Well, Grant McCasland and the Texas Tech Red Raiders can’t just sit around moping. There’s still a season to be played. After the Texas Tech men’s basketball team came up short in a frustrating road loss against Arizona State that was overshadowed by JT Toppin’s season-ending injury, the Red Raiders are back at home and looking to get back to winning.
While Toppin’s injury could certainly do a lot to spoil this season for the Red Raiders, the season truly isn’t over yet. Texas Tech still has games to be played. And while there isn’t exactly much of a chance for the Red Raiders to win the Big 12 at this point, it’s incredibly important that Texas Tech does what it can to get some momentum before postseason play begins.
This team is still very, very talented. And it’ll be interesting to see how things could play out down the stretch and in the conference tournament.
A full look at the Big 12 standings ahead of No. 13 Texas Tech’s home matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats
Here’s what the Big 12 standings currently look like as Texas Tech gets set to host the Kansas State Wildcats in Lubbock:
- Arizona Wildcats- 24-2 overall, 11-2 Big 12
- Houston Cougars - 23-3 overall, 11-2 Big 12
- Iowa State Cyclones - 23-3 overall, 10-3 Big 12
- Kansas Jayhawks - 20-6 overall, 10-3 Big 12
- Texas Tech Red Raiders - 19-7 overall, 9-4 Big 12
- BYU Cougars - 19-7 overall, 7-6 Big 12
- UCF Knights - 18-7 overall, 7-6 Big 12
- West Virginia Mountaineers - 16-10 overall, 7-6 Big 12
- TCU Horned Frogs - 16-10 overall, 6-7 Big 12
- Cincinnati Bearcats - 14-12 overall, 6-7 Big 12
- Arizona State Sun Devils - 14-12 overall, 5-8 Big 12
- Oklahoma State Cowboys - 16-10 overall, 4-9 Big 12
- Colorado Buffaloes - 14-12 overall, 4-9 Big 12
- Baylor Bears - 13-13 overall, 3-10 Big 12
- Kansas State Wildcats - 11-15 overall, 2-11 Big 12
- Utah Utes - 10-16 overall, 2-11 Big 12
It’s a pretty impressive thing that the Red Raiders have managed to beat both of the teams tied for the top spot in the Big 12 right now. I mean, just taking a step back and looking at that, that’s a fantastic feat to be proud of.
Right behind those two sit the Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas Jayhawks, tied for third in the Big 12 standings. Texas Tech comes in at No. 5 in the conference, followed relatively closely by the BYU Cougars, the UCF Knights, and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Again, it’s important to remember that the rest of the schedule still matters here. Texas Tech can still make this season special and getting a smooth, clean, navigable win over Kansas State is step one towards that. Even if Toppin is out.