Texas Tech Basketball Could Be Underrated in AP Preseason Poll
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The Red Raiders enter the 2026-2027 college basketball season with very high expectations, not only in the Big 12 but also in the country. Grant McCasland and Co. have put together quite the roster, as Texas Tech looks to take home a conference championship and make a deep run in March.
The overall expectations have been revealed recently with the release of the AP Top-25 preseason poll. Texas Tech comes in at No. 19 overall, a mark that's quite a bit lower than many Red Raider fans would have expected.
Texas Tech’s Roster
It's easy to get behind the product that Texas Tech will put on the floor this season. Texas Tech returns some key pieces in Donovan Atwell and Josiah Moseley, along with JT Toppin when he is cleared to return from his injury. The Red Raiders have also added very crucial newcomers, both through the transfer portal and the 2026 freshman class.
Starting in the backcourt is a duo of highly skilled offensive guards, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, a 20-point-per-game scorer coming in from UNLV, along with Cruz Davis, an electric offensive piece who led Hofstra to the NCAA tournament last season
As depth pieces, Texas Tech also welcomes Damarion Dennis from Wyoming and Bassala Bagayoko, an international prospect from Mali. They also managed to convince Darrion Williams to return following his one-year stint at NC State.
The pieces are certainly in place for Texas Tech to make a run through their own conference and in March, as this team has both quality starters on the offensive and defensive ends, as well as great depth pieces.
Questions to Answer
One major question that Texas Tech still needs to answer is regarding UCF transfer Jamichael Stillwell, who is still pending eligibility clearance. Without Stillwell, the frontcourt could be much slimmer than ideal, especially in the months until Toppin is back in the lineup.
Overall, Texas Tech checks a lot of the boxes in being a top 15 team in the country, yet still comes in at No. 19 overall. It may be a little lower than they anticipated at the start of the season, but they'll have a chance early on to show the voters they deserve to move up the rankings.
Fans will get their first look at this Texas Tech team on October 23rd when they play their first public exhibition game against Kentucky in Lexington. It'll be a great preseason matchup to get an idea of where Texas Tech lands before beginning the season officially on November 2nd.
The AP Poll is the baseline benchmark; however, the official NCAA Tournament Committee is the only final poll that matters, but on Selection Sunday. An AP ranking high enough to be in the Top 20 or Top 25 is an indicator that the program is in serious contention for a top-four seed or a high enough seed to get the Red Raiders into the Sweet Sixteen at the end of the season.
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Kade Nix is a sports writer covering Texas Tech on SI. He specializes in college basketball, college football, and the NFL. In 2021, he founded Kade’s Draft Room, a sports website that ran until 2025, and has an extensive background writing for multiple channels and sports websites. In addition to his writing experience, Kade has hands-on football scouting experience, including time as a Texas area scout for the Hula Bowl, giving him a unique perspective on player evaluation and the college sports landscape.