Texas Tech basketball now to meet Texas A&M at neutral site this season

Sometimes in life you have to compromise to still get a taste of what you want. That's what the Texas Tech basketball program is having to do.

Originally set to face Texas A&M on the Friday after Thanksgiving in Lubbock this year as the first part of a home-and-home series, now those plans have changed. At least the Red Raiders will still get a shot to square off with their long-time hated rivals on the court, though.

It is now being reported by college basketball insider Jon Rothstein that Tech and A&M will still play in 2024 as planned but now, the game will take place in Forth Worth at Dickies' arena on December 8. No official announcement has come from either university, though.

Six months ago, the two programs agreed to a home-and-home series that would have started in Lubbock this fall and concluded in 2025 in College Station.

As a result, Texas Tech was set up to have a special time at home the weekend after Thanksgiving. The Aggies were supposed to visit on the hardwood on Friday night and West Virginia was set to meet the Red Raiders on the gridiron on Saturday making it one of the most anticipated sports weekends in recent Red Raider history.

However, the thirst for revenue changed those plans. In May, it was reported that A&M will instead spend its Thanksgiving weekend playing in an NIL-driven tournament in Las Vegas.

The "Players Era Festival" will pay eight participating schools $1 million towards their NIL funds. Additionally, players involved will have future earnings opportunities through long-term NIL contracts.

The schools set to participate are reportedly Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, and Texas A&M. It is believed that the winners of each of the two four-team brackets will receive an extra $1 million.

Such is the way that the college sports landscape is trending. That's just the reality of the NIL era.

When the news of Texas A&M's participation in the tournament broke, it was obvious that the series with Texas Tech would be altered in some way. Many feared that it wouldn't happen at all.

Fortunately, that appears not to be the case. Texas Tech needs to beef up its non-conference strength of schedule in 2024-25 after a weak non-Big 12 schedule hurt Tech's tournament seeding in 2023-24.

Texas A&M could enter next year as a top-25 team, as could the Red Raiders. That will make this showdown in Fort Worth rather intriguing. More importantly, though, it will help the Red Raiders come Selection Sunday, especially if Tech can pull out the win.

Sure, it is disappointing to see this series played away from both campuses. However, the fact that it is still happening is a decent consolation prize.

These programs have not met since 2012, the last year that A&M was in the Big 12. Thus, there will be plenty of angst between the two fan bases when this matchup rolls around.

Fortunately, Tech should have a decided advantage when it comes to the crowd. The Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to the largest Texas Tech alumni population outside of Lubbock and Tech basketball fans have traditionally packed arenas across the Mertoplex when the Red Raiders have been in town.

Last season, Tech and A&M met in a preseason scrimmage in Denton and the crowd that day was decidedly pro-Texas Tech. That should be the case again this December in Fort Worth. So while everyone would rather this series be played on campus, at least it is still going to happen and Red Raider fans will get another shot at getting one over on the Aggies for old time's sake.