Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Examining title contenders, Texas Tech’s return & more takeaways

By Brian Rauf

LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders goes in to dunk the basketball during the first half of the game Kansas Jayhawks on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders goes in to dunk the basketball during the first half of the game Kansas Jayhawks on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 9
Next
LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 23: Tariq Owens #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the basketball during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 23: Tariq Owens #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders dunks the basketball during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on February 23, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

1. Texas Tech‘s return to elite status

The last time the Red Raiders made an appearance in the Rauf Report, it was me questioning whether they deserved to be recognized as one of the better teams in the country.

Since then, they’ve answered that question with a resounding yes. Texas Tech went through a stretch in late January where they lost three consecutive games at the hands of Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas State. A 16-point loss to Kansas the following week put them at just 5-4 in conference play and outside the top-25 in my weekly rankings.

Now, Texas Tech is on a five-game win streak with their last two victories coming by a combined 54 points (over Baylor and KU, no less). Their average margin of victory during this stretch is 25 points. Jarrett Culver, a projected top 10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, is playing as well as he has all season, but he’s also getting help – particularly from beyond the arc. The Red Raiders made 16 three-pointers as a team in the win over Kansas, marking the fourth straight game in which they’ve hit at least 10 threes.

They now have the offensive pop to complement their always solid defense, which still leads the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Yes, they rank better than Virginia.

Yet despite their newfound offense and the nation’s top defense, they’re still a game behind K-State in the Big 12 standings. They may not control their own destiny, but they did (essentially) end KU’s streak. And they’ll make the longest run of any Big 12 team in the NCAA Tournament.

Home/NCAA Basketball News