Texas Tech had been ever so close to getting a momentum-building win over a ranked team. In its first meeting with Baylor, the Red Raiders outplayed the Bears in the second half, only to watch Lester Medford make his only 3-pointer in the game at the buzzer in a 63-60 loss. Tech led West Virginia by four with 1:10 left, only to allow a 10-2 run to close the door in an 80-76 loss.
Tubby Smith and the Red Raiders finally got their breakthrough this week. After hanging on to beat No. 14 Iowa State 85-82 in overtime on Wednesday, they toppled No. 21 Baylor 84-66 on the road Saturday to avoid being swept in their series for the sixth time in the past nine seasons.
The last time the Red Raiders won consecutive games against Top 25 teams was back in the 2006-07 season, when they beat No. 5 Kansas and No. 6 Texas A&M.
“We’ve been playing well against teams all year long, we finally found a way to win,” Smith told ESPN after Saturday’s game. “... It’s amazing what can happen when you believe and trust in each other.”
It’s amazing that Smith kept the team believing after it dropped seven of eight games last month and had fallen to 2-6 in the Big 12. Now at 5-7 in the Big 12, Texas Tech can believe it has a chance to earn its way into the NCAA tournament. Both Texas and Oklahoma State earned bids last season with 8-10 records in the Big 12. Not even a .500 league record would guarantee a bid, but the Red Raiders are positioned to at least have hope. And that's more than could be said a month ago.
