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USATSI

Texas Tech coach Chris Beard launched into a tirade directed at the officials that got him ejected in the final minute of the No. 7 Red Raiders' 82-71 loss to No. 14 West Virginia on Tuesday. Included in Beard's diatribe was a moment in which he sat on the court, then gave a fist bump for Mountaineers' coach Bob Huggins, all while doing a lot of maskless yelling.

In the end, it got him sent to the locker room shortly before his team, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped at the hand of the Mountaineers. The play that preceded Beard's outburst involved West Virginia guard Miles McBride calling a timeout after diving on the floor for a loose ball with WVU leading 77-71 and 26.3 seconds remaining. That appeared to be the tipping point for him as his frustrations with the officiating boiled over.

Texas Tech was called for 29 fouls in the game, compared to just 20 against West Virginia. The Mountaineers hit 29-of-39 free-throws, compared to just 14-of-20 for the Red Raiders. The difference was particularly glaring in the second half, as WVU shot 27 free throws, compared to just 10 for Texas Tech.

After the game, Beard said he was defending his players with his outburst.

"There was no message there," Beard said. "I just thought that from a coaching standpoint, you gotta fight for your players. Obviously college basketball, you guys know the drill, Big 12 policy and all that, but I would just say from my point of view, the West Virginia player was calling for a timeout on the floor. I could see it and hear it where I was standing. It's still a two possession game at that point. If that call is made, then we've got a chance to set up our press and still have a chance to play the game. That call sent a 90% free throw shooter to the line and it's gonna separate the game to a three possession game."

Despite the loss, the No. 7 Red Raiders (14-6, 6-5 Big 12) are still in great shape, having entered the night as a projected No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to CBS Sports Bracketology expert Jerry Palm. West Virginia (13-6, 6-4) entered the night as a projected No. 4 seed and has now won five of its last six games.