Fansided

5 March Madness bid thieves that could hurt UNC, Michigan on the bubble

By Mike Phillips

F Daniel Batcho, Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
F Daniel Batcho, Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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De'Vion Harmon, Texas Tech Red Raiders
G De’Vion Harmon, Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

4. Potential March Madness Bid Thieves – Texas Tech Red Raiders

The 2022-23 edition of the Big 12 is arguably the most leveled-up the conference has ever been. All 10 teams are capable of beating each other on a given night and several schools may have found themselves in the field with ease if they played in a less brutal league.

One of those teams on the outside looking in entering the Big 12 Tournament is Texas Tech, which was ranked in the preseason polls before an 0-8 start in conference play put the Red Raiders in a massive hole. To their credit, Texas Tech stabilized things by going 5-5 in league play down the stretch to avoid last place.

The Red Raiders are playing much better basketball and find themselves in plenty of close games, which is a sign that they could be a few bounces of the basketball away from a much better record. The bracket is as manageable as possible for a nine seed in the Big 12 Tournament as well with Texas Tech set to open up against West Virginia before a shot at Kansas, which they have lost to by a combined seven points in two meetings.

The reason that Texas Tech isn’t higher on this list is that they are now facing a massive distraction after head coach Mark Adams was suspended by the school for making racially insensitive comments. This kind of news could sink the Red Raiders’ season but it is also possible that the group comes together and overcomes the odds in front of them to steal the Big 12’s automatic bid.