CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah picks every game of the Big 12 and if Jeyarajah is correct, Texas Tech would win 9 games? I’ll sign up for that. I also wouldn’t get hung up too much on who Jeyarajah has Texas Tech taking losses to, I think the point is more or less the idea that he thinks that Texas Tech is going to be really good.
The Athletic’s Sam Kahn ($) writes about the smoke surrounding 2024 5-star receiver Micah Hudson’s possible decision on a school, all signs pointing to Texas Tech, although it’s a long recruiting season and anything can happen. Kahn recognizes the improvements that Joey McGuire, the staff, and alumni have made:
Credit McGuire for bringing an infectious energy to Texas Tech and making believers out of his team, administration and fan base. The Red Raiders have been a trendy offseason pick to rise in the Big 12 despite not posting a record better than 8-5 in the last 13 years, a product of how well the team played in Year 1 under McGuire.
Credit Texas Tech’s staff, from the assistant coaches down to the recruiting department, who have put into practice a recruiting strategy they believe in that helped the Red Raiders sign a recruiting class ranked in the top 30 for the first time in more than a decade. They’ve exerted relentless effort to try to bring players to Lubbock, Hudson in particular. From Brian Nance, Texas Tech’s director of scouting who was one of the first to believe in Hudson two years ago while at Baylor, to receivers coach Justin Johnson to offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, building a strong relationship with Hudson has been a staff-wide effort.
Credit the alumni and donors who have stepped up to support the program financially at a critical time. When Texas and Oklahoma announced their SEC move, the Red Raiders didn’t sit idly by as the realignment winds blew. They’re in the middle of a $200 million football facility makeover. When they hired McGuire, they significantly grew the staff salary pool, enabling him to hire an impressive group of assistant coaches.
On3’s Keegan Pope also confirms that Hudson isn’t expected to go to Texas for his visit this weekend:
Three in-state programs — Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech — have long been considered him top three schools heading into this summer. He took an official visit to Lubbock earlier this month and was expected to be at Texas this weekend for the Longhorns’ big recruiting bash. On Tuesday night though, InsideTexas.com’s Gerry Hamilton confirmed that Hudson won’t be on the Forty Acres this weekend after all.
That news comes at the same time as a prediction from Hamilton for the Red Raiders to land Hudson came in, joining On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, who made a pick back in early May.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese was at the press conference with Andrew Sorrells, Toddrick Gotcher, and Clark Lammert as they prepare for The Basketball Tournament with Lubbock being a regional host.
“I think that highlights the passion that our community has for the sport of basketball,” Sorrells said during a Wednesday press conference, “and obviously it’s made it a lot easier to recruit talented guys like Toddrick (Gotcher) with it being in Lubbock. We’ve assembled a pretty talented roster that I think has a chance to win the whole thing.
Here’s the Lubbock bracket and schedule.
The @AirRaidersTBT are a #1 SEED🚀
For the first time in TBT history, we’re headed to Lubbock and the @TexasTechMBB fans are READY to pack the house!
Tune in to the rest of the show: https://t.co/9kQcz8f161
Here’s the full regional bracket as well as the regional schedule – pic.twitter.com/xdu6o92lTj
— TBT (@thetournament) June 21, 2023