Texas Tech basketball: 5 potential trap games on the 2020-21 schedule

December 29 vs. Incarnate Word

One oddity on this year’s schedule is that Tech will face a non-conference opponent from a low-major conference, Incarnate Word, after having already played two Big 12 games.  That’s a recipe for a trap game.

The early start to conference play this year means that prior to Christmas, Tech will have already hosted Kansas on December 17 and traveled to Oklahoma on December 22nd.  Then, they will return home for a December 29th game against Incarnate Word.

If you think a Sunday afternoon atmosphere at the U.S.A. might be rather docile, think about how lackluster the environment will be four days after Christmas for Incarnate Word.  That’s certainly going to be a game in which Tech will have to manufacture its own energy (as will plenty of contests this year given the reduced capacity of the arena).

The Cardinals are not expected to be a great team this year.  This offseason, they lost five players to the transfer portal thus further depleting a roster that is coming off of a 9-22 season in 2019-20.

But they do return three true freshmen who were starters last year and one has to wonder if they will be in for the sophomore year jump that so many players experience.  Tops among that trio is Keaston Willis, the 2019-20 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year who averaged 13.3 p.p.g. last year.

What might prevent this game from being a trap game is the fact that it will be the only one on the schedule in the span of ten days.  Plus, it will serve as a post-Christmas tuneup for the bulk of Big 12 play.

While no one expects IWU to beat the Red Raiders, could this be a game that Beard’s team sleepwalks through?  Given where it falls on the schedule and the calendar, that possibility is real.