LUBBOCK, TX — Texas Tech moved up six spots to No. 10 in this week’s AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll, extending its program-record streak to 26 consecutive appearances in the rankings.
The Red Raiders are also No. 10 in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll and rank No. 13 in both the NCAA NET and KenPom ratings. The NCAA Selection Committee listed Texas Tech as a No. 4 seed (13th overall) in its preliminary top 16 reveal Saturday. Selection Sunday is March 15, when the 68-team bracket will be announced on CBS.
Texas Tech (22-7, 12-4 Big 12) has won three straight games, including an 82-73 victory over then-No. 4 Iowa State last weekend for its third top-five win of the season. The Red Raiders host TCU (19-10, 9-7) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their home finale at United Supermarkets Arena. Tech is 14-1 at home this season and 44-6 on its home court under coach Grant McCasland.
Duke (27-2) remains No. 1 in the AP poll, followed by Arizona, Michigan, UConn and Florida. Iowa State (24-5) dropped to No. 6 after its loss to Tech. Houston (No. 7) and Kansas (No. 14) also represent the Big 12 in the rankings. TCU received two votes.
The Red Raiders have set a program record with four wins over top-10 opponents this season, including three against top-five teams. They are 4-2 against top-10 competition and 3-1 against top-five opponents. Tech owns wins over then-No. 3 Duke on a neutral court at Madison Square Garden, then-No. 6 Houston at home, then-No. 1 Arizona on the road and then-No. 4 Iowa State on the road.
At Iowa State, Donovan Atwell led Tech with 18 points, going 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Christian Anderson added 14 points and seven assists, extending his streak to 13 consecutive games scoring in double figures. Six Red Raiders scored in double figures in the win.
Atwell ranks third nationally with 110 made 3-pointers and is shooting 46.2% from beyond the arc. Anderson has made 96 3-pointers this season, surpassing the previous single-season school record of 94 set in 1996-97. Anderson leads the Big 12 with 7.7 assists per game and has 215 assists this season, moving into second in program history for a single season. He is averaging 19.4 points per game.
As a team, Texas Tech leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally with 11.5 made 3-pointers per game. The Red Raiders are shooting 39.5% from 3-point range (333 of 842) through 29 games and have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 23 games this season.
Texas Tech concludes the regular season Saturday with a road game at BYU (20-9, 8-8) in Provo, Utah.
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