid out Monday suggest that he’ll be good to go before the NCAA tournament for a Red Raiders team that certainly is a contender to finish its season in its home state - at the Final Four in San Antonio.