The season began with such promise, such optimism.

There was buzz in Lubbock, Texas, about Texas Tech basketball and why not? This was Bob Knight Year Two after all.

	Bob Knight and Texas Tech will have a losing conference record this season.

All the legendary coach did in his first season in West Texas was turn a cast of Big 12 bottom dwellers into a NCAA Tournament team.

The Red Raiders won 23 games after winning only nine in James Dickey's final season. It was a coaching performance by Knight that appeared great then and looks even better a year later.

After that sort of introduction, the thought was that the Red Raiders would be even better in Knight's second season. After all, the returning players had experience running Knight's motion offense and had a greater understanding of the reads, screens and cuts that make it successful. The players had a much better idea of what Knight demands and expects as a coach.

But as Texas Tech enters the final week of the regular season and next week's Big 12 tournament in Dallas, the Red Raiders have little idea which postseason tournament is in their future?

Do they have a chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament despite a less-than-stellar Big 12 record? Or will the Red Raiders, who have lost four of six games, play in the National Invitation Tournament? Right now, that's difficult to gauge.

If there is certainty, it's that Texas Tech made advancing to the NCAA Tournament more difficult when it lost two key home games last weekend. First, the Red Raiders lost a close game to Texas, but they followed it up by losing on Monday to Kansas. The Jayhawks loss was certainly more humbling as for most of the game Kansas got whatever it wanted on the offensive end of the court and shot 55.8 percent for the game.

The two losses leave Knight's team with a 6-9 record entering Saturday's game at Baylor and guarantees Texas Tech a losing record in Big 12 play.

"We're just not as good a team as we were last year," Knight told reporters after the loss to the Jayhawks.

"We've played two really good teams in the last two games and they're just better than we are."

But does that mean the Red Raiders are not worthy of inclusion in the NCAA Tournament? That's difficult to gauge, especially considering no team on the tournament bubble has done little on the court to garner attention and prove that they really belong.

In a field of potential bubble teams that includes Minnesota, North Carolina State, Villanova and Auburn, can a case be made for the Red Raiders? It's not a crazy theory, especially in a year in which some less-than-stellar teams will receive invitations.

Assuming Texas Tech can defeat the Bears -- and beat former Knight assistant Dave Bliss in the process -- the Red Raiders would be 17-10 overall and their RPI of 41 would improve. Knight's team would be 7-5 on the road, including a victory at Oklahoma State. In addition, the Red Raiders defeated both the Gophers and Colorado -- a Big 12 team that has yet to guarantee themselves a .500 league record -- earlier this season. In addition, Texas Tech will be favored to win their opening game in the conference tournament, making 18 victories a very attainable goal.

Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood, the head of the tournament selection committee, said last week that teams with sub-.500 league records will be considered.

When asked if he thought the Red Raiders still had a chance to advance, Knight didn't have much of an answer.

"I'm not on the tournament committee," he said after the loss to the Jayhawks. "Why don't you call and ask them?"

If the committee is going to take a team with a losing league record, it would likely come from either the Big 12 or the SEC. With the Big 12 having the best conference RPI according to CollegeRPI.com, the idea of the league receiving seven invitations certainly isn't far-fetched either. While the Big 12 has never had a team with a sub-.500 league record ever invited, the league has never been this strong either.

But if that happens, the Red Raiders certainly wouldn't be a favorite to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. As this season has progressed, it's become clear that the Red Raiders miss big man Andy Ellis.

While junior college transfer Robert Tomaszek has shown signs of being a contributor, the Red Raiders simply haven't gotten significant production inside all season. Tomaszek has scored in double figures seven times (including a 28-point performance at Minnesota), but he's averaging only 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. By comparison, Ellis, a versatile big man, averaged 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

"We're not as good a team as we were last year," Knight said. "And as I've said before, I think Ellis is a huge factor in that."

While they might not be as good, the Red Raiders still have a chance to reach the NCAA tournament.

Games of the Week

Texas at Oklahoma Saturday While the Big 12 tournament still looms, the winner of this game is in good position for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Texas Tech at Baylor Saturday The Red Raiders have to win this game to keep their slim tournament hopes alive. Minnesota at Illinois Sunday Illinois could still need this in its quest for a Big Ten title. For the Gophers, a victory here would go a long ways toward a NCAA tournament berth.

Spartans, Hoosiers look safe
Despite concerns as recently as two weeks ago that Indiana and Michigan State were in danger of missing the NCAA tournament, both will likely enter next week's Big Ten tournament in good position.

Michigan State picked up victories last week over Minnesota and Purdue to improve to 8-6 in league play, guaranteeing themselves at least a .500 conference record. With a home game against Iowa before a game at Ohio State to end the regular season, the Spartans have a chance to finish 10-6 after a 2-4 start.

Indiana likely wrapped up a tournament spot on Tuesday night with a victory over Minnesota. Entering a very winnable game at last-place Penn State, the Hoosiers are 18-10 overall and 8-7 in league play.

"I think we're in, but I'm not on the committee," Indiana coach Mike Davis said. "If you look at the big picture, our strength of schedule is good, our RPI is good and we lost our leading scorer (freshman Bracey Wright) for two weeks."

Indiana, a team that often has four guards on the floor, appears to have regained its shooting touch. The Hoosiers have made at least 10 three-pointers in each of the last four games, a school record.

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