Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

How Texas Tech fared against Big 12 rivals in 2018-19 academic year

By Matthew Conner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Texas Tech Red Raiders fans cheer on their team against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Texas Tech Red Raiders fans cheer on their team against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

1-2 vs. Iowa State

Because Iowa State does not field a baseball team, the Red Raiders and Cyclones do not cross paths all that often in the three main sports.  That has led to a lack of true animosity between these schools and their fan bases but it does not diminish the importance of their conference showdowns.

This year, the Cyclones got the better of Tech going 1-2 in head-to-head matchups.  But the one game Tech took from ISU proved to be arguably the most significant Big 12 win of the year for the Red Raiders, regardless of the sport.

Tech’s 80-73 win in Ames clinched a share of the basketball team’s first ever Big 12 title.  The Red Raiders were led by Jarrett Culver’s 31 points as the Lubbock native sowed up conference player of the year honors with his career performance.

That came almost three months after the Cyclones took down the Red Raiders 68-64 in Lubbock becoming the only team this year to beat Chris Beard’s squad at home.  In that frustrating loss, Tech shot just 6-15 (40%) at the free throw line and 6-18 (33%) from 3-point range.  Like Baylor, Iowa State spent some time this season atop the Big 12 standings but ultimately dropped blow the Red Raiders as Tech finished the season on fire with nine-straight wins.

On the football field, the Red Raiders trip to Ames was not nearly as memorable.  In a 40-31 loss, Alan Bowman had his worst game of his freshman season throwing three picks and completing just 57% of his passes.  Meanwhile, Tech managed to rush for just 30 yards, its lowest total of the season on the ground.

Making the loss extra frustrating is the fact that Tech could not win despite scoring touchdowns on a blocked punt and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Dakota Allen.  Unfortunately, Tech was unable to capitalize and lost to the Cyclones for the third-straight season.

Tech and ISU are two programs that have been occupying the same relative place in the Big 12 hierarchy in recent seasons.  As Red Raider basketball and Cyclone football continue their upward trajectory, the head-to-head meetings between these schools will continue to be measuring sticks for both programs as they battle to get a leg up in the Big 12 hierarchy.

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