12. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Record: 10-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Last Week: No. 12
Texas Tech lost its only game of this past week but we still learned that this team is for real. Behind elite defensive play and a superb performance from Jarrett Culver, the Red Raiders competed with Duke on a neutral court for almost the entirety of their matchup before eventually falling by 11 down the stretch. This game, though, was clearly closer than the final margin might indicate. Because of this, I simply could not drop Texas Tech as they were quite impressive even in the losing effort.
Even though he just a fourth-year head coach, Chris Beard has already emerged as one of the best sideline leaders in the nation. He has a tremendous basketball mind, is a great motivator, and seems to always get the best out of his teams. A budding star on the recruiting trail as well, Coach Beard attracted a ton of talent to Lubbock. Just about every contributor on the current Texas Tech roster was recruited by Beard, either out of high school or as a transfer, and he has a done a great job molding this roster in his image.
Sure, the Red Raiders have not played an extremely difficult schedule to this point but they deserve the benefit of the doubt. Texas Tech has eviscerated just about every opponent that they should have beaten to this point and their defense, which is arguably the best in the nation, is a major reason why.