The all-time Texas Tech basketball March Madness starting lineup
The Texas Tech basketball program is no stranger to March Madness and the NCAA Tournament. So let's take a look at the players that would comprise the all-time starting lineup based on their NCAA Tournament productivity.
With the Texas Tech basketball team's 82-81 win over TCU on Tuesday night, it seems almost a certainty that the Red Raiders will reach the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Should that come to pass, it will be the 20th appearance in the event for the program.
Of course, the program has been to the Final Four once, the Elite Eight twice, and the Sweet 16 eight times. So naturally, there have been some terrific performances from Red Raiders in the Big Dance.
That's why, today, as we near March, we are going to take a look at what the all-time March Madness starting lineup would look like for the Red Raiders based only on how the players performed on the game's biggest stage.
Point Guard: Ronald Ross
Many might be surprised that our starting March Madness point guard isn't the great Keenan Evans. That's because what Ronald Ross did in the 2005 tournament was even better than Evan's 2018 run to the Elite 8.
In three games, Ross was absolutely fantastic. The former walk-on from Hobbs, New Mexico averaged 22.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 3.3 steals per game.
In round one, against UCLA, Ross posted 28 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and three steals. He went 11-20 from the floor and played 39 minutes while turning the basketball over only twice.
Two days later, against No. 3 seed Gonzaga, Ross was again a terror. Scoring 24 points, he also grabbed 9 boards, handed out 4 assists, and came up with 3 steals as Tech stunned the Zags 71-69.
Against West Virginia in the Elite Eight, Ross scored 16 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and had four steals in a losing effort. Unfortunately, it was a bittersweet night for Ross as his college career came to an end in his home state as the Red Raiders fell at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
If you are wondering about Evan's four-game run in 2018, he was also fantastic posting 18.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. However, those numbers don't quite add up to what Ross did 13 years prior and that's why Ross gets the nod here.