LUBBOCK, TX – Texas Tech moved up one spot to No. 9 in both the AP Top 25 Poll and the Coaches Poll heading into the final week of the college basketball regular season. The Red Raiders (22-7, 13-5 Big 12) have now been ranked in the national polls for six consecutive weeks and in the Top 10 for three straight. Texas Tech is also ranked No. 7 in both the NCAA NET and KenPom rankings.
The Red Raiders will host Colorado at 7 p.m. Wednesday in their final home game at United Supermarkets Arena before closing out the regular season at Arizona State on Saturday night in Tempe. Texas Tech holds a 14-3 record at home and is 7-2 on the road. The team is currently tied for second place in the Big 12 standings with Arizona, while Houston has already clinched the conference’s regular-season title.
Auburn (27-2) remains the top-ranked team in the AP Top 25, followed by No. 2 Duke (26-3), No. 3 Houston (25-4), No. 4 Tennessee (24-5), and No. 5 Florida (25-4). The Big 12 is also represented by No. 10 Iowa State (22-7), No. 23 BYU (21-8), and No. 24 Arizona (19-10), while Kansas continues to receive votes.
Texas Tech is led by JT Toppin, who scored 21 points in the Red Raiders’ most recent win over Kansas. Toppin ranks third in the Big 12, averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field. Christian Anderson contributed five 3-pointers and set a career-high with six assists in the victory. Darrion Williams added 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, helping Tech improve to 7-2 in road games this season.
The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 with a 1.58 assist-to-turnover ratio and rank second in the conference with 9.9 made 3-pointers per game. Tech is third in the Big 12 in overall shooting percentage (47.5%), 3-point percentage (37.4%), and scoring (80.6 points per game). Four players are averaging double figures this season: Toppin (17.3), Chance McMillian (14.9), Williams (14.9), and Anderson (10.2). Elijah Hawkins leads the Big 12 with 6.4 assists per game while contributing 9.3 points per contest.
The Red Raiders first entered the rankings at No. 22 on Jan. 27 before steadily climbing to their current Top 10 position. This marks the eighth straight season Texas Tech has been ranked in the AP Top 25, a program record. The team’s highest-ever AP ranking was No. 6 in February 2018.
Texas Tech will conclude its regular season this week before preparing for the Big 12 Tournament and the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Post a comment to this article here: