Texas Tech basketball bracketology: Red Raiders move up to 3-seed

Following two more wins, including an impressive victory over Kansas, the Texas Tech basketball team has moved up to a No. 3 seeding in many of the latest bracketology predictions.

February has come to a close and the Texas Tech basketball team will certainly look back fondly on the last 28 days. After dropping the first game of the month at Kansas, the Red Raiders have rattled off six-consecutive wins to move into a first-place tie with Kansas State atop the Big 12 standings.

And while Wednesday’s overtime nail-biter against Oklahoma State was not the greatest look for Chris Beard’s team, Saturday’s 29-point win over Kansas was the most impressive win of the season and has had a positive impact on how various bracketology experts around the country view the Red Raiders.

The website Bracket Matrix compiles dozens of bracketology predictions and they have Texas Tech as the top No. 4 seed in the nation. But numerous bracket predictions have Tech as a No. 3 seed.

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And the difference between being a No. 3 or No. 4 seed could be critical. As a No. 3 seed, Tech would be on the opposite side of the regional bracket from the No. 1 seed meaning a showdown with the top seed in the region would not come until the Elite 8 as was the case last year.

Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com is one of those with Tech as a No. 3 seed. He puts the Red Raiders in Salt Lake City to take on Texas St. before a potential second-round game with Cincinnati or N.C. State. If Palm’s bracket comes to fruition, Tech would face off with an in-state school in the first round for the second-consecutive season after facing Stephen F. Austin last year in Dallas.

Lucas Harkins at Busting Brackets also has Tech as a No. 3 seed. In his bracket, Tech takes on South Dakota State before a possible second round showdown against a dangerous Virginia Tech team that just beat Duke.

ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi is another that puts the Red Raiders as a No. 3 seed in Salt Lake City. He has Tech and the Anteaters of UC Irvine meeting in round one with a possible Texas Tech/Mississippi State showdown in round two.

NBC Sports has the Red Raiders as a No. 4 seed in Salt Lake City to take on No. 13 Vermont. In their bracket, Tech would face either Maryland or Seton Hall in the second round and possibly face No. 1 seeded Virginia in the Sweet 16 in a matchup of the top two defensive teams in the nation.

Chris Dobbertean of SB Nation also has Tech as the top No. 4 seed in the nation. He does not have matchups listed in his rankings but his No. 13 seeds are N.M. State, Yale, Old Dominion and Vermont.

Over at USAToday.com, Tech is again a No. 4 seed in Salt Lake facing New Mexico State. In this bracket, Tech would face Florida State in the second round and Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 if form held.

In all, Tech has an average seeding of 3.44 on Bracket Matrix which is the exact same as LSU, the lowest No. 3 seed. Interestingly, Tech is one spot ahead of Kansas, which is the second-highest No. 4 seed. Meanwhile, Kansas State and Iowa State are No. 5 seeds, Baylor is a No. 8 seed, Oklahoma and Texas are No. 9 seeds and TCU is a No. 10 seed as eight of the ten Big 12 teams are projected to be in the field of 68.

Next. Why the Red Raiders nearly lost to Oklahoma State. dark

Tech still has an opportunity to improve their eventual seeding. With games at TCU and Iowa State and a home game against Texas, the Red Raiders could potentially secure three more quadrant-one wins which could be the difference between being a No. 3 or a No. 4 seed. And as we saw last year, that could be a huge advantage in March.

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