From 18th to 8th, the Red Raiders cash in on beating two schools from Kansas and starting Big 12 play undefeated. Also in the top 10, West Virginia at 2nd and Oklahoma at 9th, both of whom you play this week (Oklahoma on Tuesday in Norman, Oklahoma and West Virginia at home on Saturday).

Texas Tech was helped by 11 schools in front of them losing, but a win on the road against a top 10 team where the school's never won before had a lot to do with this ranking as well.

Here's the full top 10:

1. Villanova
2. West Virginia
3. Virginia
4. Michigan State
T5. Wichita State
T5. Purdue
7. Duke
8. Texas Tech
9. Oklahoma
10. Xavier

According to the Texas Tech basketball Twitter page, this is the first time the Red Raiders have cracked the top 10 since 1996. I believe the no. 8 ranking is also Texas Tech's best basketball ranking ever.

There is still a lot of basketball to be played and a top 10 ranking in early January means nothing, but it's still an accomplishment and only a sign of things to come for Chris Beard and the Texas Tech basketball program.

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