Where Does Tech Rank Among Bracketologists Ahead of Big 12 Tournament?

What will Red Raiders need to do to improve seeding for ahead of NCAA tournament?

Texas Tech players Josiah Moseley (5), LeJuan Watts (3), Christian Anderson (4), Jaylen Petty (hidden) and Donovan Atwell huddle up after a foul call during a Big 12 Conference men's basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We are less than a week away from the start of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and March Madness is truly set to live up to its name. It's one of the best times of the season, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders will look to make an improbable run. 

First, the Red Raiders will look to take care of business in the Big 12 tournament. Texas Tech has earned a two-game bye and will start the tournament in the quarterfinals. They need only three wins to win the conference tournament and earn an automatic bid. 

While they enter the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed, their outlook for the NCAA Tournament currently looks much different.

Joe Rexrode of The Athletic released an NCAA tournament bracket watch ahead of the start of conference tournament play for the major conferences. In the bracket watch, Rexrode projects the Red Raiders as the No. 5 seed in the East Region. 

Rexrode has the Red Raiders playing the No. 12 seed Northern Iwoa. In the East region, which Rexrode projects them to be in, they are lumped with possible No. 1 overall seed Duke, along with Illinois, Iowa State, Vanderbilt and North Carolina. 

That could all change depending on how things shake out for Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament. Texas Tech controls its own fate, and it'll be interesting to see how things play out this conference tournament week.

As the quarterfinals loom for the Big 12 tournament, here's where things stand for the Red Raiders, according to Garrett Chorpenning of The Athletic. 

"Then there’s Texas Tech, which has found ways to stay afloat despite lead option JT Toppin’s season-ending injury. The Red Raiders went 3-2 without him to close the season, picking up a hugely important 82-73 victory at Iowa State along the way.

"Perimeter shooting is this group’s bread and butter. Texas Tech enters the week ranking seventh in the nation in 3-point percentage (39.6), thanks in large part to Donovan Atwell and Christian Anderson. They’re each attempting eight or more triples per game and sinking them at a 42 percent clip or better. And while most teams that rely so heavily on the 3-ball are prone to the occasional cold night, the Red Raiders are remarkably consistent."

Can Texas Tech Finish the Job in the Big 12 Tournament?

The Red Raiders will look to make a deep Big 12 tournament run, unlike last season. In 2025, the Red Raiders entered as the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament but fell short to the No. 3 seed, the Arizona Wildcats, in the semifinal round.

After their short conference tournament run, Texas Tech entered as the No. 3 seed in the West region. They fell short of the eventual NCAA champions, the Florida Gators, in the Elite Eight. They were a game away from reaching their second Final Four in the last seven seasons.

That is all in the past. Now, the Red Raiders will look to do the possession without their best player, JT Toppin. It will be an uphill battle, but they are a tough, resilient team that emphasizes grit, efficient 3-point shooting, and strong rebounding under Grant McCasland.

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