Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders move to No. 14 nationally
March 07, 2022 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech travels to Kansas City to compete in the 2022 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship this week as the No. 14-ranked team in the nation according to the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll which were both released on Monday.
The Red Raiders (23-8) have now been ranked for 13 straight weeks after beginning the season as unranked team. Tech is the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament and opens against Iowa State at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Along with the polls, Tech is at No. 12 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 11 on Kenpom.com. The Red Raiders are coming off a 52-51 loss at Oklahoma State in their regular season finale despite holding the Cowboys to 32.8 percent shooting from the field and 5-for-23 on 3-pointers. The defensive effort didn't result in a win, but it did move Tech back to No. 1 in the Kenpom.com adjusted defensive efficiency ratings. The Red Raiders are ninth nationally by limiting teams to only 38.5 percent shooting and are 13th with teams being limited to an average of 60.7 points through 31 games. Â
Gonzaga (24-3) remains at No. 1 nationally followed by No. 2 Arizona (28-3), No. 3 Baylor (26-5), No. 4 Auburn (27-4) and No. 5 Kentucky (25-6). The Big 12 is also represented by No. 6 Kansas (25-6) and No. 22 Texas (21-10). The Red Raiders are 6-3 against teams that are currently in the top 25 this season, including sweeping Baylor and Texas this season.
Tech has entered the top-10 of the rankings in four of the past five seasons and has accomplished it this year by working their way up from beginning as an unranked team. Tech was not ranked for the first five weeks of the season before entering at No. 25 on December 13 following a win over Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic. TTU spent four straight weeks at No. 25 before moving to No. 19, No. 18, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 9 in the national poll. A loss at OU bumped the Red Raiders back to No. 11 before wins over TCU, Baylor and Texas slid them back into the top-10. TTU was at No. 12 last week after a loss at TCU and moves to No. 14 this week after splitting in the final two games of the regular season.
Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll) and the program spent one week at No. 7 last season before dipping back. The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final.
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The Red Raiders (23-8) have now been ranked for 13 straight weeks after beginning the season as unranked team. Tech is the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tournament and opens against Iowa State at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Along with the polls, Tech is at No. 12 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 11 on Kenpom.com. The Red Raiders are coming off a 52-51 loss at Oklahoma State in their regular season finale despite holding the Cowboys to 32.8 percent shooting from the field and 5-for-23 on 3-pointers. The defensive effort didn't result in a win, but it did move Tech back to No. 1 in the Kenpom.com adjusted defensive efficiency ratings. The Red Raiders are ninth nationally by limiting teams to only 38.5 percent shooting and are 13th with teams being limited to an average of 60.7 points through 31 games. Â
Gonzaga (24-3) remains at No. 1 nationally followed by No. 2 Arizona (28-3), No. 3 Baylor (26-5), No. 4 Auburn (27-4) and No. 5 Kentucky (25-6). The Big 12 is also represented by No. 6 Kansas (25-6) and No. 22 Texas (21-10). The Red Raiders are 6-3 against teams that are currently in the top 25 this season, including sweeping Baylor and Texas this season.
Tech has entered the top-10 of the rankings in four of the past five seasons and has accomplished it this year by working their way up from beginning as an unranked team. Tech was not ranked for the first five weeks of the season before entering at No. 25 on December 13 following a win over Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic. TTU spent four straight weeks at No. 25 before moving to No. 19, No. 18, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 9 in the national poll. A loss at OU bumped the Red Raiders back to No. 11 before wins over TCU, Baylor and Texas slid them back into the top-10. TTU was at No. 12 last week after a loss at TCU and moves to No. 14 this week after splitting in the final two games of the regular season.
Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll) and the program spent one week at No. 7 last season before dipping back. The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final.
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