Texas Tech is just weeks away from its regular season opener, and the Red Raiders are going to start the year ranked 25th in the AP Top 25. That's a good sign for head coach Mark Adams and his squad, but they've got a lot to prove in 2022.
Tech lost a large portion of their production from last season to graduation and transfers, but they've restocked with plenty of their talent own new talent, like standout forward Fardaws Aimaq.
Aimaq, though, has been sidelined with a foot injury and won't be back until conference play begins. Until then, Adams thinks his revamped squad has the depth to compete, and Tech's staff is overhauling the offense to cater to the team's new strengths.
"We've loaded up more with the ball-handling, combo-guard position," said Adams, referring to the incoming Red Raiders.
Some of those new faces have arrived via the transfer portal like senior guard De'Vion Harmon, who averaged just south of 11 points per game at Oregon last year. He'll fill a big hole in the Red Raiders' backcourt.
Tech will also get some immediate help from their freshman class, which includes four-star small forward Elijah Fisher. Fisher was one of the top players in the class of 2021 and should see the floor early in his Red Raider career.
With all these new faces and a key player like Aimaq out of the lineup, Adams sees the opportunity to shake things up on the offense.
"We're excited about the offensive end. We think we're going to be much more aggressive and push the ball a lot harder than we've done in the past. That was the one area I think we need to emphasize the most."
This early part of the season, when they'll be forced to use smaller lineups, could be an ideal training ground for the young and inexperienced backcourt players.
Outside of Harmon, most of Tech's guards will have seen little playing time when this season tips off. If Adams and the Red Raiders can develop some reliable guard play, that will do wonders in helping Aimaq and his fellow big man Kevin Obanor flourish.
The defense and the front court will be the strength of this team come tournament time, but to make a run, Tech's going to need balance and ball handling. It's worth mentioning that they averaged 13.5 turnovers per game last year, a figure that needs to come down significantly. Playing up-tempo with young players could lead to a more turnover-prone team, but better to sort those things out in November than in March.
The Red Raiders will open their season by hosting Northwestern State on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. CT, when fans will get their first chance to observe this new-look Tech team.
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