Red Raiders crush unbeaten LSU, climb to No. 16 in AP and Coaches polls, and line up a ranked clash with Arkansas as their offense catches fire.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders didn't just beat LSU ... they embarrassed an unbeaten Tiger team and sent a warning shot to the rest of college basketball.
With an 82-58 beatdown of LSU, Texas Tech stomped on the gas and rocketed up the national rankings. The Red Raiders jumped three spots to No. 16 in the latest Associated Press 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, surged from No. 36 to No. 20 in the NCAA NET Rankings, and now sit at No. 19 in KenPom.
The reward for all that momentum? Another national stage.
At 7-2, Tech heads to Dallas for a ranked showdown with No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday morning at the American Airlines Center, tipping off at 11 a.m. CT. It's a rematch of last season's wild 85-83 Sweet 16 overtime win, a game that gave the Red Raiders a 41-40 edge in the all-time series.
Now, both teams step back into the spotlight with rankings, bragging rights, and resume juice on the line.
Grant McCasland's squad is riding a three-game winning streak, carrying over the swagger of last year's No. 8 final ranking and a program-best No. 10 preseason mark. A rare one-game week let the Red Raiders reset mentally and physically, and soak up some school pride watching Texas Tech football win its first-ever Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium the day before the LSU demolition.
On the floor, Tech is a problem.
The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 with 10.7 made threes per game and dropped 13-of-27 from deep on LSU, marking their sixth game this season with double-digit threes. They own the glass too, ranking third in the conference with 40.3 boards per game and second with 14.7 offensive rebounds.
Four players in double figures give McCasland one of the deepest cores in the league.
JT Toppin is putting up 20.8 points and a Big 12-best 11.5 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth nationally. Christian Anderson is right behind at 19.1 points per game and just torched LSU for 27 points and 10 assists.
Donovan Atwell sits on 997 career points and leads Tech with 31 made threes this season, ranking third in the Big 12 from beyond the arc. LeJuan Watts chips in 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and posted his first double-double of the year with 15 points and 10 boards in the LSU win.
Texas Tech isn't just climbing the rankings ... they're kicking the door in, one blowout and one barrage of threes at a time.