



After three minutes and 23 seconds on Thursday evening, Jarrett Culver and the Texas Tech Red Raiders looked to be in serious trouble. The No. 12 team in the country was facing an uphill battle, at least on paper, against Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden and, in the early going, Texas Tech’s offense gagged on itself to the tune of an 8-0 deficit and an early timeout.

With haste, though, Culver and the rest of Chris Beard’s team awakened, and the performance was a reminder of something that was already quite clear before tip: Culver, a 19-year-old guard for the Red Raiders, looks the part of a lottery pick when the 2019 NBA Draft arrives in June.

Culver was a part of his team’s early issues, struggling to find his rhythm due to two misses and a turnover in the opening minutes. From there, however, Culver asserted himself on the game, making five of his next six shots (including two threes) and acting as the engine of an impressive 21-6 run to claim the lead over the nation’s most talented team. Texas Tech battled Duke for the majority of the game before relenting on the way to an 11-point win but, before the result was final, Culver did plenty to announce his presence against the best competition he’ll face this season.

The 6’5 sophomore finished with 25 points on 9-for-21 shooting (4-for-9 from three) with six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. Along the way, Culver enjoyed quite a few standout moments, including a deep three that sent the Red Raiders faithful into a frenzy in New York.

Jarrett Culver a step behind the NBA line pic.twitter.com/8o52F7Kf0g — Max Carlin (@mcarlinwustl) December 21, 2018

Seconds later, Culver pushed back against questions about his perceived athletic limitations with a blow-by and a dunk.

Jack White can't slide with Culver pic.twitter.com/BNmwHOneMl — Max Carlin (@mcarlinwustl) December 21, 2018

Before the season, many believed Culver might be a first-round pick and, by the end of November, the 19 year old was climbing into the mix with regard to lottery consideration. At this point, however, it might be more of an upset if Culver was not selected by a team that did not make the 2019 NBA Playoffs, and some in the draft-focused world envision a top-five landing spot as a possibility.