Undefeated Lady Raiders face a historic challenge, aiming to maintain their perfect season on the road against a Cincinnati team that knows how to win.
At some point, perfection stops being a novelty and starts becoming a target.
That’s exactly where the No. 17 Texas Tech Lady Raiders find themselves heading into Saturday’s 1 p.m. CT tip at Cincinnati ... undefeated, unbothered, and very much hunted.
Texas Tech enters the weekend at 17-0 overall and 4-0 in Big 12 play, the best conference start for the program in 21 years. The Lady Raiders are one of just four unbeaten teams left in the country and stand alone atop the Big 12.
Last Saturday’s 80-49 dismantling of Arizona wasn’t just another win, it was a statement, marking Tech’s largest regular-season conference victory in nearly two decades.
If that wasn’t enough, Wednesday’s win at West Virginia snapped a decade-long drought in Morgantown.
Now comes Cincinnati, a sneaky-dangerous opponent with history on its side. The Bearcats are 3-0 all-time against Texas Tech, including a 59-56 win in Lubbock last season. That alone is enough to keep Grant McCasland’s women’s counterpart preaching focus, even with the Bearcats sitting at 6-10 overall.
The reason Tech keeps winning? Efficiency ... everywhere.
The Lady Raiders rank 38th nationally in field goal percentage (.461), and every player in the nine-player rotation is shooting at least 40 percent from the floor.
Six are over 45 percent. Jada Malone is basically automatic, leading the team at a ridiculous 68.9 percent.
Then there’s Bailey Maupin, calm, confident, and absolutely ruthless late. Against West Virginia, the senior poured in 27 points, 13 of them in the fourth quarter, looking like someone who enjoys closing doors.
Maupin leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg), three-pointers, and free throws made, and she’s already logged three 20-point games this season.
Point guard Gemma Nunez is the engine. She ranks among the national leaders in assists, steals, and assist-to-turnover ratio, and she has a habit of quietly taking over games without ever raising her voice.
Cincinnati does have firepower of its own. Mya Perry (18.3 ppg) and Caliyah DeVillasee (16.0) can score, and the Bearcats already own a win over No. 11 Iowa State.
Texas Tech has handled every test so far. Saturday is about proving perfection travels.