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Texas Tech basketball: 4 teams to hope aren’t in Red Raiders’ region

By Matthew Conner

Mar 21, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; March Madness logo at mid court during the first half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament between the Baylor Bears and the Syracuse Orange at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; March Madness logo at mid court during the first half in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament between the Baylor Bears and the Syracuse Orange at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 13, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes center Luka Garza (55) reacts to the crowd after making a shot against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes center Luka Garza (55) reacts to the crowd after making a shot against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Iowa

Because the Big 10 is loaded with high-end teams this year, you’ll find three teams from that league on this list.  And the one that seems to be a bit overlooked as compared to the other two is Iowa, which would be a nightmare matchup for Tech.

That’s because the Hawkeyes feature a monster inside in Luka Garza and a bevy of 3-point shooting guards that play off of him.  That combination would make life rather difficult for Tech’s defense.

The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Garza is almost certain to win the Wooden Award as the nation’s best player.  He’s averaging 23.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.

Last season, he had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Tech when the two programs met in the Las Vegas Invitational, a game that the Hawkeyes won 72-61.  And virtually that entire Iowa team has returned this year for another run.

And a successful run it’s been so far.  At 21-8, the Hawkeyes finished third in the Big 12 regular-season race spending all but two weeks of this season as a top-10 team.  They even got to as high as No. 3 at one point.

Another factor that would make Iowa a bad matchup for Tech is the fact that they shoot the 3-pointer extremely well.  Ranked No. 10 nationally in team 3-point percentage, Iowa shoots 38.8% from beyond the arc.

The way to beat the Texas Tech defense is to find a way to force the guards to collapse and then kick the ball out to a 3-point shooter.  Iowa would easily be able to do that by dumping the ball into Garza and then letting him find players like 47.5% 3-point shooter Joe Wieskamp or 38.9% shooter Jordan Bohannon.

Thus, it would be best for the Red Raiders to find Iowa in another region.  That’s because no one in this tournament is going to relish the task of having to face Garza and the Hawkeye guards in the Big Dance.

Mar 13, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Brandon Johns Jr. (23) drives to the basket as he is fouled by Ohio State Buckeyes forward Seth Towns (31) in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Brandon Johns Jr. (23) drives to the basket as he is fouled by Ohio State Buckeyes forward Seth Towns (31) in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Michigan

The last time the Red Raiders were in the NCAA Tournament, they sawed Michigan in half in the Sweet 16 using a defense that held the Wolverines to just 44 points on 32.7% shooting.  This year, that wouldn’t be as easy to do because this Michigan team is much more versatile and talented.

The regular-season Big 10 champions, the Wolverines are likely to be a No. 1 seed and will be one of the favorites to reach the Final Four.  And like Iowa, they do something that seems to be Texas Tech’s kryptonite…shoot the 3-pointer.

At 39% as a team, U of M is the No. 8 team nationally in 3-point percentage and they have five players who have made at least 27 shots from deep on the year.  To put that in perspective, Tech has only two.

But Michigan also has size inside in 7-foot-1, 255-pound Hunter Dickinson.  The freshman is averaging 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

However, one key piece of the puzzle could be missing in Indianapolis for the Wolverines.  Guard Isaiah Livers, their top 3-point shooter, has sustained a foot injury leaving his status for the remainder of the season in doubt.

Still, no one wants to tangle with Michigan.  They are one of the most complete teams in the nation ranking No. 59 in scoring offense, No. 51 in scoring defense, No. 16 in defensive rebounding, and No. 17 in field goal percentage.  Thus, let’s hope they are on the other side of the bracket from the Red Raiders.

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