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Texas Tech basketball: How the Red Raiders can beat Kentucky

By Matthew Conner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Texas Tech Red Raiders fans cheer prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game against the Virginia Cavaliers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: Texas Tech Red Raiders fans cheer prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game against the Virginia Cavaliers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

If the Texas Tech basketball team can do the following this afternoon, the Red Raiders could secure a program-defining victory.

There’s only one matchup today between two ranked teams in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and it will take place in the Hub City.  But Texas Tech basketball fans are going to be rather interested in how our conference rivals fare in this event as well.

If you are like me, you don’t ever root for the other Big 12 schools when they play out of conference games.  This isn’t the SEC and conference pride means nothing in this league, which is the youngest major conference in the nation thus meaning there are no long-standing feelings of pride and unity among a group of schools that have never really worked in complete harmony since the league’s founding.

In football, Tech doesn’t ever get to a lofty enough ranking that conference reputation and strength matter.  Rather, it’s better for the Red Raiders to see their league brethren take losses in the non-con portion of the schedule so that they don’t rise to prominence to and leave the Red Raiders behind.

But in basketball, conference pedigree matters.  When Selection Sunday arrives, how conferences are viewed often makesf the difference in how many bids each league is awarded.

Thus, we might rethink our stance of rooting against the Big 12 today.  Even if that means pulling for Texas or Kansas (but we can all agree that we refuse to root for Baylor for any reason).

The day kicks off with two 11 am tilts.  West Virginia will host Missouri in a game that the Mountaineers should win comfortably and Iowa State travels to No. 16 Auburn in a game that most believe the Tigers will have little trouble in.

At 1 pm, Texas and LSU meet in Austin.  The Tigers have an opportunity to put another nail in the coffin of UT head coach Shaka Smart, whose team is coming off a 38-point loss to the Mountaineers.

Mississippi State and Oklahoma meet in Norman at 1 pm in a game that’s a true toss-up.  Two hours later, Tennessee and Kansas will butt heads in Lawrence in a game that KU is heavily favored in.

At that same time, TCU and Arkansas will be renewing their old SWC rivalry in Fayetteville.  Also at 3 pm. Oklahoma State will be in College Station to face Buzz Williams and the Aggies.

While Tech and Kentucky have the nation’s attention, Kansas State will be on the road at Alabama.  The night will then conclude with No. 1 Baylor traveling to Gainesville to face Florida at 7 pm in a tricky test.

But all eyes in West Texas will be on the Red Raiders and the Wildcats.  So let’s take a look at what Tech needs to do in order to secure this statement win.

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