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Texas Tech Basketball No. 4 Seed In First “Bracketology” Prediction

By Matthew Conner

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Members of the Texas Tech cheerleaders smile before the Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Members of the Texas Tech cheerleaders smile before the Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has put out his first bracketology prediction for 2019 and Texas Tech is squarely in his field of 68 teams.

Who’s ready to start thinking about the 2019 NCAA Tournament field of 68?  Well, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is apparently always thinking about the next tournament and has released his first bracketology prediction eleven months before selection Sunday.

It is no surprise to see Texas Tech in Lunardi’s bracket but some may be surprised by how high he has the Red Raiders.  Lundardi gives Texas Tech a 4 seed which is only one spot lower than the seed the Red Raiders received this year.

With the loss of six of the team’s top eight scorers, it would be no shock to see Texas Tech enter the season with depressed expectations.  In fact, Tech is not in ESPN’s way too early top 25 rankings for next season.  So why would Lunardi have Tech as a 4 seed?

There are two factors to consider regarding Lunardi’s bracket.  It was done on April 4th, the day after the national title game.  At that time, Zhaire Smith had not entered the NBA Draft so the No. 4 seed could be a reflection of what Lunardi saw for Tech with Smith returning.

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On the other hand, this prediction also does not include his assessment of Texas Tech with the important addition of graduate transfer Tariq Owens, a center who played last season at St. John’s.  That addition will be a key for Texas Tech and would likely impact any prediction for next year’s team.

There will also be at least two more additions to the roster because Texas Tech has two open scholarships.  Chris Beard’s staff has been working hard at recruiting both high school players and grad transfers to try and fill those scholarships.

Right now, it looks like Texas Tech is a frontrunner for South Dakota grad transfer Matt Mooney who scored over 18 points per game last season.  If he is on next year’s team, there is reason to believe the loss of Zhaire Smith will not be as devastating (especially on the offensive end of the court) and it would not be hard to picture Texas Tech as a No. 4 seed.

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Obviously, there is a world of change possible between now and next year’s NCAA Tournament.  But what we can take away from Lunardi’s bracket it the fact he (and presumably many others in the college basketball media) has tremendous respect for Chris Beard and is confident the Texas Tech head coach can keep his team among the elite of the sport next season.

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