Texas Tech Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for Red Raiders

What are the expectations for Texas Tech Basketball for the 2020-21 season?

Coming off the best season in program history is always hard for any team. That happened for Texas Tech Basketball a year ago, playing in the 2019 national championship game against Virginia. They lost a ton of talent but still had plenty left over to have a quality campaign last season.

The Red Raiders went 18-13 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play. They were led by Jahmi’us Ramsey, who at the time was the highest-rated commit ever in basketball program history. He averaged 15.0 ppg and played his way into “one and done” status, ultimately getting drafted No. 43 to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Draft.

He’s not the only key departure for Texas Tech. Second-leading scorer Davide Moretti made the decision to go pro early, landing a contract in his home country of Italy. Starting forwards Chris Clarke and T.J. Holyfield both graduated, once again leaving another hole in the frontcourt for the team to fill.

The good news is that once again, head coach Chris Beard entered and succeeded in the transfer portal, landing a trio of key newcomers. He also brought in a top-20 recruiting class, including now the new highest-rated commit in program history.

How do these new players fit in? And is this roster good enough to compete for a Big 12 regular-season championship? And most importantly… what’s the real ceiling for Texas Tech Basketball for the upcoming season?

Here’s a closer look at the Red Raider players, schedule, and overall outlook.