Texas Tech basketball named darkhorse Final Four contender by at least one expert

This season, expectations are high for the Texas Tech basketball team. Bringing back core players such as Darrion Williams, Chance McMillan, and Kerwin Walton and adding standout transfers Elijah Hawkins, JT Toppin, and Federiko Federkio, many expect the Red Raiders to be a handful in March. In fact, one college basketball expert even thinks the Red Raiders could make a run to the Final Four.

On his college basketball podcast "The Field of 68: After Dark" broadcaster and college hoops commentator John Fanta was participating in a round-table discussion about teams ranked outside the top 25 to begin the season that could make a run to the Final Four and the Red Raiders were his pick.

"I'm going to set the internet on fire," he said, "and they're going to like me in Lubbock. Grant McCasland has a talented Texas Tech team. The pieces do have to come together but JT Toppin could spring onto the scene there and he's a really good player. Elijah Hawkins, Chance McMillan, Federiko Federiko at the five, Darrion Williams, you kinda like what you're seeing out of the Red Raiders. Maybe they go on a run."

Of course, the Red Raiders will have quite the mountain to climb just to get into the NCAA Tournament this year given how tough the Big 12 is expected to be. In fact, despite all of the respect the Red Raiders have earned this offseason, they were picked just seventh in the Big 12 basketball preseason poll.

However, even the seventh-best team in the Big 12 might be good enough to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. What's more, if Tech were to make a Final Four run this year, it wouldn't be the first time the program has reached the game's biggest stage after being picked seventh in the conference's preseason poll.

Back in 2018, when there were only ten teams in the Big 12, the Red Raiders were selected only seventh in the preseason Big 12 poll despite reaching the Elite Eight the season prior. Apparently the loss of guards Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith from that Elite Eight roster was enough to make voters think that the Red Raiders would take a step backward that year.

That didn't happen though. In fact, the Red Raiders would go on to win a share of the Big 12 regular-season crown in 2018-19 (tied with Kansas State) and they would eventually play in the National Championship Game in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Could a similar run be in store for Tech this year? Fanta thinks it is possible and Red Raider fans across the country are hoping that he's right.