Texas Tech Red Raiders news: Mac McClung wins dunk contest, baseball opens strong, Mahomes visits victims

Let's take a look at all of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and NCAA news from a busy weekend.

Texas Tech alum Mac McClung wins NBA Slam Dunk Contest again

Saturday night, Texas Tech basketball alum Mac McClung won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second year in a row. Completing four dunks, including one over basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, McClung took home the hardware at the All-Star Weekend Saturday Night event in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Texas Tech baseball has strong opening weekend

In Arlington, Texas the Texas Tech baseball team challenged itself right out of the gates in the Shriners Children's College Showdown. After falling to No. 9 Tennessee 6-2 on Friday night, Tim Tadlocks' team rebounded with a dramatic 6-3 win over Nebraska on Saturday and an 11-7 victory over Oregon on Sunday afternoon.

Austin Green was one of the stars of the weekend for Texas Tech. He hit .455 and drove in a team-high five runs.

Meanwhile, sophomore Damian Bravo hit .500 in the three game set and drove in four runs. Tech also got homers from Green and Tracer Lopez. The Red Raiders return to action Friday at home against Texas Southern at 2 p.m.

Patrick Mahomes II visits children wounded in Kansas City parade shooting

Wednesday, at least 20 people were injured and one person was killed by gunfire at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade. Many of those injured were children and Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany took time to visit some of the young victims of this senseless act.

"In a time where they are traumatized, saddened, and worried, having a surprise appearance from Patrick and Brittany Mahomes brought the first smile to their faces since tragedy struck. Even though they will be wearing casts for several months they are excited to show loved ones that Patrick signed their cast," said a statement by the Reyes family who had two daughters wounded.

The family continued, "We want to thank the Mahomes Family for being so kind, caring, and loving to our little ones and ask that the community please keep them in their prayers as they navigate life moving forward."

Texas Tech Lady Raiders fall to Baylor

Just went it seems things can't get any worse for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders, it does. Facing No. 21 Baylor in Waco on the day that the Bears retired the jersey number of former player Brittney Griner, the Lady Raiders were dominated 61-32.

Tech managed to score only 18 total points in the first three quarters of the game on the way to a 45-18 deficit. They shot 29.5% from the field and just 23.5% (4-17) from 3-point range in the defeat while turning the ball over a stunning 29 times.

It is truly sad to see where that once proud program has fallen to. Tech is now 16-11 overall and 5-9 in Big 12 play and has lost five straight games. Life won't get any easier for the Lady Raiders as they travel to Austin this week to face No. 5 Texas on Wednesday night.

Texas Tech softball shows well in San Marcos

The Texas Tech softball team went 4-1 over the weekend at the Texas State tournament in San Marcos. Winning their first four games against Sam Houston, Tulsa, Texas State, and Northern Colorado, the Red Raiders fell to Texas State in the last game of the event.

Tech returns to the diamond Friday at the North Texas tournament. There they will play North Texas, Minnesota, and Stephen F. Austin.

Support grows for changes to the NCAA basketball tournament

In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, some power brokers in the industry are angling for a bigger piece of the NCAA men's basketball tournament pie, one that brings in over one billion dollars annually. One of those people is Brett Yormark, the Big 12 Commissioner who wants to see more major-conference teams and fewer mid-major teams in the event.

“I want to see the best teams competing for a national championship, no different than (the Big Ten and SEC) want to see in football,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told Yahoo Sports. “I’m not sure that is currently happening.”

One hangup to this plan is that the current broadcast model runs through 2032 and TV partners likely won't want to renegotiate the deal. With an expanded field would come more games and that would mean more money that the networks will have to dish out, something that likely could prevent immediate expansion. However, it seems like some of the biggest players in the game are already angling to make changes to the beloved event which currently features 68 teams.