Three teams Texas Tech basketball fans would love to see in the NCAA Tournament

March has officially arrived, and the madness of the college basketball postseason is soon to begin. That means that fans across the country are starting to tune in to college basketball in preparation for the release of the NCAA Tournament bracket in less than two weeks.

Of course, Texas Tech basketball fans have been locked in all season, and they know that there is plenty of work to do before the Big Dance begins. In fact, Tech still has quite a bit to play for in the regular season.

The Red Raiders have put themselves in a position to be the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and they could potentially play their way to a No. 3 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they finish the season well and make a run in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City next week. Thus, no one inside the Texas Tech basketball program is thinking about anything other than taking care of business Wednesday night against Colorado in the last home game of the season.

We are fans, though, and that allows us to look ahead at what could come our way later this month when the madness beings in earnest. And there are some potentially juicy NCAA Tournament matchups that Texas Tech could encounter. So, let’s look at three teams Tech could potentially play that would provide some extra storylines in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas Tech could face Texas early in the tournament…if Texas gets in

Texas Tech has never faced the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament because until this year, the two programs had been long-time conference rivals, and the Selection Committee often tries to avoid pitting conference foes against one another early in the tournament.

This year, though, the Longhorns call the SEC home meaning that there is no reason to keep Texas and a Big 12 school apart in the bracket. So wouldn’t it be juicy to see the Red Raiders play UT in this year’s tournament?

There is only one catch. Texas has to actually make the Big Dance. Right now, that’s not a guarantee. In fact, in the latest ESPN Bracketology projection, Joe Lunardi has the Longhorns as one of his first four teams out.

Texas is the definition of a bubble team sitting at No. 46 in the NET Rankings and possessing a record of just 6-13 in Quad 1 and 2 games. Thus, their final two games (at Mississippi State and home vs. Oklahoma) as well as the SEC Tournament will likely tell the tale of their season.

Most Texas Tech fans likely don’t want Texas to make the NCAA Tournament just out of spite but if there was ever a season for Tech to finally face UT in the Big Dance, it would be 2025. Tech didn’t get to play the Horns earlier this season when the two teams participated in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, NY so keeping this long-running rivalry alive with a March postseason showdown would be a juicy matchup.

Texas Tech might face a hated pair of former head coaches

One team that will make the NCAA Tournament is Ole Miss. Currently projected as a No. 8 seed by ESPN, the Rebels are No. 28 in the NET and appear to be on the safe side of the bubble.

Why would Tech care about facing Mississippi in March? Because Chris Beard is the Ole Miss head coach and Mark Adams is on his coaching staff in Oxford.

Sure, Red Raider fans got to see the Red Raiders go 2-0 against Beard in 2022, the season after he left Texas Tech to take over at Texas. Those two wins helped calm some of the anger the fan base felt toward its former head coach, as did Beard’s ugly fall from grace in Austin.

However, there will always be animosity between the Red Raider fan base and its former hero who led the program to never-before-seen heights from 2016-2021. Thus, it would be especially pleasing to take Beard out of the NCAA Tournament, especially since he’s got the band back together and reunited with Adams.

Of course, Adams is also a reviled figure in Lubbock for how he mismanaged his opportunity to coach his alma mater. Yes, in 2022, he guided Tech to the Sweet 16, but a year later, he completely mailed it in and let self-inflicted off-the-court drama and activities derail his program. Thus, he left Lubbock in a cloud of disgrace, and Tech fans would love to put one over on him as well.

Ole Miss is a mid-tier SEC team with a record of 11-9 in Quad 1 and 2 games. They sit at No. 28 in the NET and they could be a dangerous underdog in the second round of the tournament. However, it would be absolutely glorious for Texas Tech to get the chance to hang another loss on Beard because as long as he’s in the coaching profession, he’ll be one of the most hated men in West Texas.

Texas Tech would love another shot at Houston

Finally, wouldn’t it make sense for Texas Tech to want to have another chance to play Houston? After all, the Red Raiders have yet to play the Cougars at full strength this year, and still, they have gone 1-1 against them. In fact, to date, Houston’s only Big 12 loss was the 82-81 OT defeat Texas Tech handed them on their home court on February 1.

Sure, Houston would be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament. However, if Tech is going to get back to the Final Four or even win it all, then beating really good teams will be required. So, why not take another swing at a team that you already know you can beat?

Should Tech play Houston in the NCAA Tournament, the Red Raiders will be fully prepared for Houston’s rugged style of play, something they have encountered twice. What’s more, the Red Raiders actually match up well against Houston given that Tech’s ability to get 3-point shooting from multiple players helps counteract the elite perimeter defense the Cougars play.

This year, Tech beat Houston without JT Toppin and Grant McCasland and took the Cougars down to the wire in Lubbock without Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams. Thus, it could be argued that when at full strength, Tech is every bit as good as Houston. So if you are going to have to go through a No. 1 seed, Houston would likely be the one that Tech would want to face.