Confidence of Texas Tech basketball fans soars after two-game sweep in Utah

If the Texas Tech basketball team goes on to have a strong showing in the Big 12 this season, we might look back on the just-completed two-game road swing through Utah as a turning point for the Red Raiders. Going 2-0 in the past four days and picking up quality road wins at Utah and BYU, the Red Raiders came together and played with a level of toughness that we had not seen from them thus far in 2024-25.

Winning on the road in the Big 12 is almost always difficult. Of course, Texas Tech learned in its conference opener that taking care of business at home is never a guarantee either as it requires maximum effort and focus as well.

Thus, the victories over the Utes and the Cougars have changed the perspective of Texas Tech basketball fans. Following the 87-83 loss to Central Florida on December 31, many in scarlet and black were concerned about whether or not this version of the Red Raiders had what it took to simply qualify for the NCAA Tournament this season.

At that point, Tech had played four games against teams from a power conference and had picked up only one win. What's more, that lone victory came over a Syracuse team that is one of the worst in the ACC as the Orange currently sit at 7-8 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

Maybe a road trip was just what the Red Raiders needed after dropping their Big 12 opener. Playing away from the familiar confines of home often requires teams to come together, play harder, and stay more focused given the difficulties of life on the road, especially in a conference like the Big 12 where almost every team is capable of beating any other team in the league on most nights.

There's no question that the version of the Red Raiders we saw in the state of Utah looked different, and quite frankly, much more impressive, than any version of this year's team that we had seen in the first two months of the season. Thus, it is only natural for the confidence of Red Raider fans as well as that of neutral college basketball observers from around the country to rise when thinking about what this team could eventually accomplish.

After Tuesday's big road win at BYU, it was easy to see that people on social media had begun to sing a different song about the Red Raiders. Here are some of the top posts from X that show how the attitude toward head coach Grant McCasland's team has changed in a week's time.