We finished last season at 9-9 in the Big 12, and that was only good enough for a #7 seed in the conference. We went up against #10 seed TCU in the Big 12 tournament and lost, yet still found our way into the Big Dance with an impressive out of conference strength of schedule and .500 conference record for the regular season.
Fast-forward to this season. We had a particularly easy out of conference schedule, and will be fighting for our 7th win in the Big 12 during our last regular season game. Yet, somehow we have a chance to finish at the #6 spot in the challenging Big 12 conference. The only thing in our way is getting our first conference road win of the season. That elusive Big 12 road win has been difficult coming up just short in Waco, Austin, Fort Worth, and Morgantown. Can we pull off our first one in Manhattan against K-State? Every indication from the trends would suggest no, but that’s not the way a Red Raider thinks. We have hope and go for it all. K-State better be ready when Texas Tech rolls onto the court this Saturday.
Here are the possible outcomes for our seeding in the Big 12 tournament…
- Finish #6 with a win.
- Finish #7 with a loss & West Virginia win & TCU loss.
- Finish #8 with a loss & TCU win.
- Finish #8 with a loss & TCU loss & Iowa State win.
It is simple right, just get that damn road win and finish at #6 for the regular season. Giving us a bye in the first round of the Big 12 tourney. Texas Tech has not finished the regular Big 12 season ranked #6 or above since the 2006-07 season. Back when schools like Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, and A&M were part of the conference; and a guy named Kevin Durant was playing college ball. Yeah, a long while back in the day.
This season may not have been fortuitous, yet getting that first Big 12 road win of the season and finishing at #6 in the conference would be an accomplishment to be proud of. Going into the Big 12 tourney with some positive vibes and momentum may just be what this group needs to get over that hump of winning the close games. Which is exactly what you want to happen when March rolls around. Let’s get ready for Saturday because this game away from Lubbock is a very big deal for our Texas Tech basketball program. Wreck ’em Tech!!!