Tech will have two games against some hated in-state rivals
On the other side of the equation, Grant McCasland and his team will have two chances to square off with hated in-state rivals Texas, TCU, and Baylor. Maintaining those rivalries is beneficial for the program, especially having two more games with the Horns before they leave the Big 12.
It would have been a shame if Texas had been able to avoid one final trip to Lubbock before bolting for the S.E.C., especially given how much animosity has developed in that series given the Chris Beard fiasco. Fortunately, the Red Raider fan base will have one final opportunity in 2024 to send the Longhorns off of the Caprock in disgrace.
Though the hate toward TCU and Baylor won’t ever reach the fevered pitch that the series with Texas has reached in the last five years, those two series will likely become the most emotionally important for Texas Tech basketball fans moving forward.
The series with TCU has gone the way of the good guys for the most part. Since the Frogs became a Big 12 member, Tech has gone 14-8 against the Frogs. However, Jamie Dixon’s team has won the last three games in the series.
Baylor has been a tougher puzzle for Tech to solve lately. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bears have won eight of the ten matchups in this rivalry.
It will be imperative that Tech finds a way to show some dominance over both TCU and Baylor in the new Big 12 because vying for top billing in Texas in the new conference will be a goal for all three of these programs as well as the team we are about to discuss next.