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Texas Tech basketball: Plenty has changed since first meeting with Texas

By Matthew Conner

AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 08: Jahmi'us Ramsey #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders blocks a shot by Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 08, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 08: Jahmi'us Ramsey #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders blocks a shot by Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 08, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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Jase Febres #13 of the Texas Longhorns drives around Jahmi’us Ramsey #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
Jase Febres #13 of the Texas Longhorns drives around Jahmi’us Ramsey #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

As the Texas Tech basketball team prepares to host Texas on Saturday, let’s look at what has changed for both teams since this season’s first meeting.

There’s no major conference in the game of basketball quite like the Big 12.  Because the league plays a true round-robin format in the regular season, it is the most daunting and demanding of all the big-time conferences.  That’s why Texas Tech basketball fans took so much pride in last year’s regular-season co-championship…even if it was shared with Kansas State.

But this year, there will be no conference title for the Red Raiders.  But that doesn’t mean the final three games of the regular season are not important.

In fact, the three games left will go quite a way towards determining the Red Raiders’ postseason fate.  That’s because each remaining opponent is a quality foe.

Texas, Baylor, and Kansas will all be ranked in the top 65 in the NET Rankings when they face the Red Raiders meaning that there is an opportunity for two Quadrant 1 and one Quadrant 2 wins still out there to be had.  But it won’t be easy.

Before we turn our attention to next week’s two games against the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation, KU and Baylor, we had best understand that Saturday’s game with Texas is not to be taken for granted.  After all, the first time these teams met, Tech was fortunate to pull out the victory.

In the 62-57 Red Raider triumph in Austin, Chris Beard’s team fell into an early 27-11 hole in the first half before clawing back.  And it wasn’t until T.J. Holyfield blocked three shots in the final minute of the game that the win was sealed.  Of course, it was the program’s second-straight win in Austin after losing 22-straight down on the 40 Acres.

Now, the Red Raiders have to defend their home court because wins in the last week of February, just two weeks from Selection Sunday, are magnified.  They also are not easy to come by.

That’s especially true in the Big 12 when playing a conference rival for the second time in the regular season.  There are no surprises, no secrets, no ambushes waiting to be sprung.  Rematches come down to execution and effort.

But with that said, quite a bit has changed for both of these teams since the Red Raiders and Longhorns last shared the court.  So let’s take a look at what is different for these two rivals as we get set to close out February with one of the year’s most anticipated home games.

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