3. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Nobody will be able to doubt how fantastic of a season the Red Raiders just had, falling one shot short of an NCAA Tournament Championship.
Now, it will be reloading time in Lubbock, as Chris Beard will be tasked with the impossible job of filling in four starters from the best team in school history.
Matt Mooney, Tarik Owens, and Norense Odiase have all graduated. Jarrett Culver announced last week that he will leave for the NBA Draft. This is a thin-looking squad in Lubbock.
However, the Red Raiders are returning some talent. Davide Moretti is the top returner after having a massive breakout season at the shooting guard position.
Kyler Edwards will step into a starting job in his sophomore season after providing a huge spark off the bench for Texas Tech.
Chris Beard will also bring in a good recruiting class, as the Red Raiders have the second-ranked class in the Big 12. Headlining the class is top-30 guard Jahmius Ramsey, who will head to Lubbock alongside fellow top-100 forward Terrence Shannon, and the number two junior college recruit in Southern Idaho’s Khalid Thomas.
The Red Raiders might look a whole lot different next season, but given Beard’s excellence and the momentum around the program, the Red Raiders are a perennial top-25 team for next season.