A road win would have a huge impact on the NCAA Tournament predictions. So is the Texas Tech basketball team, which defeated Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman.
The Red Raiders, currently ranked No. 15 in the nation, improved to 16-3 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 play with the 85-84 victory.
In last week's NCAA Tournament predictions, various experts found Texas Tech a firm favorite in this field. The Red Raiders' stock went up even more by defeating the Sooners.
Entering this week, Texas Tech had a 3-3 record in Quad 1 play and was ranked No. 26 in the NET rankings. The Red Raiders are also ranked 26th on KenPom.
ESPN: 7th Seed (Eastern Region)
Joe Lunardi's latest bracket doesn't have much movement. ESPN predicts seventh-seeded Texas Tech will travel to Indianapolis to face No. 10 seed Saint Mary's. This time last week, Lunardi had the Red Raiders as the No. 8 seed. On the other side of that bracket, No. 2 seed Wisconsin plays No. 15 seed Sam Houston.
CBS Sports: 4th seed (Western)
In last week's predictions, Jerry Palm had the Red Raiders as the No. 6 seed. Palm moved the Red Raiders up a few notches, entering the West Division as the No. 4 seed. Under this projection, Texas Tech will play No. 13 seed Akron in Spokane, Wash., with No. 5 seed Auburn and No. 12 seed Sanford on the other side.
Fox Sports: 8th seed (Midwest Region)
Before Texas Tech beat Oklahoma, Fox Sports' Mike DeCourcy pegged the Red Raiders as the eighth-seeded team to face ninth-seeded St. John's. Which is ironic considering that in last week's mailbag I argued that Rick Pitino was a candidate for Coach of the Year. The Red Storm should be directed at McCasland.
Field of 68: 5 Seed (Midwest Region)
In Monday's bracket announcement, 68 fields The Red Raiders are the 5th seed and will face 12th seed Appalachian State. The winner of this game will face the winner between No. 4 seed Kentucky and No. 13 seed Yale University. The location of the game is not included in this bracket.
