TULSA -- As Texas Tech finished its Thursday practice at Tulsa Union High School, coaches had to nudge and prod sophomore Jarrett Culver onto the team bus.
He needed to take five more shots and go one-on-one against the team manager and watch two more scouting clips on his laptop, as coach Chris Beard explained later at an NCAA media availability ahead of Friday's first-round matchup with Northern Kentucky in the West Region.
It's part of Culver's basketball DNA, a key reason how the Dallas native transformed in two seasons from a promising high school prospect who stayed home for college to an intriguing freshman on an Elite Eight team to the Big 12 player of the year.