Texas Tech basketball enters the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 4 seed with a double-bye as the Red Raiders chase a championship in Kansas City.
The road to a Big 12 Tournament title now runs through Kansas City, and Texas Tech basketball enters the bracket with a prime position.
The Red Raiders secured the No. 4 seed in the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, earning one of the coveted double-byes after finishing 22-9 overall and 12-6 in conference play.
That positioning means Texas Tech skips the first two rounds and will open postseason play in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. CT at T-Mobile Center.
For head coach Grant McCasland, the path is clear ... survive three games in three days and the Red Raiders could leave Kansas City cutting down nets.
Texas Tech shares the same conference record as Kansas and Iowa State, but the Red Raiders grabbed the higher seed thanks to tiebreakers in head-to-head results among the tied teams.
The final bracket places Tech behind No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Houston and No. 3 Kansas, setting up what could be one of the most competitive conference tournaments in college basketball.
The Red Raiders will face the winner of a chaotic early-round matchup that includes No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 Arizona State and No. 13 Baylor.
Whoever emerges from that group will have already played at least once - and possibly twice - before running into a rested Texas Tech squad.
That extra rest could be critical for a team built around elite perimeter shooting and playmaking.
Christian Anderson has been the motor of the offense all season.
The sophomore guard recently became Texas Tech’s single-season assist leader with 233, while also knocking down 103 3-pointers, the second-most in program history.
Alongside him, sharpshooter Donovan Atwell has turned into one of the most dangerous long-range threats in college basketball.
Atwell holds the Texas Tech single-season record with 121 made 3-pointers and set the Big 12 conference record for 3s in league play with 81, surpassing former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield.
With Anderson orchestrating and Atwell lighting it up from deep, Tech’s offense can score in bunches, a dangerous weapon in tournament basketball where momentum swings quickly.
But the Red Raiders know March success isn’t just about scoring.
Defense, rebounding and late-game toughness often determine who survives championship week. Those areas will be tested immediately when Tech takes the floor Thursday against a battle-tested opponent.
The stakes couldn’t be bigger.
Win three games in Kansas City and Texas Tech basketball earns the Big 12’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament ... and momentum heading into March Madness.