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Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders to face LSU in Big 12/SEC Challenge

By Matthew Conner

March 30, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Chris Beard celebrates the victory over Gonzaga Bulldogs following the championship game of the west regional of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
March 30, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Chris Beard celebrates the victory over Gonzaga Bulldogs following the championship game of the west regional of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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It has been confirmed that the Texas Tech basketball team will face LSU in the 2021 Big 12/SEC Challenge.

We don’t yet have the full 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball schedule despite the fact that Chris Beard and his team have already begun fall camp.  But we do know who the Red Raiders will face in this season’s Big 12/SEC Challenge.

On January 30th, 2021, Tech is set to travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the LSU Tigers.  That will mark the second time that the Red Raiders and Bayou Bengals have met in the yearly showdown between the two conferences.

In the first season of the Beard era, 2016-17, Tech took down LSU 77-64 in Lubbock.  That day, Zach Smith had his best game as a Red Raider with a career-high 25 points to go along with 8 rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot.  Meanwhile, both Niem Stevenson and Aaron Ross added 15 points to the cause.

Tech made a living from deep in the win hitting 12 of 23 shots from 3-point range.  Beard also saw his team dominate on the glass to the tune of a 33-25 edge in rebounds.

In the all-time series, the Red Raiders hold a slight 4-3 edge over the Tigers.  That includes a 2-1 mark on the road.

As for the Big 12/SEC Challenge, Tech is also 4-3 in the event after falling to Kentucky last year in OT in Lubbock.  Under Beard, Tech is 3-1 in the event, which takes place every January.

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The rest of the matchups in this season’s event include Florida at West Virginia, Texas at Kentucky, Kansas at Tennessee, Auburn at Baylor, Iowa State at Mississippi State, Alabama at Oklahoma, TCU at Missouri, Arkansas at Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M at Kansas State.

Beginning in 2013-14, this one-day challenge has been a showcase event for college basketball and specifically ESPN (which airs every game on its family of networks) as it is usually scheduled the weekend in between the NFL conference championships and the Super Bowl when there is no football on tv.

Overall, the Big 12 has won the challenge four times while the SEC has just one win.  Twice, the two leagues have tied, including last year.  As for the overall wins, the Big 12 holds a 40-30 edge.

This is the latest tidbit concerning the upcoming 2020-21 schedule to have become public in recent days.  Last week, we learned that the Red Raiders will also participate in the Preseason NIT to open the season.

That event, to be played in Orlando, Florida, will also feature Houston, Gonzaga, and Auburn and will potentially comprise the first two games of the season for the Red Raiders.  It is expected to tip off the week of Thanksgiving.

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While the Texas Tech schedule’s delay is a bit frustrating, it is understandable given the unknowns concerning COVID-19.  But what is important is that there is certainly going to be a season and as we continue to creep towards November, more and more nuggets about what is in store for the Red Raiders will continue to be made public.  It’s all a sign that college basketball is on the horizon and that’s music to our ears.

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