Texas Tech's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Got A Lot More Interesting

The Texas Tech men’s basketball team only has a few games left to fill in their nonconference schedule. Some of the ones they have scheduled are marquee games that college basketball fans will be in watching.

Texas Tech Red Raiders 2026-2027

Top Departures: Christian Anderson (18.5 PPG), Donovan Atwell (13.5 PPG), LeJuan Watts (11.8 PPG), Jaylen Petty (9.9 PPG)

Key returners: JT Toppin (21.8 ppg) andJosiah Moseley (5.5 ppg)

Top incoming transfers: Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (20.7 ppg at UNLV), Cruz Davis (20.1 ppg at Hofstra), and Damarion Dennis (11.2 ppg at Wyoming)

Best Rated True Freshman: Dakari Spear (No. 26 in SC Next 100)

Texas Tech opens the season at home against Jackson State. Last season, Jackson State finished 12-21 overall and 10-8 in SWAC play. JSU men’s basketball general manager is Kendrick Perkins. He won a championship ring in the NBA in 2008, and now he is a TV analyst for ESPN.

The Red Raiders host Bethune-Cookman, who were the SWAC regular season champions last season. This will be Texas Tech’s second scheduled game of the season.

In early November, Texas Tech will also host Illinois in a game that is a return home game from when they played last year. Last year, the Red Raiders lost by four points at Illinois. This year, they want to get even on their home court. But the Fighting Illini are coming off a run to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four, and many experts and the media think they’ll win the Big Ten this season.

The Red Raiders in their fourth scheduled non-conference game will host the Skyhawks from the Northeast Conference on Saturday, November 14th. Stonehill went 12-21 last season but won three of their last five games. This should be a relatively non-worry game for Texas Tech where some more players off the bench get extended playing time.

Texas Tech vs. LSU-New Orleans

The University of New Orleans is now officially back in the Louisiana State University System as of July 1st and has been formally renamed LSU New Orleans. On Wednesday, November 18th, the Red Raiders will host the Privateers. The Privateers lost to Texas Tech by 32 points in November of last year, and the Red Raiders should have no trouble beating New Orleans this season as well. However, the Privateers won at TCU and Tulane to start last season, so they deserve respect.

Texas Tech holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series between these basketball programs, with both wins coming on neutral courts in the 2019 Jimmy V Classic and 2022 Maui Invitational. The winner moves on to play the winner of St. John’s vs. Oregon on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26). The loser advances to the consolation bracket for a game to be played on Nov. 26.

Texas Tech vs. Oregon or St. Johns

In the second round, the Red Raiders will play either St. John’s or Oregon. Then, on Friday, November 27, they will play their third game. It could be against Tennessee, Maryland, Iowa State, or San Diego State, all of which are on the same side of the bracket. If Texas Tech wins all three of their games in the brackets, they will play in the championship game on November 28.

Texas Tech vs. Omaha Mavericks

On Dec. 9, Texas Tech will host Omaha for a game during the week. The Mavericks had a 16-17 record last year and finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Summit. The Red Raiders should win this non-conference game with relative ease.

The non-conference schedule continues into mid-December as the Red Raiders will take on the the Trojans in a neutral court game at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on December 13. The first time these two teams played was at a neutral site in Kansas City in 2018 when Texas Tech won that game 78-63. The matchup will be a tough test for Texas Tech, but this game being in the state of Texas helps.

Texas Tech and Duke will meet in a non-conference game in Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 21. It’s a repeat of their memorable December 2025 game when Texas Tech erased a 17-point second-half deficit to upset then-No. 3 Duke 82-81.

Texas Tech’s last known non-conference game is against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28 on their home court.