Team meeting works for Texas Tech, so Iowa State tries it

The winner held a players-only meeting before the game that helped inspire a victory.

The loser held a players-only meeting afterward and hopes to keep the losing contained.

Texas Tech’s victory over then-No. 9 Iowa State on Saturday sent ripples through the Big 12. The team tied for first in the Big 12 had fallen to the team in dead last.

Sometime after the Red Raiders had lost at Oklahoma State earlier in the week, the players held a closed-door meeting. No coaches.

“I’m glad it happened,” Tech coach Tubby Smith said. “I’m glad they took the initiative to do that.”

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, players who were slogging through an 0-6 league start, said enough was enough.

“We got tired of losing,” junior guard Toddrick Gotcher said. “We called a meeting. We were tired of losing and wanted to change it immediately, not in 10 games but immediately.”

Tech did just that, opening a 19-point first-half lead and holding off a furious Cyclones’ rally for a 78-73 victory. It was Tech’s first victory over a top-10 team since beating Kansas in 2009.

The Red Raiders’ struggling offense came to life with its best output of the Big 12 season, led by a season-high 22 points by Devaughtah Williams.

Iowa State suffered one of its shooting swoons, hitting six of 31 three-pointers. In an earlier loss to South Carolina, the Cyclones missed 17 of 18 from deep.

“We’re better when the ball touches the post,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said.

Hoiberg said he thought his team was ready despite a couple of emotional home victories, over Kansas and Kansas State last week. Against Tech, the emotion occurred in the locker room after the loss in a players-only meeting.

The Cyclones didn’t have much time to dwell on the loss because Texas traveled to Ames on Monday. This time, Iowa State was ready and won 89-86.

This story was originally published January 26, 2015 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Team meeting works for Texas Tech, so Iowa State tries it."