Texas Tech Basketball: 2019-20 season recap for Red Raiders
By David Mullen
What to make of this season
After two consecutive March Madness berths including a national title appearance, the Red Raiders had higher than normal predictions. In most, if not all, pre-season rankings the Red Raiders were in the top 15 after coming off a 31-win season.
Despite losing their best offensive player in Jarrett Culver to the NBA, the Texas Tech Red Raiders were expected to re-tool and compete. They brought in two highly-regarded freshmen in Jahmi’us Ramsey and Terrence Shannon Jr. Ramsey exploded onto the scene averaging 15 points per game while Shannon Jr. also did his part with almost 10 points per game. Ramsey earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
Head coach Chris Beard had a solid showing this year given the circumstances. As with many other teams, most observers would like to see more consistency but consistency became a rare word around midseason in the college basketball landscape. Beard is going into his fifth year. His system is in place and we’re seeing the fruits of his labor.
Last year, Beard took his team to the national championship and the year prior, his team lost in the regional finals. Beard isn’t going anywhere unless he is lured to a top-tier program which is very possible. However, it would be nice to see Beard stick with Texas Tech and turn them into a perennial power.