Texas Tech rockets to No. 16 in the polls and into national focus with elite shooting, glass dominance, and a deep core built for March.
Texas Tech is starting to look less like a nice early-season story and more like a full-blown problem for the rest of college basketball.
After demolishing previously unbeaten LSU, the Red Raiders jumped three spots to No. 16 in the latest AP Top 25, extending their program-record streak to 15 straight weeks in the poll.
They also climbed to No. 16 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, No. 19 in KenPom, and surged from No. 36 to No. 20 in the NCAA NET Rankings, signaling that the analytics love what's happening in Lubbock just as much as the voters do.
Now 7-2 and riding a three-game winning streak, Texas Tech heads into another national spotlight moment: a ranked clash with No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday morning at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The matchup is loaded with storylines, including last season's 85-83 overtime thriller in the NCAA Sweet 16, a win that nudged Tech ahead 41-40 in the all-time series.
Arkansas finished last season ranked No. 8 and opened this year with a program-best No. 10 preseason ranking, adding even more juice to this showdown.
A rare one-game week gave the Red Raiders a chance to reset.
Grant McCasland let his squad rest, regroup, and soak in some school pride, as players watched Texas Tech football capture its first-ever Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium the day before the LSU win. That energy clearly carried over.
On the floor, Tech isn't just winning - it's overwhelming teams with offensive balance and statistical muscle. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 with 10.7 made threes per game and drilled 13-of-27 from deep against LSU, their sixth game already with double-digit triples.
They hammered 17 threes in the season opener against Lindenwood, and they backed that perimeter barrage up by ranking third in the league with 40.3 rebounds per game and second with 14.7 offensive boards.
Four players are averaging double figures, giving McCasland one of the deepest cores in the conference.
JT Toppin is posting 20.8 points and a Big 12-best 11.5 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth nationally. Christian Anderson adds 19.1 points per night and torched LSU for 27 points and 10 assists. Donovan Atwell sits on 997 career points and leads the team with 31 made threes, ranking third in the league in triples per game.
LeJuan Watts chips in 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds and logged his first double-double of the season with 15 and 10 against LSU.
The rankings say Texas Tech is climbing. The numbers say it's built to stay. Now Arkansas gets the next look at a Red Raiders team that's starting to smell something bigger than just a hot December.