The Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball program has long flown somewhat under the radar in comparison to the school’s powerful football team, but has turned steadily through the years into a success story. With 19 appearances in the NCAA March Madness postseason basketball tournament spread relatively evenly across the decades back to the 1950s, the Raiders are by no means newcomers to the party, though it did take the team until 2018 to finally get past the Sweet 16 and into the Elite 8. This was to be as far as the Red Raiders would get that year, as they were knocked out 71-59 by the Villanova Wildcats. The bitterness of defeat would only stoke the fires for redemption in 2019, when the Raiders not only smashed through the Elite 8 but also went on to win their semi-final in the Final Four against the Michigan State Spartans by a score of 61-51 to reach their first ever NCAA championship final. Matched up against the Virginia Cavaliers, the Red Raiders’ chances looked promising, but they fell to the team from Virginia in a heartbreaking 85-77 overtime loss. In the years following this near miss, the team made it to two more March Madness tournaments, progressing to the Sweet 16 in 2022 before missing out on the postseason in 2022-2023 after a humdrum 16-16 season. Hoops fans at Texas Tech will be hoping for a return to form in 2024 and the seasons to come. 

How can I get cheap tickets to Texas Tech Red Raiders games?

The recent success of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, particularly their surprise drive to the 2019 NCAA championship final, have almost put basketball games on an even footing with football games as the hot ticket in town (though football always rules in Texas). Despite its rather drab name and large capacity of 15,000, the United Supermarkets Arena has been known to sell out in recent years when the Red Raiders are in town, particularly for postseason tournament games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups. To find the cheapest tickets to Red Raiders games, check out the TicketX listings on this page and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. You can buy tickets with the lowest commission fees from TicketX with just one click! 

Texas Tech Red Raiders Rivalries

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have a big rivalry with their fellow Texans from Austin, the Texas Longhorns, that extends through many different sports, including basketball. The Longhorns hold a considerable advantage in the all-time series, though things seem to have evened out a bit more in recent seasons. The Red Raiders also have rivalries with the Baylor Bears and TCU Horned Frogs.

Are Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball games exciting?

The excitement that the Red Raiders generated through their unprecedented run to the final in 2019 has continued to build, drawing huge raucous crowds to their home games at United Supermarkets Arena. Fans show up clad in the school colors of black and scarlet red, led on in their raucous chants by the Spirit Squads and the mascot Raider Red, as well as renditions of the school fight song and Matador Song.