Texas Tech Lady Raiders Return Home for Statement Game Against Baylor
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The lights inside the United Supermarkets Arena will shine a little brighter on Wednesday at 6 p.m. It is because the No. 20 Texas Tech Lady Raiders return home for a high-stakes showdown against the No. 15 Baylor Bears. This is not just another Big 12 matchup. It is a full-fledged statement game with conference positioning, national rankings, and postseason momentum all hanging in the balance.
Texas Tech Lady Raiders Are About to Make Big 12 Standings
Texas Tech enters the contest at 23-4 overall and 10-4 in Big 12 play. The Lady Raiders currently sit in fourth place. It's a half-game behind the No. 19 West Virginia Mountaineers and a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
Top-20 matchup tomorrow!
— Lady Raider Basketball (@LadyRaiderWBB) February 17, 2026
Preview ➡️ https://t.co/W6TQxAvQLm#WreckEm pic.twitter.com/HPbW4rZhyy
Baylor stands at 22-5 overall and 11-3 in conference action, one game ahead of Tech. The No. 12 TCU Horned Frogs lead the league at 11-3.
If the Lady Raiders win Wednesday night, they will move into a three-way tie for second place at 11-4 alongside Baylor and West Virginia. The top four seeds receive byes into the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, which begins March 4.
Texas Tech returns home following a 1-1 week. The Lady Raiders defeated Kansas 70-65 before falling 75-65 on the road to Oklahoma State. That loss snapped a three-game winning streak, their longest since opening the season with a remarkable 19-0 run.
The national polls reflected the split week. Texas Tech dropped four spots to No. 20 in the AP Poll and slid to No. 20 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. In the Coaches Poll, Baylor checks in at No. 14. Meanwhile, TCU leads the Big 12 group at No. 11. In the AP Poll, TCU is No. 12, Baylor is No. 15, and West Virginia sits at No. 19. Iowa State also received votes.
There is no shortage of ranked competition in this conference, and Wednesday’s outcome will ripple beyond Lubbock. Baylor holds a 56-48 edge in the all-time series. For years, the Bears controlled the matchup. But in December, the storyline shifted.
Texas Tech stunned Baylor 61-60 in Waco, snapping the Bears’ 31-game winning streak in the series. It marked Tech’s first win in Waco since Feb. 8, 2004. That victory was not just symbolic. It signaled that the balance of power might be shifting.
Now Baylor comes to Lubbock with revenge on its mind. For Texas Tech, this is an opportunity to prove that December was no fluke.
The Waco Win That Changed the Narrative
For head coach Krista Gerlich, Wednesday offers more than bragging rights. A win would give her a third top-15 victory this season, tying West Virginia for the Big 12 lead. It would also mark her ninth ranked win at Texas Tech and her fifth top-15 win with the Lady Raiders.
The previous top-15 victories came at No. 15 Baylor on Dec. 21, 2025, and over No. 12 TCU on Feb. 1. One of Texas Tech’s defining traits has been second-quarter dominance. In Big 12 play, the Lady Raiders have outscored opponents 252-201 in the second quarter, a plus-51 margin.
They also hold advantages in the first quarter at 229-203 and the fourth quarter at 275-257, while the third quarter sits even at 220-220. Over the entire season, Texas Tech has outscored opponents 502-353 in the second quarter alone, a staggering plus-149 differential. If that trend continues on Wednesday, Baylor could find itself playing from behind early.
Texas Tech averages 82.0 points per game, ranking 60th nationally, while allowing 72.4 points per game, which ranks 134th nationally. The result is a plus-9.6 scoring margin and a plus-241 overall scoring differential.
From three-point range, the Lady Raiders are among the nation’s best. They make 11.5 threes per game, sixth nationally, and shoot 38.9 percent from beyond the arc, 11th nationally. Opponents are held to just 31.1 percent from deep.
On average, Texas Tech makes five more threes per game than its opponents, 11.5 compared to 6.5. That spacing and shooting efficiency can stretch any defense.
Baylor enters averaging 73.0 points per game while holding opponents to 58.9. The Bears shoot 43.2 percent from the field and average 40.6 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game. Baylor’s three conference losses have come against TCU, West Virginia, and Texas Tech.
During the game, the first 1,000 fans will receive rally towels, and the first 500 students will receive replica jerseys. Enter-to-win drawings will take place for general fans in the first half and for students at halftime.
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Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.