Texas Tech Projected With Stunning Big 12 Tournament Odds
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It's the eve of the Big 12 conference tournament, and the anticipation is at an all-time high.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed after dropping a crucial game to the BYU Cougars on Saturday. Texas Tech failed to take care of business in its regular-season finale. Red Raiders head coach Grant McCasland spoke on the loss on Saturday.
"They haven't been playing their best basketball but I thought they had a second half where they played great," McCasland said. "This environment really made a difference in this game. I love our team and love what we can be, but when you give up 20 offensive rebounds and get crushed in the paint like we did today, it's going to be hard to win. Thiswas a real game against a great team that I thought found their edge tonight in a physical way. They didn't shoot it greatearly but they didn't looked discouraged and their switch ability caused us problems. What they did on the glass was the difference."
While the loss impacted its seeding for the conference tournament, the focus now shifts to handling business in this week’s tournament.
The Red Raiders are guaranteed to play in the quarterfinals and only need three wins to win the conference tournament. Although that is the case, the Red Raiders have low odds of winning the conference tournament.
According to BetMGM, the Red Raiders have the fifth-best odds to come out as the conference champions.
NEW: College Basketball Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament Odds via @BetMGM👀
— On3 (@On3) March 9, 2026
Who you got? 🤔https://t.co/bkI4c7c7u2 pic.twitter.com/nUgPFmJu9o
The Red Raiders have +1300 odds to win their conference.
"Texas Tech had won six of seven as of a week ago, then it dropped the final two games of the regular season to TCU and BYU," Thomas Goldkamp of On3 wrote. "That has caused expectations to be a bit more tempered entering the Big 12 Tournament.
"Injuries have hit the Red Raiders hard, so seeing who can step up in the wake of some key absences will be a big focus going into the NCAA Tournament. No better time to iron out the kinks than a conference tournament."
The five teams ahead of the Red Raiders are the Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, Houston Cougars, and the No. 1 seed, the Arizona Wildcats.
The Wildcats have the best odds at -105.
Can Texas Tech Overcome JT Toppin’s Absence in the Big 12 Tournament?
Texas Tech finished with a 12-6 record in Big 12 play. They have had quite the regular season, but it's been a bit hampered by the loss of JT Toppin.
Toppin is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL last month against the Arizona State Sun Devils. The injury occurred on a non-contact play while driving to the basket. The star forward finished the season averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in 25 games.
His absence from the team certainly put a damper on Texas Tech's title hopes for both the conference and the NCAA tournament. The Red Raiders won't make any excuses for who is on the court or who is not.
Their first game will be on Wednesday, March 11, where they will face either Iowa State, Arizona State or Baylor.
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Ricardo Sandoval is a Sports Writer for On SI based in Los Angeles, CA. Ricardo has been writing about a wide range of sports and was also an Associate Editor for Dodgers Nation. Ricardo was also a Contributing Sports Writer for Newsweek's Sports Section specializing in NBA, NFL and College coverage. He is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI.