Big 12 Conference Preview: #9 Texas Tech Red Raiders
2013-14 Season Results: 14-18 overall, 6-12 conference record. 9th in the Big 12, 62-80 loss to Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
Key Losses: Jay Crockett (graduation), Jordan Tolbert (transfer to SMU), Dusty Hannahs (transfer to Arkansas), Dejan Kravic (graduation), Jamal Williams (graduation), Kader Tapsoba (graduation).
Key Returners: G Robert Turner, G Toddrick Gotcher, F Aaron Ross, G Randy Onwuasor.
2014 Recruiting Class: Keenan Evans (Rivals 3-star, #64 PG according to ESPN), Isaiah Manderson (Rivals 3-star, #51 C according to ESPN), Justin Gray (Rivals 3-star, #51 SG according to ESPN), Norense Odiase (Rivals 3-star), Zach Smith (Rivals 3-star), Justin Jamison (JuCo), Devaugntah Williams (JuCo).
The 2014-5 season for Texas Tech is something of a crossroads. Tubby Smith is now in his second season with the Red Raiders, and he has an impressive recruiting class that hopes to make an immediate impact. However, the Big 12 is such a competitive conference that there is very little room for error. As well, the non-chalk programs such as Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas rarely finish outside of the top five of the conference. It’s an uphill task for Tubby Smith, but he finally his boots on the ground in Lubbock, and he’s ready to establish Texas Tech as a Big 12 basketball powerhouse.
So why the optimism for a team that is losing its top two scorers from a team that finished second to last in conference play last season? Simply put, Tubby Smith’s 2014 recruiting class is stacked with 3-star athletes that are all looking to make an immediate impact. Isaiah Manderson, the 6-foot-11 center who originally committed to play for Craig Robinson at Oregon State before Robinson was fired, is someone that is excited to play for both the program and, most importantly, his coach. It’s refreshing to see that loyalty, especially since two of Texas Tech’s top four scorers from last season have since transferred – forward Jordan Tolbert to SMU and guard Dusty Hannahs to Arkansas.
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Guards Robert Turner and Toddrick Gotcher return to help bolster a Red Raiders team that has some holes in its starting five, especially in the post. Turner and Gotcher averaged 13.1 and 10.9 points per game last season in the backcourt, respectively, playing in every game for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lost 7-foot center/forward Dejan Kravic to graduation, as well as his backup Kader Tapsoba, opening up an immediate spot for incoming freshman Isaiah Manderson. Texas Tech had the best defense in the Big 12 last season, holding opponents to just 68.0 points per game. They also finished 9th in the conference in rebounding, which puts an even bigger onus on Manderson and a relatively small Texas Tech roster.
There’s tangible positives on defense for these Red Raiders, but their offense is what held them to only 6 conference wins last year, two of those coming against lowly TCU. The Big 12 may not prove to be as unpredictable as it was last season, which felt like it was a banner year for multiple-overtime conference slugfests, but it may prove to be difficult for Texas Tech to emerge from the conference cellar with TCU. I believe they will notch more than 6 wins in conference, but that probably won’t be enough to finish higher than, say, 7th in the Big 12. This Texas Tech team will, however, give some other Big 12 teams fits and will win a few games they “shouldn’t” have – just not yet enough to stake a claim in that upper echelon of Big 12 royalty.
Projected Finish: 9th