Texas Tech Earns No. 5 Seed in NCAA Tournament

Red Raiders will be challenged in first round against MAC Champion Akron

Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Lejuan Watts (3) and guard Christian Anderson (4) react with guards Donovan Atwell (12) and Tyeree Bryan (1) during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Texas Tech Red Raiders earned the No. 5 seed in the Midwest region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The Red Raiders will face No. 12 seed Akron on Friday in Tampa, Florida.

LET’S DANCE @TexasTechMBB 🕺#Big12MBB | @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/vHejOV2p56

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 15, 2026

This will be the 22nd time in their 101 year program history that they will play in March Madness.

The Red Raiders didn't finish the regular season on a strong note. They lost the final three games of their season, including a 75-53 thrashing by the Iowa State Cyclones in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.

It's been a tough handful of games for the Red Raiders; however, in just a few days, all that will not matter. Texas Tech has earned its third consecutive appearance in the tournament and its seventh appearance in the last 11 seasons.

Head coach Grant McCasland has yet to miss the tournament since he's touched down in Lubbock, and he didn't plan to stop this season. The Red Raiders had one heck of a regular season. They finished with a stellar 22-10 record and a 12-6 record in the Big 12.

McCasland will be coaching in his 104th game as Tech's head coach and enter the tournament with a 284-119 record in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 73-30 overall (103 games – 70.9 win percentage), 38-18 in Big 12 games, 44-7 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games, 17-13 in true road and 12-10 in neutral-court games.

The 49-year-old coach has now led four teams to the NCAA Tournament and has a 4-3 record, including taking North Texas to the second round after a 78-69 overtime win over Purdue to open the 2021 NCAA Tournament. He also has NCAA Tournament experience as an assistant coach at Baylor, where he was a part of five tournament appearances, including reaching the 2012 Elite Eight and 2014 Sweet 16.

It's been quite the season for Tech, and it started hot. The Red Raiders started the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, their highest preseason ranking in program history, and are currently ranked No. 16.

Tech is now 4-3 against top 10 opponents following a loss to No. 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City and owns a 3-1 record against top 5 opponents throughout the season.

Although there is a chance Tech won't be a high seed in the tournament, they have demonstrated an elite win-loss record against top teams in the country and could make a run if things fall their way in the bracket.

With JT Toppin unavailable for this tournament due to a torn ACL injury, the Red Raiders will be led by guards Christian Anderson and Donovan Atwell. Anderson is the focal point of the team, led by his elite playmaking. As for Atwell, he's been the team's sharpshooter, averaging 3.8 made 3-pointers this season and setting a new program record with 124 made 3-pointers.

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