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Texas Tech basketball: What the Red Raiders must do to beat TCU

By Matthew Conner

Feb 16, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Mark Adams celebrates with members of the student body on the court after the game against the Baylor Bears at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Mark Adams celebrates with members of the student body on the court after the game against the Baylor Bears at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Mark Adams of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during the first half of the college basketball game against the TCU Horned Frogs at United Supermarkets Arena on February 12, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Mark Adams of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during the first half of the college basketball game against the TCU Horned Frogs at United Supermarkets Arena on February 12, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

The Texas Tech basketball team wraps up the February portion of its schedule this evening in Fort Worth when the Red Raiders take on the TCU Horned Frogs.  The matchup comes just two weeks after the teams met in Lubbock, an 82-69 Tech victory.

What’s interesting about this game is that it carries with it serious NCAA Tournament implications for both teams.

Tech needs to continue to put quality wins on its resume in order to secure a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance.  And though most Tech fans look down on TCU as a program, the fact is that beating the Frogs in Fort Worth would count as a Quad-1 win being as the Horned Frogs sit at No. 54 in the NCAA NET rankings.

That makes this game a key opportunity for Tech to improve upon its mediocre 7-6 record in Quad-1 games.  Also, Mark Adams and his team need to improve upon their 3-5 record in true road games, a stat that the selection committee has cited as a reason for keeping the Red Raiders from being a No. 2 seed in last weekend’s first reveal of the top 16 seeds of the tournament.

On the other hand, TCU is squarely on the bubble.  And given how daunting their upcoming schedule is, the Frogs will be desperate to put a win on their resume.  After hosting the Red Raiders, TCU will play back-to-back games next week against Kansas before closing out the regular season with a trip to Morgantown to face West Virginia.  Thus, they might view today’s game as their best opportunity to earn a season-saving victory.

Right now, ESPN.com’s bracket expert Joe Lunardi has TCU in the field of 68, but just barely.  In fact, the Frogs are one of the last four teams in Lunardi’s bracket to receive a bye and not have to play in the two opening-round games.

So consider what TCU’s tournament fate could look like if they can’t find a way to scratch out a win over Tech or Kansas in the next three games.  That would make things rather bleak for Jamie Dixon, who hasn’t put his team into the NCAA Tournament since 2018 and who hasn’t won a tournament game since 2014.

In other words, quite a bit is on the line today.  Thus, Tech can’t afford to let this game become a trap.  Rather, the Red Raiders must exhibit the maturity that has guided them through this season and made them one of the toughest squads in the nation.

So let’s take a look at this contest to see just what the Red Raiders need to do to come out on top.  And we will start by exploring the importance of the game’s first ten minutes.

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