When Colorado threatened, Donovan Atwell drained clutch threes, silencing runs and securing a vital Texas Tech victory. He's the veteran stabilizer they desperately needed.
Texas Tech did not just beat Colorado on Saturday night. The Red Raiders survived the kind of game that tests your composure, your lungs, and your foul count.
And the player of the game was not up for debate.
Transfer guard Donovan Atwell caught fire at the exact moments Tech needed a bucket and finished with a team-high 17 points, burying five 3s that felt less like jump shots and more like emotional reset buttons for the whole arena. Every time Colorado made it uncomfortable, Atwell responded like he had a cheat code.
Atwell’s rise has been one of the sneaky stories of Texas Tech’s season. The senior transfer from UNC Greensboro has started all 16 games and is averaging nearly 12 points per night. The bigger number is his career-best 42 percent from 3.
Colorado tried to flip the script in the second half with a 9-0 run, and you could feel the mood shift in the building. The ball stopped going in, the whistles started piling up, and Tech briefly looked like a team trying to win a game while stepping on rakes.
Then Atwell did what veterans do.
He knocked down a huge 3 to stop the run at the 5:58 mark. A little later, he hit another that pushed the lead to 69-58 with just over four minutes left.
Head coach Grant McCasland loved the points, but he was even more impressed by the details.
“[Atwell] had four assists and no turnovers,” McCasland said after the game. “He had two huge threes late in that game that felt like it just settled us.”
That line says it all. Atwell is not just a shooter in this system. He's a stabilizer, a chess piece, and right now, a necessity. McCasland is running a shortened rotation thanks to injuries and inexperience, and the starters are carrying heavy minutes.
All five Tech starters logged at least 32 minutes, and four picked up four fouls. That is a recipe for tired legs and late-game chaos unless someone steps up with clean, confident offense.
While JT Toppin and Christian Anderson have been the steady leaders, Tech needed a third voice to show up in big moments. Atwell is becoming that guy, which is huge for a Big 12 grind and any March aspirations.
Texas Tech is back in action Wednesday night at home against Utah. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on Peacock. If Colorado learned anything, it is this ... when Tech needs a stopper, Atwell has the answer.