Selection Sunday was devoid of drama for Texas Tech basketball fans. That's the way we like it.
Knowing that your school is a lock to get into the NCAA Tournament is always the preferred way to enter the day when the official field of 68 teams is set. All Red Raider fans needed to know from the bracket reveal was where their team would play and who it would match up against.
Now we know. Texas Tech earned the No. 3 seed in the West Region and will open its quest for the program's second Final Four appearance on Thursday against UNC Wilmington in Wichita, Kansas.
This equals the highest that Tech has ever been seeded. The Red Raiders were also a No. 3 seed in the 2019 tournament. Of course, that was the season that Tech reached the Final Four in Minneapolis. Here's hoping history repeats itself six years later.
Texas Tech should be a favorite to make a deep run in the West Region
The draw for Texas Tech is favorable. If Tech gets to the second round (as most would expect), then Tech would play either No. 6 seed Missouri or No. 11 seed Drake.
Don't be shocked to see Drake pull off the upset in that first-round matchup. The Tigers are 22-11 but they enter the tournament having lost five of their last seven games. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are 30-3 on the season and are one of the best mid-major teams in the country. But regardless of who the Red Raiders meet in round two, Tech will be expected to prevail.
In the Sweet 16, the Red Raiders would face either No. 2 seed St. John's, No. 15 seed Omaha, No. 7 seed Kansas, or No. 10 seed Arkansas. None of those teams should strike fear in the Red Raiders.
Though St. John's is seeded higher, their resume does not stack up to Texas Tech's. Though the Red Storm enters the tournament with a 30-4 record after winning the Big East regular season and tournament titles, they are ranked lower than Tech in the NET and they are just 6-4 against Quad-1 opponents. (Texas Tech is 10-5 against Quad-1 teams.)
In the next round is where Tech's run as a favorite might run out, though. In the Elite Eight, the Red Raiders could run into No. 1 seed Florida. The Gators are the hottest team in the country having just captured the SEC Tournament title, and they enter the Big Dance with a 29-4 record and sitting at No. 4 in the NET.
The Gators are one of the favorites to cut down the nets in San Antonio. They have a record of 11-4 against Quad-1 opponents.
Of course, anything can happen in March, and we know that if the Red Raiders can take down Houston (the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region) in Houston without JT Toppin and head coach Grant McCasland, then the Red Raiders can beat anyone in America on a neutral floor.
Fortunately, now Tech gets a shot to prove itself against the best teams in the country. The bracket is set. Now it is time to dance.