Texas Tech basketball is on the rise, and many are wondering what seed the team will earn in the NCAA tournament. Follow this blog for updates and analysis on the Red Raiders’ chances of making a deep run in the big dance.
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Introduction
Texas Tech’s men’s basketball team is currently ranked #6 in the nation and projected as a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament by ESPN. The Red Raiders have a chance to improve their seeding with a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament.
The Early Years
Texas Tech’s basketball program began in 1925 with the hiring of its first head coach, E. Y. Freeland. The program has seen its share of highs and lows throughout its history, but the last few years have been especially successful.
The first few years
The first few years were very successful for the young program. Under the leadership of head coach PICKNAME, the team made it to the NCAA Tournament in their first season and won their first game. They would go on to make the tournament 3 more times in the next 5 years, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in PICKYEAR.
The first NCAA tournament appearance
Texas Tech made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1939. The Red Raiders were coached by Dutch Lonborg and led by All-American Dee Andros. They defeated Auburn in the first round before losing to Oklahoma in the second round.
The Bob Knight Era
The Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball team represents Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, United States in NCAA Division I men’s basketball competition. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference. They are currently coached by Chris Beard. The Red Raiders have made twelve appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The first few years
Bob Knight was hired as head basketball coach at Texas Tech on March 23, 1971. He led the Red Raiders to a 19-11 record in his first season. In his second season, the Red Raiders finished 21-9 and defeated fourth-ranked USC to reach the Elite Eight of the 1972 NCAA Tournament. It was the farthest any team had advanced in the tournament up to that point. The following year, Texas Tech finished 19-9 and made it back to the Elite Eight before losing to Marquette. The Red Raiders would make five more NCAA Tournament appearances under Knight before he left for Indiana in September of 1977.
The National Championship
In 1993, Texas Tech went on a Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament. As a number four seed, they made it all the way to the national championship game where they lost to a stacked North Carolina team. This was by far the best season in school history, and it cemented Bob Knight’s legacy as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.
The Post-Bob Knight Era
Since head coach Bob Knight’s retirement in 2007, the Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball team has been to the NCAA tournament four times. In that span, they’ve made it to the Sweet Sixteen once and the Elite Eight once. They’ve also won the Big 12 regular season title once. So, what seed is Texas Tech basketball?
The first few years
It took a few years for the post-Bob Knight era to really take off. Under Jim Calhoun, the Huskies won the National Championship in 1999, their first since 1983. But it was the 2001-2002 season that truly announced Connecticut as a national powerhouse. That year, the team went undefeated en route to winning the National Championship, becoming only the second team in history to do so. They also won the Big East regular season and tournament titles that year.
Since then, Connecticut has been one of the most dominant Programs in college basketball. They’ve won 4 more National Championships (2004, 2011, 2014, 2015), and have made it to the Final Four 11 times.
The present day
Bob Knight was hired in 2001 to coach the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and he quickly turned the basketball program into a winning one. After Knight’s firing in 2008, the team has struggled to find consistent success.
Since 2008, the Red Raiders have been to the NCAA tournament four times. They made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018 before losing to eventual national champion Villanova. In 2019, they lost in the first round to Buffalo.
The 2019-20 team finished 18-13 and did not make the NCAA tournament.
