Preseason MVP: Kyler Edwards is one of the most experienced returners. The junior will be expected to expand his role in the offense and as a leader on the court and in the locker room.

The Ceiling: If they can get all of their freshmen and transfers on the same page and buying in to Chris Beard’s system, the Red Raiders could realistically secure another Big 12 title and engineer another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. A lot of ifs needed, but the talent pool and coaching is there.

The Floor: If all of the new faces cannot coexist, or the coaching staff is unable to get the players to buy into an aggressive defense-first mentality, Texas Tech could also fall in the middle of the Big 12 fight but still earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The top half of the conference is full of contenders.

Game of the Year: Kansas

Projected Starting Five: 

Kyler Edwards
G | 6-4 | Jr. | Arlington

Nimari Burnett
G | 6-4 | Fr. | Chicago, Ill.

Kevin McCullar
G | 6-6 | R-So. | San Antonio

Joel Ntambwe
F | 6-8 | R-So. | Kinshasa, Congo

Marcus Santos-Silva
F | 6-7 | Sr. | Taunton, Mass.

Chris Beard
Head Coach

Impact First-Year Player: Nimari Burnett

Season Preview

Chris Beard is eager to get the season started.

Over the summer and a few weeks into September, the fifth-year Texas Tech men’s basketball coach has seen a sliver of the talent that will be on the floor this fall.

To say he is excited at the potential would be an understatement all things considered with the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This summer, what we think could be the identity of this team is just a competitiveness and commitment to winning that we haven’t seen quite matched like this,” said Beard, who owns a 94-34 record and guided the Red Raiders to an Elite Eight in 2018, Final Four and NCAA Championship final in 2019 while garnering a Big 12 regular season title and being named Big 12 Coach of the Year and AP National Coach of the Year in 2019. “These guys are all individually competitive.”

A huge fuel to that competitive fire can be linked to the way the Red Raiders ended last season.

Before it could play a first-round matchup in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas Tech and Texas had the game canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic which ended the Red Raiders season at 18-13 overall and 9-9 in conference on a four-game losing streak with an NCAA Tournament spot undetermined.

“You kind of got that hunger and competitiveness to get back out there,” Beard said of the abrupt end to the season. “Our returners have done a good job being leaders, our freshmen have done a great job fitting into the culture and learning how to follow before they lead. … We were able to stay old. It’s always been our secret to be in the Big 12, to stay old each year with our roster.”

Beard and his coaching staff ensured Texas Tech will stay old with addition of transfers Marcus Santos-Silva (Virginia Commonwealth University), Mac McClung (Georgetown) and Jamarius Burton (Wichita State). McClung and Burton, both guards, are awaiting word on their waivers for immediate eligibility while forward Santos-Silva is set to play as a graduate transfer.

The trio is expected to mesh well with a group of returners consisting of Kyler Edwards, Terrence Shannon Jr., Kevin McCullar, Avery Benson and Clarence Nadolny – who each contributed solid minutes last season – to go along with a pair of sit-out players in Tyreek Smith (injury) and Joel Ntambwe (immediate eligibility waiver denied) who were part of the program last season.

And then there is a talented freshmen class, which Beard is hoping can make an immediate impact highlighted by five-star All-American Nimari Burnett (Prolific Prep in California) and also includes Duncanville’s Micah Peavy, Chibuzo Agbo (St. Augustine HS in California) and Vladislav Goldin (Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut).

“With the roster set up, we have the balance we strive for,” Beard said. “It’s always the goal, but sometimes you can pull it off and sometimes you can’t.”

For the 2020 campaign, Beard and his coaching staff feel they have achieved that and are eager to find out if that yields a run to the Elite Eight or Final Four as in previous seasons.

Before those thoughts emerge, the Red Raiders know the main goal: compete for championships.

“Certainly, if you can get into the fight for our conference championship then you’re in the fight for the national championship,” Beard said. “We’re trying to be relative in college basketball. I think that is what we’re most proud of: three years of consistency now. … Special things can happen if you can keep that unselfish culture that we work really hard to keep around here.”