Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech basketball: Takeaways from Red Raiders NCAA Tourney Draw

By Matthew Conner

FORT WORTH, TX - FEBRUARY 26: Davion Warren #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders goes up for a break away slam dunk against the TCU Horned Frogs in the first half at Schollmaier Arena on February 26, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - FEBRUARY 26: Davion Warren #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders goes up for a break away slam dunk against the TCU Horned Frogs in the first half at Schollmaier Arena on February 26, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Mar 11, 2022; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski coaches against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the ACC Tournament semifinal game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2022; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski coaches against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the ACC Tournament semifinal game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Sweet-16 showdown with a legend

Should the bracket follow form and there are no upsets in our half of the West over the first weekend of the tournament, the Texas Tech basketball program could find itself in a historical position.  That’s because the Red Raiders would face Duke in the Sweet 16.

Of course, that would mean Tech would have an opportunity to put an end to the legendary career of Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski who is set to retire at the end of this season.

Overall, Coach K has 1,198 career wins, most by any college basketball coach in the history of the game.  What’s more, he’s won 97 career NCAA Tournament games including five NCAA Championships and twelve trips to the Final Four.

To say it’s been a legendary run in Durham for the one-time Bob Knight protege would be an understatement.  But Tech could put an end to the game’s most storied coaching career.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.  This season, Duke has secured wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga.  what’s more, the Devils feature a roster that many believe has five future NBA Draft picks.

But on the other hand, the Blue Devils have not been all that impressive as of late.  Dropping the ACC Tournament final to massive underdog Virginia Tech, they have lost two of their last four games (as has Tech by the way).  Also, the ACC was not a strong league this year meaning that Duke’s 28-6 record is not as impressive as a similar mark would have been in other seasons.

Consider that Duke has not played a ranked opponent since beating Gonzaga back in November when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1.  That’s quite the contrast to the Red Raiders who played in nine games against ranked opponents in conference play alone.

Make no mistake, any game against Duke in this tournament is going to cast the opponent in the role of the supporting actor as the entire story will be about Coach K.  But if Tech faces Duke in the Sweet 16 and finds a way to win, our Red Raiders would forever be the program that put an end to the most legendary coaching career in the modern era of the game. That would be pretty cool.

Home/Texas Tech Red Raiders News