Internet college hoops analyst places Texas Tech amongst the elite in preseason poll

Internet college hoops commentator Ryan Hammer, famous for coining the term "Trapezoid of Excellence", is very high on the Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball program. Hammer's term is used by him to identify teams that have certain aspects within their roster and style of play, which will generally lead to success in the NCAA Tournament. Based on the release of his "Way-too-Early" preseason rankings, Hammer has Texas Tech quite high in his trapezoid.

Hammer waited until the NBA Draft process had played out to build his rankings. After all the transfer moves and the returns and departures relating to the NBA, he then placed Tech 4th overall in the country. Hammer placed Houston, Florida, and Purdue ahead of the Red Raiders, in that order.

My *Too Early* College Hoops Power 30⬇️

Doing anything before the portal/draft deadline always felt silly to me but we're ready to rock now pic.twitter.com/OwUorbHeqb
— Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) May 29, 2025

With the Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin (19.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg) and freshman point guard phenom Christian Anderson (10.4 ppg) returning, there is reason to see optimism at Texas Tech. Couple those clutch returns with five 4-star transfer portal talents, and you have a recipe for a team that could make a deep run in March. Hammer's assessment that Tech could be a truly elite program next year is shared by a few other analysts as well, now they just have to go out and perform to those expectations.

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