Bracketology 2020: Duke, Texas Tech and Utah State among biggest losers
Texas Tech (18-11, 9-7 Big 12)
A few weeks ago, it looked like Chris Beard had gotten his team back on the right track when they booked consecutive wins over Oklahoma at home and Texas on the road. The wins made it seem as though Texas Tech was back on solid ground among the Big 12’s top four with Kansas, Baylor, and West Virginia. It’s been a tumultuous road for the Red Raiders since then.
Last week, Texas Tech split their slate of road games, first losing on the road to Oklahoma State before blasting Iowa State by 30 in Ames. Those results didn’t really move the needle much one way or the other, as the defeat in Gallagher-Iba Arena is still a Quadrant 1 loss. The boost in the analytics ratings that the Raiders saw from their shellacking of the Cyclones offset some of the damage from the OK State game.
On the flipside of their schedule from two weeks ago, Texas Tech went on the road to face Oklahoma before hosting Texas in Lubbock. But while the Raiders were celebrating two victories a fortnight ago, they’re mourning two losses from this past week. These weren’t buzzer-beater games, either. Chris Beard’s team suffered double-digit defeats to both the Sooners and the Longhorns, raising questions about Texas Tech’s place in the Big Dance.
For now, most of the danger is to the Red Raiders’ seeding. They currently do not have any losses in Quadrant 3 or 4, which is more than many of their peers can say. However, a 3-8 mark against Quadrant 1 opponents does not bode well for how Texas Tech will fare against top competition in the NCAA Tournament. Still, they have fallen from the six-to-eight range to probably closer to the eight-to-ten area for seeding purposes.
There is still time to grab some massive victories, though, and turn things around. Texas Tech has games next week against Baylor and Kansas that could help change the narrative around this team. Even if they don’t win either of those games, the Raiders need to show up and put in a respectable performance against these titans of the sport. If they do win one or both games, though, Texas Tech will likely find themselves wearing the home whites in the NCAA Tournament. If not? There’s a chance they could fall all the way to the First Four in Dayton.