No. 25 Texas Tech, which suffered a blowout loss to No. 5 Houston, has a chance to bounce back against another ranked opponent in No. 20 BYU. With the future in mind, here are three things that have to happen to get the Red Raiders back. to the NCAA Tournament after missing last season.
hold serve at home
Texas Tech is currently on the right side of the bubble, so there's a lot to do to get the Red Raiders back into March Madness, and at least a large part of it starts with winning home games.
Tech is currently undefeated at home this season, coming off a thrilling win against Kansas State last weekend, and that trend should continue for the Red Raiders.
Tech's remaining home schedule includes three Quad-One opportunities this Saturday against BYU, on Feb. 12 against Kansas, and to close out the regular season against Baylor. The Red Raiders will also have tough tests in the Big 12 at Cincinnati, TCU, UCF and Texas.
It will be imperative for Tech to win home games, especially against non-Quad One opponents, as road wins are very difficult to come by in the conference this season.
Let's overcome the challenges of January
The tough January battle facing Tech teams started Wednesday in Houston with the Red Raiders soundly losing to the Cougars, but it doesn't end there.
Another bunch of Cougars arrives when BYU comes to Lubbock on Saturday, while Norman and Fort Worth's trips to Oklahoma and TCU round out the January schedule, all Quad One opportunities.
If Tech can win its final few games, head coach Grant McCasland's team could be primed for a breakthrough in February and March.
Find distinctive victories on the road
The Red Raiders are 1-2 in road games this season, with their only win coming against Texas, who have struggled since losing to the Red Raiders two weekends ago.
The tech companies will need to find a signature win to extend their history, especially if they stay in the bubble, and it could be a tiebreaker between them and other similar teams.
Opportunities for key road wins begin in January against the Sooners and Horned Frogs, but extend into February with trips to Baylor, Iowa and UCF scheduled for the record.
Tech's campaign begins Saturday at 5 p.m. against BYU at United Supermarket Arena and will be televised on ESPN2.
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