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Texas Tech basketball: Five bold predictions for the 2020-21 season

By Matthew Conner

March 30, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Texas Tech Red 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 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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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 05: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during practice prior to the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 05: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during practice prior to the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

On the day that the 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball season begins, here are five bold predictions about what is in store for Chris Beard’s team.

Just a handful of seasons ago, the word “confidence” would not have applied to Texas Tech basketball.  But during the Chris Beard era, there may be no better noun to associate with the program.

Today, amid a global pandemic that has robbed our society and our world of its confidence, that which Texas Tech sports fans are most confident in, Red Raider basketball, returns to the court with what most believe is hands down the best roster the program has ever assembled.  So it’s no wonder that Beard isn’t shying away from admitting that he is confident in his team.  However, he was quick to point out on Tuesday that his confidence has been earned.

"“I think confidence comes from work,” Beard said when speaking to the Lubbock media.  “I think confidence isn’t something that just happens naturally.  You earn the right to be confident.  You put time in.  You get prepared.”"

Certainly, Beard has earned the confidence of the fan base and that’s why there is annually more hype about his program than any other on campus.  And given what he has already achieved in just four seasons on the job, it’s easy to understand how he earned the confidence of Red Raiders far and wide.

Already, Beard sits in seventh place on the all-time wins list at Texas Tech with 94.  What’s amazing about that number is that every man ahead of him on that list was in charge of the program for at least eight seasons.

It should come as no surprise but Beard’s .681 winning percentage is the best ever for a Texas Tech basketball coach.  So too are his eight NCAA Tournament victories.

Therefore, we have every right to be confident in Beard and he has every right to be confident in where his program is.  After all, to be anything else would be ignoring the reality of what he’s built in Lubbock…a program that everyone can be confident in because it has been built upon principles that yield success.

"“I’ve always had a unique view of confidence…” Beard said.  “The confident people I know are prepared.  The confident people I know are good at what they do, [they] put in the time.  People that don’t have confidence probably aren’t as committed as the guy next to him that is confident.”"

So because we are all so confident in Beard and his program, we are able to allow ourselves to dream big on the day the season starts.  So with that in mind, here are five bold predictions for the 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball season.

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