For the record, I am by no means a basketball expert. But I did average 0.6 points per game in high school so clearly my two cents is worth a little bit more than that.
Texas Tech is the ultimate perennial underdog. In everything. Except chess and meat judging - y'all keep on keepin' on. But that's beside the point. Being a Texas Tech fan is difficult, even in a good year. Football, baseball, basketball - you name it - it's tough (and props to those of you who never falter). And when it comes to men's basketball, the Red Raiders have been on a steady decline since the Bobby Knight era ended almost a decade ago.
Fact of the matter is, it's been a while since we've been good. We haven't even sniffed a tournament invitation since 2007. But the good news is, this year our trusty Red Raiders have given us a glimmer of hope in this deep, dark, lonely hole that is Tech fandom, and I have several reasons you should hold onto it with dear life, just as I am.
1. We have Tubby Smith
Knight took the men's basketball team from 11th in the conference to 3rd in his first season. With a little different coaching style (or a lot different depending on who you ask), I think we're seeing a parallel or two.
The job Tubby has done is undeniably brilliant. To turn a program around is not easy - I mean I've never actually done it but I'm assuming attempting to transition 15 20-something-year-old men into a whole new coaching style is a feat conquerable by only the best of the best.
C'mon y'all, he's not a Wooden Award winner for no reason.
*Calls dibs on Coach of The Year*
2. Toddrick Gotcher
TG is the dude. And not just on the court. Toddrick has been a staple in this Texas Tech program for 5 years and his leadership has reached an all-time high. His presence might have been noticed in previous years, but now that he has a team behind him he has propelled to the next level. He doesn't lead in any statistical category but he's the best glue-guy in the Big XII. Oh, and his clutch 3's are mildly important.
3. Strength of schedule
I don't care who you are or what you think you know, the Big XII is one of if not the toughest basketball conference in the country. And this round-robin style of play we've been forced into (having only 9 opponents) has actually panned out better for us for once. With the exception of 2 non-conference losses all season - including falling to no. 16 Utah and a heartbreaker at Arkansas (you win this time, Dusty Hannahs) - we played and won a respectable pre conference schedule. And when you play four top-25 teams twice each during conference play, you're forced to get better or get left behind. Yes, we lost a couple of those conference games early, but we weren't playing poorly, we just weren't finishing games, right Tubby? The difference? Now we are.
The Big XII has a chance to send seven teams to the Big Dance. Seven teams people! That means that seven out of 10 teams in the conference rank among the best, without necessarily having an actual number in front of their name. The better the Big XII is, the better we look. And guess what. Those good teams that we're so used to being curb stomped by? Yeah, we're beating them this year.
Almost every year in the recent past we've been able to count on at least one big upset from our Red Raiders. So honestly after first upset against Oklahoma State this year I was pretty content. Actually I was content after the win at Texas. But in recent weeks, I've come to expect more. I've come to expect higher field goal percentages, fewer turnovers, and more guts on the court. And that's exactly what we've gotten. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get way ahead of myself and set us all up for major disappointment, but the big wins we've had have been validated by seemingly smaller wins that follow. For once we're winning games that we should after games everyone thinks we shouldn't.
Oh, and fun little stat for you here: Texas Tech is 5-1 since Star Wars night. 5-1. Clearly we have The Force on our side.
4. We're doing it with no key big man
Zach Smith and Aaron Ross have stepped in huge this season, leaving us all baffled by Smith's massive dunks and a plethora of unexpected 3s from 6'8 Ross, but the more help we can get, the better.
You might not be a fan of the Texas Tech Recreation Center, but I am, because it produced our new pride and joy, heaven-sent forward - Matt Temple. We miss you Norense, but bless your soul Matt. The only thing I can say about the Rec Legend himself is that he has been a saving grace for this team in the paint.
5. We have youth
The best part about this team? We're young and we're fiery, but we're finally to the point where we're playing with maturity. We gained so much experience from early conference losses and actually learned from them. And that's exactly what young guys need - experience in tough games and hard losses to build off of. With the likes of seasoned sophomores Justin Gray and Keenan Evans I think we have a lot of excitement left in this program for years to come. Which is, well, exciting.
Oh, and our bench celebrations are pretty swaggy too - shout out to Monmouth for the inspiration and to Jordan Jackson for flawless execution. Youth is fun!!!
Long story short, I'm in this one for the long haul. I think that this team has something special. And I think it's coming to fruition very, very soon.
Wreck 'em.
