Texas Tech Up to No. 16: Can Red Raiders Prove Themselves vs. No. 3 Illinois?

LUBBOCK - Texas Tech is off to a 2-0 start in its men's basketball slate, with the perfect opening earning the Red Raiders some more early respect.

In the first regular season edition of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, Texas Tech rose three spots from its preseason ranking to No. 16 in the nation.

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While this latest team from Lubbock is already on the radar of many, they have the chance to truly announce their arrival in their next matchup.

On the back end of a home-and-home series, Texas Tech welcomes No. 3 Illinois to United Supermarkets Arena on Tuesday night in a blockbuster top-25 clash.

The Fighting Illini stand as the highest ranked non-conference opponent to ever visit Lubbock for what looks to become a sold-out contest.

Last season, the Red Raiders traveled to Champaign for a nail-biter that saw the hometown Illini escape by a score of 81-77.

Illinois is also one year removed from an incredible run to the Final Four, which included knocking out of one of the Red Raiders' biggest rivals in Houston on the way there.

But the Illini are not just riding on the coattails of their predecessors and are already off to a strong start to their recent season.

In both of its victories to open the year, Illinois broke the 100-point barrier and topped out at 120 in a mind-blowing offensive display over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Much like the Red Raiders, the true abilities of the Illini will be clearer after drawing their first opponent that stands a fair chance.

Although Illinois is daunting, Texas Tech is not incapable of bringing down the titan on its home court and is anything but a David compared to the Goliath that is the Illini.

Their margins have not been nearly as eye-catching, but the Red Raiders have handled both Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman in a fashion that most would expect.

Those outings also saw less than ideal performances from key contributors like Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell, including a putrid 0-11 shooting night in the opener, which highlights the talent that sits beyond the spotlight.

With those factors in mind, there might be an ace in the hole for the Red Raiders that is set to make his debut on Tuesday night.

All-Big 12 transfer forward from UCF Jamichael Stillwell was confirmed to be suiting up for the first time for Texas Tech by head coach Grant McCasland during his appearance on John Fanta's pregame show, "Fanta in 60."

As All-Big 12 and national phenom JT Toppin continues to recover from his ACL injury, Texas Tech will have to lean on the supporting pieces in his absence.

Luckily for the program, it has three of the most dynamic options at its disposal in Williams, Atwell and Stillwell.

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In their first game as a trio, the biggest lingering question is can they mesh together and earn one of the most iconic wins in Texas Tech history or will they falter and allow the Illini to roll through Lubbock in the same way they have to begin the season?

One of the biggest games, if not the biggest, in the history of United Supermarkets Arena gets underway Tuesday night at 7 p.m., as Texas Tech looks to get revenge on Illinois and announce that the Red Raiders are much more than offseason hype.