NFL Star Micah Parsons Picks Texas Tech to Make Final Four in March Madness Bracket
Texas Tech men's basketball is predicted to reach the Final Four, according to NFL star Micah Parsons.
The Green Bay Packers edge rusher picked the Red Raiders to cruise to through the Midwest region. Parsons has Tech falling to Arkansas in the Final Four with Duke winning it all.
The Blue Devils were almost upset by No. 16 seed Siena Thursday, but survived with a 71-65 victory after trailing by double digits in the first half.
Micah Parsons' bracket!
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2026
Texas Tech to the Final Four 👀
VCU > UNC 😳
Duke cuts down the nets ✂️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/XvamUog9BQ
Texas Tech is set to take on Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Red Raiders are eager to begin their journey through March Madness.
The team, despite being without star junior forward JT Toppin, believes it can go far through the tournament.
"One thing about being at Texas Tech, there's a belief, and everybody has it," Tech coach Grant McCasland said during his press conference. "We're building to play in March. I love being a part of a university that just loves basketball and will support it in a way that feels like you can play for the whole thing. For us to be in the NCAA Tournament three years in a row, I think the expectation is that we put ourselves in position to keep winning. Our guys come to Texas Tech and are a part of this in the same belief. No matter what difficulty comes our way, you've got to believe that you can win and you can win games in March."
The Red Raiders don't have an easy feat through the tournment, however, as Akron is one of the hottest teams entering March.
McCasland is aware of the Zips' success ans what that means for his squad.
"Watching Akron play, winning 19 of the last 20 games, they're as aggressive offensively, fast in transition, get to the next action, as well as any team we've played. I mean, so much respect for the depth on their roster," he said. "A lot of teams will have some guys you've got to key on. I feel like they bring as good of players off the bench as they start. When they make runs, there's so many guys involved in the action.
"Coach Groce and Akron feel like they have an identity in how they want to play. They have great continuity in how they play and have great expectation. A lot of their roster played in the NCAA Tournament last year, played an Arizona team that we're obviously familiar with. So just a tremendous amount of respect for the way they compete. They're fun to watch. They'll give each other high fives on the possessions during the possession.
"They've got a connected group, you can tell, and they're playing great basketball."
Akron ranks top 10 nationally in scoring, which means Tech's defense will have to be sharp Friday. The Zips are currently averaging 88.4 points per game. The program also ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage (50.3%) and are top-20 in 3-point percentage (37.9%).
Tech has proven they can beat premier teams without Toppin and they'll have to break their three-game losing streak if they want to go far in the NCAA Tournament.
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Valentina Martinez is an On SI writer. She has in depth knowledge of the college sports community and has covered professional sports extensively. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and covered Sun Devil Football, Men's Basketball, Baseball, Women's Volleyball and Softball.