Texas Tech basketball moves up one spot to No. 14 in Top 25
After another undefeated week, the Texas Tech basketball team moved up one spot in the Top 25 to No. 14 in this week’s rankings.
Winners of four-consecutive games, the Texas Tech basketball team rose one spot in the Top 25 Monday to sit at No. 14. The Red Raiders are the second-highest ranked Big 12 team behind No. 12 Kansas, which visits Lubbock on Saturday. Iowa State (No. 19 in the Associate Press Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll) and Kansas State (No. 23 in the A.P. and No. 21 in the Coaches) are the only other teams from the conference in this week’s rankings.
Overall, Duke is the new No. 1 team in both polls. Gonzaga, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee round out the top five. The Volunteers fell four spots from No. 1 following Saturday’s loss at Kentucky.
Many Red Raider fans are not pleased that their team did not climb higher after a week that saw as many as five teams ahead of them suffer losses. But despite dominating a dreadful Oklahoma State team on the road and blowing out a short-handed Baylor Saturday in Lubbock, Tech got very little love from the pollsters. Of course, that will change next week if the Red Raiders can beat Kansas this weekend.
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However, Tech fans should keep a closer eye on the NCAA NET Rankings, which is the only ranking metric that the NCAA Tournament selection committee will take into consideration when seeding next month’s tournament. The Red Raiders hold steady at No. 10 in that ranking system this week, higher than any Big 12 team (Kansas is next at no.18).
No. 10 is also where the Red Raiders sit in the ESPN Power Index. But not every site is as impressed with Chris Beard’s team.
Sports Illustrated has Tech at just No. 23 this week behind Kansas (12), Iowa State (15) and Kansas State (18). Meanwhile, CBSSports.com also has Tech behind the Wildcats and Cyclones at No. 17 in their latest power rankings, released late last week. But interestingly, CBS does not have Kansas in their top 20.
Next. Tech dispatches Baylor. dark
It is clear that the Red Raiders, Cyclones, Wildcats and Jayhawks have established themselves as the top tier of the Big 12 and the conference title will obviously come from that gaggle of contenders, which is separated by just a half-game. Tech has already played Kansas State twice but will see both Kansas and Iowa State in the final three weeks of the season including a trip to Ames on the last day of the regular season.