Bracketology 2023: Complete Bubble Watch before final weekend of regular season
By Joey Loose
Texas Tech: 16-14 (5-12 in Big 12): NET: 52
There are people out there who believe that a team should finish at or above .500 in conference play to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Texas Tech breaks that theory. The Red Raiders have had some really rough stretches this season, but their 5 Quad 1 wins are a lot more than some of these other bubble teams can boast about.
After an uninspiring 10-2 start to the year, the Red Raiders lost their first eight games in conference play, but have started to accumulate some resume-building wins. They’ve beaten Iowa State, Kansas State, and Texas at home in recent weeks and have gotten that conference record back in more respectable shape, though 5-12 really isn’t great regardless of the league. There’s also the matter that more than half of their wins are against Quad 4 competition.
Texas Tech is on the outside, but we’re talking about them for a reason. This is a talented team that’s shown life in recent weeks and could potentially go on a run during the Big 12 Tournament. We’re not sure if it’ll take a Big 12 Tournament title to get the job done, but clearly, it’s going to take multiple wins against Quad 1 opponents. If the Red Raiders can get to the title game of the Big 12, then perhaps it could happen. At the very least, their NET is in reasonable shape for their record.