Texas Tech Basketball Could Accomplish More than the Football Team this Season

No one is taking anything away from the football team's accomplishments, but the Red Raiders basketball team is on pace to possibly have more accolades than the football team this season.

Texas Tech players, from left, LeJuan Watts, Christian Anderson and JT Toppin | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas Tech men's basketball team could accomplish more than the football team this season and here is why.

First, let's take a look at the important things that happened this past season for the Red Raiders' football team.

The 2025 season was likely the best in Texas Tech football history, unless one wishes to debate it against the 1953 team's accomplishments. This team this season won its first-ever Big 12 Championship and reached the collegiate football playoffs.

*Final Overall Record: 12–2 (Champions of the Big 12)

*Big 12 Champions: They beat BYU 34–7 in the title game to win the program's first Big 12 championship.

*CFP Appearance: The team got the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff, made it to the quarterfinals, and played Oregon in the Orange Bowl.

Historic poll position: The AP Poll placed the team at No. 7 at the end of the season, which is the highest final position in school history.

The most accomplished player and coach for the football team this past season are Jacob Rodriguez, who won the Butkus Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Lombardi Award, among other national awards, and head coach Joey McGuire, who was named Co-Coach of the Year in the Big 12.

Now a look at what has transpired for the men's basketball team this season.

Grant McCasland's team has had a strong start to Big 12 conference play after making it to the Elite Eight in 2025. They are now ranked No. 11 in both of the major polls.

*Record for this season (as of late January): 16–4 (6–1 in the Big 12)

Last season wasn't a fluke: They had 28 wins and made it to the Elite Eight. This season, they have beaten two teams ranked in the top 10.

Signature Wins: They beat No. 3 Duke (82–81 at Madison Square Garden), No. 6 Houston, and No. 13 BYU.

Standing in the Conference: They are now in second place in the Big 12 with a huge 19-point away win over Baylor and a 22-point victory over Oklahoma State.

Best Players this season: JT Toppin is a candidate for the AP All-American team. He averages a double-double with 22.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and Christian Anderson: One of the best playmakers in the country, he averaged 7.5 assists per game.

Texas Tech’s football team accomplished many things this past season. Still, if Red Raider fans were to analyze their season and compare them to the accomplishments of the basketball team up to this point in the season, you could make a strong argument that the Texas Tech men’s basketball team is on pace to accomplish more.

It is not disparaging to say that the Big 12 is more competitive, balanced, and difficult in basketball than in comparison to football. The basketball team has two wins over top 15 ranked teams this season. In comparison, the football team did defeat BYU twice and had two other wins over top 25-ranked teams in Utah and Houston, but the basketball team, with wins over Houston and BYU, is on pace to have more wins over top 12-ranked teams this season.

In non-conference play, the comparison is not even close. The football team played three home games against opponents with a combined record of 10-25, including one FCS team and none from a Power Four conference. In contrast, the basketball team defeated No. 4-ranked Duke on a neutral court, and the teams they lost to—Arkansas, Illinois, and Purdue—are all ranked in the top 15. Additionally, they triumphed over LSU and Wake Forest, two Power Four conference teams, in non-conference play.

Granted no Red Raider fan is taking anything against the football team and their accomplishments this past season but the basketball team is on pace with the possibility of an Elite Eight run in the NCAA Tournament to top the feats of the football team this season.

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