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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) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 21: A general view of the March Madness logo on center court is seen before the game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the Florida Gators in the second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 21: A general view of the March Madness logo on center court is seen before the game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and the Florida Gators in the second round game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Can we get an upset, please?

Here’s is something to chew on; something that will put Tech’s recent NCAA Tournament runs in context.  While Tech has played in the last three tournaments (prior to this year), reaching the Elite 8, the National Title Game, and the second round, in all but one of those games, Tech played the highest possible seed it could have.  In other words, this program has not benefitted from an upset during its current run of success.

March Madness is all about David taking down Goliath.  That’s what has made the NCAA Tournament one of America’s most popular sporting events.

Often, when those upsets occur, it paves the way for a major-conference opponent to make a deep run as Cinderella teams usually fall by the wayside in the tournament’s second weekend.  For example, look at Kansas State’s run to the 2018 Elite 8.

Seeded 9th in their region,  the Wildcats got the benefit of playing No. 16 UMBC in the second round after UMBC pulled off the first-ever upset of a No. 1 seed by a No. 16 seed.  Then, in the Elite 8, KSU got to play Loyola Chicago, an 11 seed.  But of course, the Wildcats couldn’t take advantage of that luxury as they fell 78-62.

On the other hand, Tech has yet to be the beneficiary of such turmoil in its bracket.  In the 12 NCAA Tournament games the program has played since the 2018 tournament began, only once has Tech faced a lower seed than it could have.  What’s more, that one instance came in the 2019 Final Four when Tech faced No. 2 seed Michigan State instead of No. 1 seed Duke – that’s not much of an upset.

Maybe this will be the year that Tech finally catches a break and there are some upsets that make the West region more manageable.  Of course, that also means that the Red Raiders have to avoid being the victim of one of those Cinderella stories themselves.

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