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Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders included in early bracket preview

By Matthew Conner

Feb 1, 2021; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Marcus Santos-Silva (14) during warm ups before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2021; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Marcus Santos-Silva (14) during warm ups before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Saturday, the Texas Tech basketball team was one of 16 programs listed on the early NCAA Tournament bracket preview.

Believe it or not, Selection Sunday is quickly approaching.  Now just a month from the day when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed, it’s time to start thinking about where the Texas Tech basketball program might be seeded to begin March Madness.

Saturday, we got our first preview of the bracket from the NCAA Selection Committee, which revealed its top 16 seeds as of February 13th.  Fortunately, the Red Raiders were included in that group, checking in as a No. 4 seed.

Of the 16 teams listed in Saturday’s preview, Tech was listed as the No. 14 overall seed.  That’s certainly a nice place to be ahead of what will be an unpredictable February and March.

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We still don’t know when, or if, Chris Beard and his team will make up postponed games against Iowa State and Baylor, the latter of which was to be played on Saturday but was put off due to COVID-19 issues within the Baylor program.  Thus, the schedule could grow rather unpredictable and busy between now and Selection Sunday.  Therefore, it is advantageous to be safely off the bubble and in the field of 68.

The Big 12 had five of the preview’s 16 teams on Saturday.  Baylor was listed as a No. 1 seed and the No. 2 overall team.  West Virginia (No. 10 overall) and Oklahoma (No. 12 overall) are both listed as No. 3 seeds while Tech and UT (No. 15 overall) are No. 4 seeds.

As for the Red Raiders’ potential bracket, they are in a region that includes No. 1 seed Ohio State, No. 2 seed Villanova, and No. 3 seed Virginia.  Of course, two of those teams have recent NCAA Tournament history with Tech.

Villanova took out the Red Raiders in the 2018 Elite Eight while Virginia…well…we won’t rehash that.  But who knows, perhaps this year could be the Red Raiders’ own revenge tour through March.

Keep in mind that if Tech does make it into the field of this year’s tournament, it will mark the third-straight NCAA Tournament that Tech has been part of, which would be a program record.  Though that accomplishment seems to be quite a ways away right now given how much meat is left on the regular-season bone, the weeks are starting to peel off of the calendar, and Selection Sunday is right around the corner.  Thankfully, it appears as if that day is going to be one that Red Raider fans need not sweat.

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