Texas Tech opens March Madness against red-hot Akron in a dangerous 5-vs.-12 showdown as the Red Raiders chase another NCAA Tournament run.
Texas Tech basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament, but the road out of Tampa won’t be soft.
The Red Raiders, a No. 5 seed, draw Akron in one of the bracket’s most volatile matchups, and anybody pretending this is a comfortable opener hasn’t been paying attention. The Zips didn’t sneak into March. They kicked the door down.
Akron enters at 29-5, riding a 10-game winning streak and winning 19 of its last 20. The Zips average 88.4 points per game, rank among the national leaders with 18.4 assists, and knock down 10.9 threes per game.
In other words, they can absolutely turn a first-round game into a nightmare if Texas Tech lets this become a track meet.
That’s why Grant McCasland didn’t waste time looking ahead.
“These 5-12 games are always dangerous, any way you look at it,” McCasland said. “I think Akron is a really strong team.”
He’s right. And Texas Tech knows better than most that March punishes anyone who starts peeking past the first opponent.
The challenge for the Red Raiders is even more fascinating because they’ve had to reshape themselves without JT Toppin, who was putting up 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 16 double-doubles before suffering a season-ending injury.
That’s a brutal loss. But Tech still has a dangerous backcourt, and it starts with Christian Anderson, who averages 18.9 points and 7.6 assists per game, the latter ranking third nationally. He’s also shattered the program’s single-season assist record with 236.
Then there’s Donovan Atwell, who’s hitting 45.4 percent from 3 and has made 124 triples, while LeJuan Watts adds 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.
As a team, Texas Tech averages 80.4 points, hits 39.3 percent from deep, and makes 11.5 3s per game.
That’s what makes this matchup so dangerous and so entertaining. Akron can score. Texas Tech can bomb away. Somebody is going to have to flinch.
And if the Red Raiders want another deep NCAA Tournament run, they’d better make sure it isn’t them.
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