Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Ranked No. 21 in National Polls
March 15, 2021 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will go into the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. The Red Raiders have been ranked throughout the season for the first time in program history, starting at No. 14 in the preseason poll and reaching as high as No. 7.
The Red Raiders (17-10) are set to open the NCAA Tournament against Utah State (20-8) at 12:45 p.m. (CST) on Friday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. Tech and USU have split their previous four matchups in the series history, including the Red Raiders earning a 75-51 win in the third-place game of the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 23, 2016. The two programs had not played since 1976 in the Indiana Classic in Bloomington where they'll meet up again on Friday. Â
Gonzaga (26-0) is the top-ranked team in the nation going into the tournament followed by No. 2 Illinois (23-6), No. 3 Baylor (22-2), No. 4 Michigan (204-) and No. 5 Alabama (24-6). The Big 12 have five teams in the final top 25 poll of the season with No. 9 Texas, No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 12 Kansas and No. 13 West Virginia. The conference has seven teams competing in the NCAA Tournament.
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The Red Raiders (17-10) are set to open the NCAA Tournament against Utah State (20-8) at 12:45 p.m. (CST) on Friday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. Tech and USU have split their previous four matchups in the series history, including the Red Raiders earning a 75-51 win in the third-place game of the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 23, 2016. The two programs had not played since 1976 in the Indiana Classic in Bloomington where they'll meet up again on Friday. Â
Gonzaga (26-0) is the top-ranked team in the nation going into the tournament followed by No. 2 Illinois (23-6), No. 3 Baylor (22-2), No. 4 Michigan (204-) and No. 5 Alabama (24-6). The Big 12 have five teams in the final top 25 poll of the season with No. 9 Texas, No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 12 Kansas and No. 13 West Virginia. The conference has seven teams competing in the NCAA Tournament.
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