Red Raiders Face Akron in NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 16, Texas Tech Red Raiders enter the postseason ranked 20th in the Associated Press men's basketball top 25 pole. The team earned a fifth seed in the Midwest region and will face 12 seeded Akron on Friday at 11.40 am Central Time at Benchmark, International Arena in Tampa, Florida. This marks Tex 22nd NCAA tournament appearance overall. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders stretch their program record to 28 straight weeks in the AP pole, even after a loss to Iowa State in the big. 12 Tournament Akron arrives hot off a third straight mid-American conference title and a program best 29 wins against just five losses. Fans are buzzing about this match-up between two offensively potent teams wrapping up strong seasons. Tech lost its final three regular season games and is missing senior forward, JT Topin, due to a February injury, putting pressure on sophomore guard, Christian Anderson and Senior Doddven at will to lead the back court.

1:01Coach Grant McCaslin stressed the importance of guard play heading into March madness, and Anderson appears set to play despite a recent muscle. Strain Akron counters with senior guard Tavari Johnson, who averaged over 20 points per game to top the conference in scoring. Both squads boast efficient shooting and could trade blows from deep, setting up an early test attack to shake off its slump and advance in this single elimination format.