Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Rise to No. 12 Nationally
January 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech is up to No. 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 and comes in at No. 13 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the NCAA NET Rankings after splitting against a pair of top-5 teams last week.
The Red Raiders (11-4, 4-3 Big 12) will travel to TCU to play on Wednesday after earning a win at Texas last Wednesday followed by a 68-60 loss to No. 2 Baylor last Saturday. Tech secured the program's first-ever road victory over the Longhorns who were ranked No. 4 with a 79-77 win in Austin. The No. 12 ranking is the highest the program has reached this season and makes it nine straight weeks in the poll. Tech was ranked No. 15 last week.Â
Gonzaga (14-0) remains the top-ranked team in the polls followed by Baylor (12-0), Villanova (8-1), Iowa (12-2) and the Longhorns (11-2) who slipped back one spot after the loss to Tech but then an 82-67 win over Kansas State on Saturday. The Big 12 is also represented by No. 9 Kansas (10-3) and No. 14 West Virginia (9-4) while Oklahoma State is receiving votes. Houston, which was ranked No. 17 when it gave Tech its first loss of the season on Nov. 29 in Fort Worth, is now 11-1 and ranked No. 8.
Tech is currently 1-3 against ranked opponents after splitting the top-5 matchup last week.
Along with the polls, Tech remains one of the most impressive teams nationally in the stat categories also including leading the nation with 382 trips to the free-throw line and the second most makes with 273. The team is fifth nationally with a 6.5 turnover margin advantage, 10th with 68 total blocks, 11th by limiting teams to only 59.9 points per game and is 13th by forcing 17.9 turnovers per game from its opponents. Individually, Mac McClung leads the Big 12 with 245 total points, 19.7 points per game in Big 12 play and with 66 made free throws (14th most nationally). Kyler Edwards is third in the conference with 27 3-pointers, while Marcus Santos-Silva is second with 19 total blocks.
The Red Raiders open this week at TCU at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Fort Worth before hosting Iowa State on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena. Tech has opened Big 12 play with three straight road wins for the first time since the inaugural Big 12 season of 1996-97 after running off victories at Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas. A win at TCU would be the first time a Red Raider team has opened Big 12 play with four straight road wins and would match the longest road winning streak in conference play. The 2018-19 team finished the conference campaign with four straight road victories to set that mark.
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The Red Raiders (11-4, 4-3 Big 12) will travel to TCU to play on Wednesday after earning a win at Texas last Wednesday followed by a 68-60 loss to No. 2 Baylor last Saturday. Tech secured the program's first-ever road victory over the Longhorns who were ranked No. 4 with a 79-77 win in Austin. The No. 12 ranking is the highest the program has reached this season and makes it nine straight weeks in the poll. Tech was ranked No. 15 last week.Â
Gonzaga (14-0) remains the top-ranked team in the polls followed by Baylor (12-0), Villanova (8-1), Iowa (12-2) and the Longhorns (11-2) who slipped back one spot after the loss to Tech but then an 82-67 win over Kansas State on Saturday. The Big 12 is also represented by No. 9 Kansas (10-3) and No. 14 West Virginia (9-4) while Oklahoma State is receiving votes. Houston, which was ranked No. 17 when it gave Tech its first loss of the season on Nov. 29 in Fort Worth, is now 11-1 and ranked No. 8.
Tech is currently 1-3 against ranked opponents after splitting the top-5 matchup last week.
Along with the polls, Tech remains one of the most impressive teams nationally in the stat categories also including leading the nation with 382 trips to the free-throw line and the second most makes with 273. The team is fifth nationally with a 6.5 turnover margin advantage, 10th with 68 total blocks, 11th by limiting teams to only 59.9 points per game and is 13th by forcing 17.9 turnovers per game from its opponents. Individually, Mac McClung leads the Big 12 with 245 total points, 19.7 points per game in Big 12 play and with 66 made free throws (14th most nationally). Kyler Edwards is third in the conference with 27 3-pointers, while Marcus Santos-Silva is second with 19 total blocks.
The Red Raiders open this week at TCU at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Fort Worth before hosting Iowa State on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena. Tech has opened Big 12 play with three straight road wins for the first time since the inaugural Big 12 season of 1996-97 after running off victories at Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas. A win at TCU would be the first time a Red Raider team has opened Big 12 play with four straight road wins and would match the longest road winning streak in conference play. The 2018-19 team finished the conference campaign with four straight road victories to set that mark.
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