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Texas Tech basketball: Takeaways from the Big 12 schedule

By Matthew Conner

Jan 31, 2018; Lubbock, TX, USA; A Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleader brings the team flag onto the court before the game against the Texas Longhorns at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2018; Lubbock, TX, USA; A Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleader brings the team flag onto the court before the game against the Texas Longhorns at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas Tech basketball fans finally know what the Big 12 portion of the schedule will look like so let’s dive deeper into some takeaways from the schedule release.

The Texas Tech basketball program still does not have its full 2020-21 schedule put together despite the fact that we are just a month away from the start of the season.  However, we finally do know what the conference slate will look like for the Red Raiders.

Of course, Tech is looking to rebound after a disappointing 9-9 conference showing in 2019-20.  And when the Red Raiders return to Big 12 action, they will be riding a four-game losing streak in league play.

So let’s unpack what is in store for the Red Raiders in Big 12 play this year.  And we will begin with an unusual start to the conference year.

An early start

This year, Big 12 play will open earlier than ever.  That is an attempt to spread out the conference season far enough to allow for some postponed games should COVID-19 rear its ugly head.

https://twitter.com/TexasTechMBB/status/1320818306597662727?s=20

Tech will have no time to ease into conference play this season.  That’s because the Kansas Jayhawks will come to Lubbock to begin the round-robin league dance on December 17th.

Five days later, the Red Raiders will travel to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Sooners.  That means that before Christmas, the Red Raiders will have two league games under their belt and what’s more, those two league games will be rather difficult.

Only one back-to-back in the 806

If the Red Raiders are going to put together a string of wins in Big 12 play this year, they will have to do it the hard way.  That’s because Tech has only one set of back-to-back home games, January 2nd and January 5th when Oklahoma State and Kansas State both come to the U.S.A.

Last year, Tech also had only one set of back-to-back games at home in league play and they were the first two games of the year.  Thus it is fair to believe that was a reason Chris Beard’s team put together no more than three-straight wins over conference foes a season ago.

Life on the road is tough in the rugged Big 12.  Last year, Tech was just 3-6 away from the U.S.A. in conference action.  If the Red Raiders hope to compete for a league title this year, it will require a better showing in hostile territory, especially given that there is only one back-to-back homestand on the schedule.

The toughest stretch

When looking for the toughest stretch in conference play for the Red Raiders this year, look no further than the middle two weeks of February.  That’s when Tech will face three of the Big 12’s top contenders in the span of four games with two of those games on the road.

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It begins when West Virginia comes to Lubbock on February 9th.  Four days later, the Red Raiders will be in Waco to face a Baylor team that will open the season as a top-5 team.  Then, after TCU pays its annual visit to the South Plains on the 17th, Tech then heads to Kansas on February 20th.

Should the Red Raiders play well enough in the first month-and-a-half of conference play to be in contention for the league title, this stretch will either cement their status as viable candidates for the crown or it will put an end to Beard’s quest for a second Big 12 regular-season title.

The easiest stretch

To begin 2021, Tech has a shot at picking up some momentum over the first week-and-a-half of January.  That’s when the easiest stretch of Big 12 play arrives.

In addition to the previously-mentioned back-to-back home games against the Cowboys and the Wildcats, Tech will head to Iowa State on January 9th.  Each of those three teams is predicted by CBS Sports to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 and that’s a portion of the schedule that Tech needs to take advantage of.

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In the end, each year brings surprises and this season will be no different so making too much of the schedule upon its release is often a fool’s errand.  And we still await news of the preseason schedule, which now will not include a multi-team event in Orlando as previously reported.  But at least we finally have a Big 12 schedule to look forward to, which means that Texas Tech basketball will soon be back in our lives.

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