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Texas Tech basketball: Five swing games on the 2020-21 schedule

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 25: Guard Kyler Edwards #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is introduced and chest bumps with guard Chris Clarke #44 before the college basketball game against the Kentucky Wildcats on January 25, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 25: Guard Kyler Edwards #0 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is introduced and chest bumps with guard Chris Clarke #44 before the college basketball game against the Kentucky Wildcats on January 25, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Feb 8, 2020; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew talks with his team during a time out against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the second half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2020; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew talks with his team during a time out against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the second half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports /

January 16 vs. Baylor in Lubbock

It will be a rock fight when preseason No. 2 Baylor comes to Lubbock in mid-January.  That’s because the Bears and Red Raiders are expected to be two of the best defensive teams in the NCAA.

Scott Drew’s team was on track for a No. 1 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament before it was canceled and they could challenge for one in 2021. Junior Jared Butler is one of the best point guards in the nation and a Naismith Award candidate.

Meanwhile, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell are potential double-digit scorers in the backcourt.  Also, Mark Vital, a rugged 6-foot-5 forward who plays bigger than his stature is back to be a shutdown defender and an elite rebounder.

However, one huge loss from last season is 6-foot-9 forward Freddie Gillespie, who was Baylor’s best defender.  Capable of guarding any position on the court, he set the tone for the BU defense, and his 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game are going to be missed in Waco.

Prior to this game, Tech will have back-to-back road games at Iowa State and Texas so this will be the third contest in a tough stretch for the Red Raiders.  What’s more, this will be one of just two home games in the span of seven games during the second half of January.

Last year, Baylor swept Tech but both games went down to the wire.  In January, the Bears captured a 57-52 win in Lubbock on a night when Tech went just 5-12 at the free-trow line.  In March, the Bears defended their home court but it took them an extra five minutes to pull out a 71-68 OT win.

I think these two teams will be the Big 12’s best this year and that the regular-season crown will either reside in Lubbock or Waco.  Thus, both meetings will have massive implications meaning that Tech must protect its home court when the Bears invade the U.S.A.

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