Texas Tech won’t have to wait long to find out whether its biggest problem has really been addressed.
The Red Raiders’ November schedule includes a pair of early tests that should say plenty about the frontcourt. Illinois comes first, and the matchup is the kind that can expose issues fast. It also arrives with the Illini already carrying continuity on their side, which makes the challenge even sharper for Texas Tech.
The key name there is Tomislav Ivisic. The returning senior center stands 7’1” and gives Illinois a real size edge inside.
That makes the rebounding battle one of the most important parts of the game for Texas Tech. If the Red Raiders struggle to hold their own on the glass, a team like Illinois could make them pay for it early.
A second measuring-stick game comes November 24th against Louisville in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas. That setting brings a different kind of pressure, because multi-team events can simulate the feel of March by putting elite teams together on neutral floors.
Louisville should be just as useful as a barometer for Texas Tech’s interior defense. The Cardinals added Flory Bidunga, one of the consensus top transfer prospects, after he moved over from Kansas. Texas Tech already saw him last season, when he put up 14 points and 9 rebounds against the Red Raiders as a Jayhawk.
With JT Toppin sidelined and Jamichael Stillwell still pending eligibility, Texas Tech’s paint defense will be under the microscope. Louisville also has Obinna Ekezie Jr., a 7’2” freshman center who looked electric in the Cardinals’ exhibition against Kansas. Add in Louisville’s length and physicality, and November suddenly becomes a very real test for the Red Raiders.
That’s what makes these two games so important. They won’t just show whether Texas Tech can survive against size - they’ll show whether the Red Raiders can actually shore up what might be their weakest spot. They’ll have to play physical, smart basketball to get there.
Both opponents also come from Power Four programs with athletic departments that have made major investments, giving them the NIL resources to bring in talented, experienced, and proven players. Whatever happens in those matchups, Texas Tech should come away with a much clearer picture of what this team can be.
In Other News...
Texas Techs Biggest Booster Is Becoming A Story At The Worst Time
Texas Techs football profile has been rising with Joey McGuire on the sideline, but one of the programs most influential backers is drawing attention for reasons that have little to do with wins and losses. Cody Campbell, a major financial contributor to Texas Tech athletics who often weighs in on the program through social media, became part of the conversation this week after Brandon Walker of Brandon Walkers College Football Show took aim at his public persona.
Walker described Campbells online behavior as brash and unlikeable, and argued that it can only make the school look worse when the spotlight should be on McGuire and the team itself. For a program trying to build momentum, the concern is less about any one post than about how much noise a booster can create when he is already one of the most visible voices around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Is About To Face A Familiar Passing Threat
Arizonas offense is bringing a familiar face back into the picture for Texas Tech, and not just because the Wildcats have been moving the ball with ease. Seth Doege, who once directed the Red Raiders attack as a quarterback from 2008 to 2012, is now Arizonas offensive coordinator, and his unit has become one of the more productive groups Texas Tech will see this season. He still sits fifth in program history for passing yards and touchdowns in Lubbock, but now he is the one helping craft the passing game that the Red Raiders have to prepare for.
The challenge is made even more interesting by how much quarterback Noah Fifita has sharpened his play under Doeges guidance. Arizonas offense ranks 17th nationally in yards per game, and the improvement in Fifitas passing efficiency has been a major reason why. For Texas Tech, this is more than a reunion with a former standout. It is a test against an offense that knows how to stress defenses through the air, with Doege helping shape every part of it. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Can Make A Big 12 Statement Against A Vulnerable Texas Tech
Arizona arrives in Lubbock with momentum and a chance to make the kind of Big 12 road statement that changes how a team is viewed in the league race. The Wildcats have rebounded from an early setback with five straight wins, and senior quarterback Noah Fifita has been the centerpiece of that surge, giving Arizona a steadier offensive identity than the one Texas Tech has had to piece together lately.
Texas Tech is coming off its first loss of the season and is trying to regroup at a tricky spot, with uncertainty hanging over the quarterback position and inconsistency showing up on both sides of the ball. For a Red Raiders team that has not yet found a clean rhythm, Arizonas recent form makes this feel like more than just another conference game. It is the kind of matchup that can expose lingering issues quickly, especially if the visitors keep playing like a team on the rise. [Read more 🡒]