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Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Make The 2018 NCAA Tournament

By Matthew Conner

Feb 4, 2017; Lubbock, TX, USA; Fire illuminates the United Supermarkets Arena before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 77-69. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Lubbock, TX, USA; Fire illuminates the United Supermarkets Arena before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 77-69. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 5 Chris Beard Year Two

Anytime a new coach takes over a program there is certain to be an adjustment period.  That was certainly the case for Chris Beard at Texas Tech this year.

After being an assistant coach with the Red Raiders from 2001-2011, Beard made a name for himself as one of the top young coaches in the game.  He has an overall record of 114-44 as a head coach and led the 2015-16 Arkansas-Little Rock team to a 30-5 record and a second-round NCAA Tournament birth.

His first season at Texas Tech was not as successful as he expected.  However, year two looks promising.

Beard brought with him a new style of play, especially on the offensive end of the court.  His motion offense requires players to think and move differently than they did under Tubby Smith.

Smith ran an offense the was predicated on running down the shot clock to minimize the number of possessions in a game.  When the possession neared 15 seconds to go, he often had his players run set plays to get open looks.

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Beard’s offense is built on a philosophy and understating of systems, not set plays.  Next year, the core of the team will have spent a year learning the motion offense and the results should be evident.

Furthermore, Beard is a tireless worker.  As mentioned earlier, he brought in eight new players after taking over in March of last year.  He has a strong five-player recruiting class on board and is still looking to add more talent.

Just this week 6-10 center Malik Ondingo released his top-5 schools and Texas Tech was one of the finalists.


The three-star Connecticut prospect could be another strong addition to the 2017 signing class and another foundational piece of the Red Raider future.

What we’ve learned about Beard is that his drive is relentless.  Consider that when Smith left Texas Tech, he had only one player committed for 2017.

Beard is passionate about Texas Tech and considers this his dream job.  This season’s disappointments are certain to push him even further in his never-ending quest to take the Texas Tech basketball team to new heights.

Next: TTU Basketball: What Went Wrong In 2016-17

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