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Texas Tech basketball: What the showdown with Kentucky means for Red Raiders

By Matthew Conner

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 16: Nick Richards #4 and Reid Travis #22 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after the win against Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena on February 16, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 16: Nick Richards #4 and Reid Travis #22 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after the win against Tennessee Volunteers at Rupp Arena on February 16, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Texas Tech is a program that continues to garner national respect

In the first season of Chris Beard’s tenure, the best team the Red Raiders played in the non-conference portion of the schedule was a Richmond team that entered its game with Tech at just 5-4.  Tech was able to prevail on the Spiders’ home court 79-72 in one of the more impressive wins of the season considering that Richmond finished the season 22-12.

The best non-conference team to come to Lubbock that season was Auburn, which finished the year 18-14 with one of those wins coming over the Red Raiders 69-67.  But the days of the non-conference schedule lacking significant punch appear to be in the rearview mirror.

As Tech has continued to rise towards the top of the game’s hierarchy, we continue to see the Red Raiders earn more and more respect.  And January’s game with Kentucky is another sign that people around the nation now take what Beard has built in Lubbock seriously.

Kentucky is a program that is understandably calculated with its out of conference schedule.  Being as the Wildcats are virtually guaranteed to be in the NCAA Tournament every season, they use their non-conference games to build the type of resume that will earn them a No. 1 seed.

Sure, the Cats play their share of mid and low-major sacrificial lambs, but when they take on major conference opponents, they do not waste their time with schools that will not carry enough weight to help them build their resume.

For instance, last season Kentucky took on Duke, Louisville, Seaton Hall, Utah, North Carolina, and Kansas (in the Big 12 / SEC Challenge).  The year before, the Cats squared off with Kansas (not in the Big 12 / SEC Challenge) Virginia Tech, Louisville, UCLA, and No. 7 West Virginia in the challenge.

Keep in mind that teams have some say in who they face in this event.  That is especially true for Kentucky and Kansas who get a bit of special consideration when the matchups are announced.  The fact that the Wildcats agreed to take on Tech this year speaks volumes about where the national perception of Red Raider basketball is these days.

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