NCAA Basketball: Buy or sell Gonzaga, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas Tech as national title contenders

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Buy or Sell: Sell
Texas Tech is a late entrance to the national championship contender mix thanks to the surge they went on to end the season, closing on a nine-game win streak.

The Red Raiders proved they’re legitimate top 10 team during that stretch thanks to their improvement offensively.

It’s Chris Beard’s team – not Virginia – that leads the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, and they’ve dominated on that end of the floor all year long. But they’ve been able to take their game to a new level thanks to a new offensive outburst triggered by a more wide-open system and more three-point shooting.

Texas Tech went 6-4 in the first 10 games of 2019, averaging just 64.4 points per game. Since that last loss, which came to Kansas on Feb. 2, the Red Raiders made some adjustments and are averaging 79.7 points per game during this nine-game win streak.

I think this turnaround has made the Red Raiders a legitimate Final Four team…yet I still think something’s lacking when it comes to them competing for a national championship. Jarrett Culver is a legitimate star, but when teams have been able to take him away, that’s when the Red Raiders struggle.

Not every team is good enough to do that but the teams they’ll play later in the tournament will be.

I’m all in on Texas Tech repeating last season’s Elite Eight run and potentially making the Final Four. I think a national title may be out of the cards, though.

The NCAA Tournament is about Cinderella’s and everyone loves when someone other than the favorite cuts down the nets. However, there are only a handful of teams with the potential to win the tournament, and you shouldn’t believe in some of these fringe contenders.