Texas Tech men's basketball prepping for season opener under coach Mark Adams

The time to play for real is almost here.

The Texas Tech men's basketball has gone through a pair of secret scrimmages, reportedly against Wichita State and New Mexico State, which allowed the coaching staff to acquire some learning lessons for the players.

After seeing several weaknesses exposed, head coach Mark Adams feels like his squad is poised to start the regular season in less than a week.

The Red Raiders are scheduled to face off against North Florida at 7 p.m. Tuesday inside United Supermarkets Arena.

"We just learned more about ourselves," Adams said of what was learned from the two scrimmages. "When you go through a scrimmage like that, your focus is how you can get better. So we played against two really tough teams and they exposed some of our weaknesses, which we knew they would, which gives us a chance to spend most of that time at practice trying to get better and learn from those mistakes."

One positive Adams can takeaway is the depth his squad possesses at all positions.

It all starts with returners Kevin McCullar and Terrence Shannon, Jr. electing to run it back for another season and adding several impact transfers such as Oral Robert's Kevin Obanor and UTEP's Bryson Williams.

McCullar is being asked to take on the point guard role along with Mylik Wilson, Davion Warren and Adonis Arms. If McCullar, who can guard the 1-4 spots, figures out the new role the Red Raiders will be in a good spot with

Sardaar Calhoun and Chibuzo Agbo are also in the mix to help with their perimeter defense and ability to shoot 3-point shots.

"Having the first two scrimmages have been good," McCullar said. "Kind of build the team camaraderie. We're still a work in progress. We're just going to have to keep working every day to get better by March."

But, that doesn't mean a starting rotation has been figured out yet.

"You hope sooner rather than later," Adams said. "As a head coach, you're always trying to not only find the best players and put them on the floor, but find those guys that play well together.

"So we have a couple of challenges. But it's a good problem to have when you have this much depth."

In the post, Texas Tech appears to like the mix of Williams and Obanor who can not only finish at the rim but pull their defender outside due to their ability to drain the 3-point shot. They will be aided by East Los Angeles College transfer KJ Allen, Marcus Santos-Silva and see some stints from Arizona transfer Daniel Batcho.

Obanor was one of the best to do that last season, netting 46.3 percent of those shots while averaging 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds.

Williams, who averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season with the Miners, shot 48.1 percent from the field. It dropped to 32.1 percent when he stepped behind the 3-point line, but that's a challenge he's taken on along with improving his defense — that included 12 blocked shots a year prior — with the Red Raiders.

"He wants me to shoot a lot more 3s," Williams said of his discussions with his head coach. "He wants me to continue working on my 3-ball because he wants me to be able to shoot them in games. So I've been working vigorously on that.

"I've always been able to shoot, but I want to be able to just be a much more consistent shooter and be able to knock them down when we need them."

If Obanor and Williams are able to knock down three-pointers, which would allow the offense to spread the floor, the Red Raiders could start to show improvements and get closer to playing the up-tempo style Adams has been talking about since his hiring back in the spring.

"It's very exciting," Williams said of the season opener. "Every opponent coming up, it's very humbling, it's very exciting to get into the next competition coming up here at Texas Tech. Very excited, very ready for the game."

Texas Tech men's basketball injury updates

After Big 12 Media Days in Kansas City back on Oct. 10, Adams indicated Clarence Nadolny could be ready to play by the season opener against North Florida.

Things may have shifted a bit as the Red Raiders coach disclosed the 6-foot-2 guard, who underwent hip surgery in the spring still needs time before he can get back in uniform.

"I think he's still a few weeks away, but we're excited to get him back on the floor," Adams said. "He works his as hard on his rehab as he does on the floor. ... He's going to be a tremendous addition when he gets back on the floor for us."

The sophomore guard has been rehabilitating while working on his dribbling and shooting when allowed by the training staff.

Speaking of Big 12 Media Days, junior Terrence Shannon, Jr. did not make the trip as a precautionary measure due to illness. The 6-6 wing also, according to online, did not play in the Red Raiders secret scrimmage against New Mexico State last week.

Nothing appeared to be wrong with Shannon, who was working on his 3-point shot, free throws and jumper while Adams spoke to the media Wednesday inside the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Practice Facility.

"He didn't play in any of our scrimmages, which I really can't talk a lot about," Adams said, potentially referring to the classified nature of the scrimmage against the Aggies. "But, as you see, he's healthy, shooting the ball well."

TEXAS TECH VS. NORTH FLORIDA

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 9

Where: United Supermarkets Arena

Records: Season opener for both squads

Last season's records: Texas Tech 18-11; North Florida 8-15.

Twitter updates: Follow @cmsilvajr

Notable: The game will be streamed online on ESPN+.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech men's basketball ready for season opener vs North Florida