Texas Tech basketball's historic start buoyed by offensive, defensive balance | Giese

If it feels like this Texas Tech basketball team is a little different than previous squads, it's because it is.

In many ways, the 15th-ranked Red Raiders are an anomaly. A team of role players last year that came together to form Grant McCasland's inaugural roster have created the program's best start in decades. Even the 2018-19 team that went to the national championship game can't say it was 16-3 in the first 19 games — that team was 15-4, for the record.

In fact, only two teams can be compared to this year's start. The 1995-96 team, which finished 30-2, was 18-1 through the same amount of games. The last team to go 16-3 was the late Bob Knight's 2003-04 squad, led by senior Andre Emmett.

It's appropriate that it's been 20 years since this kind of start was witnessed in Lubbock, because it's also the last Texas Tech team to have this kind of balance on the offensive and defensive ends.

Heading into Tuesday's matchup with No. 25 TCU (6 p.m. on ESPN2) in Fort Worth, the Red Raiders sit alone atop the Big 12 Conference standings with a 5-1 record. They also feature one of the top offenses in the country.

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After Saturday's 85-84 comeback win over Oklahoma, the Red Raiders boast an offensive efficiency rating of 118.4, the best mark for Texas Tech in the KenPom era, which dates back to 1999. Prior to this, the best offensive rating in the KenPom database belonged to the 2001-02 team coached by Knight (114.6).

Texas Tech, of course, has been known as a defensive school, a tradition started by Chris Beard and Mark Adams. When McCasland was hired, he was known as a defensive-minded coach, and the expectation was that with McCasland, and the hiring of assistant Dave Smart, the Red Raiders would turn things around on that end of the floor after the disaster that was Adams' final year.

On that front, it's been about even. Last year's team ranked 66th in the country with an efficiency rating of 98.7. To date, the Red Raiders are 67th at 100.3. The rating is higher, but the national ranking has remained.

The big difference this year is the offense is vastly improved. The Red Raiders are 17th overall in offensive efficiency. In conference games, the rating is 115.4, tops in the conference. They're also leading the Big 12 in 3-point percentage and free throw percentage against league competition.

Texas Tech is also second in assist-to-turnover ratio and turnover percentage.

Finding the right balance between offense and defense has boosted the Red Raiders into position to achieve more history. A victory over the Horned Frogs would give this year's team the second-best start in program history — the '03-04 team lost its 20th game.

History may not be on McCasland's mind. Neither is Tech leading the Big 12 — which he reiterated again on Saturday. Whether he's paying attention to it or not, it's happening.

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Three teams have multiple road wins in Big 12 play. Two of them are Texas Tech and TCU. The Horned Frogs got both of theirs last week by winning at Oklahoma State and Baylor.

Much like Tech, the Horned Frogs have been able to overcome some big deficits. TCU faced a 17-point deficit in the first half against the Cowboys and won in Stillwater. A few days later, the Frogs were down 10 in Waco and outlasted the Bears in triple overtime.

TCU is also tied with Kansas in another category: both teams are 13th in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 6.4. Opponents have hit an average of 9.5 3s against Texas Tech in league play.

The Horned Frogs have spent the last three weeks going in waves. They got into the national rankings beating two ranked teams at home, followed that up with back-to-back losses (one home, one way) and won last week's road contests.

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Score prediction: TCU 82, Texas Tech 79

Bottom line: The Red Raiders are in good position regardless of this outcome, and all of TCU's Big 12 games have been decided by single digits with four of the seven being by three points or less.

Big 12 Men's Basketball

No. 15 Texas Tech at No. 25 TCU

When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Where: Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth

TV: ESPN2

Records: Texas Tech 16-3, 5-1; TCU 15-5, 4-3

Notable: Texas Tech will be at home for five of its next eight games after this trip to Fort Worth. This is the first of two back-to-back road game schedules in Big 12 play, the next coming March 2 (at West Virginia) and March 5 (at Oklahoma State).

Big 12 Standings (Through Jan. 27)

Team Overall Conference

Texas Tech 16-3 5-1

Iowa State 16-4 5-2

Houston 18-2 5-2

Kansas 16-4 4-3

TCU 15-5 4-3

Kansas State 14-6 4-3

Baylor 14-5 3-3

BYU 15-5 3-4

Texas 14-6 3-4

Cincinnati 14-6 3-4

Oklahoma 15-5 3-4

UCF 12-7 3-4

West Virginia 7-13 2-5

Oklahoma State 9-11 1-6

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Balance of offense, defense leads Texas Tech basketball to top of Big 12 standings