Texas Tech coach Mark Adams is showing why he needed no ‘welcome’ to the Big 12

The challenge in front of the Red Raiders to open Big 12 play was arduous.

A seven-man Texas Tech roster went into Ames to try and knock off No. 11 Iowa State, one of the hottest teams in the nation. The Red Raiders put together a 40-minute rock fight despite their shorthanded roster, but still fell 51-47 to the Cyclones.

Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams claimed no moral victories, but the Red Raiders managing to stay in this game with only two reserves was impressive. After the loss, notable national basketball analyst Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports cut no slack and gave Adams a welcome to the Big 12.

Now, two top-10 wins later, Adams is showing why he needed no welcome to the conference, and the phrase has been spun to become a rally-cry for the Texas Tech fanbase.

Despite having a head coach title for the first time since 2013, Adams is no stranger to the Big 12. Adams was considered Chris Beard’s top assistant from 2016-21 at Texas Tech. His greatest contribution to the program was his staple “no-middle” defensive scheme. Adams put conference foes through the gauntlet of his defense as he coached as an assistant, and it’s been no different since he started calling the shots.

Texas Tech is currently fifth in the country in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, according to KenPom.com. The Red Raiders have held their three Big 12 opponents -- all top-11 teams -- to just 60.0 points per game. With each conference game, Texas Tech has continued to look more and more stout on the defensive end.

The Red Raiders forced Iowa State to beat them by scoring just 51 points and shooting 30.6% from the field. No. 6 Kansas, who was averaging 84.3 points per game coming into Lubbock, was held to 67 points as Texas Tech defeated the Jayhawks. And in college basketball’s biggest win of the season against No. 1 Baylor, the Bears scored 62 points -- 20 points fewer than their previous season average -- as Texas Tech knocked off the previously unbeaten squad on their home court.

The string of wins would be impressive regardless of the circumstances, but it’s only more admirable that Texas Tech has done it without their top scorer in Terrence Shannon, Jr. Shannon hasn’t played in almost a month as he nurses a back spasm issue, leaving the Red Raiders to find his 14.3 points per game elsewhere. Texas Tech has found that both in a newcomer and a tenured veteran, demonstrating Adams’ ability as a developer and recruiter.

Adonis Arms was phenomenal against Baylor; scoring 14 points, grabbing nine rebounds, collecting five assists and blocking three shots. He was the best player on the court during clutch time; grabbing multiple offensive rebounds, blocking a three-point shot from Baylor and throwing down this nasty dunk to grow his team’s lead.

Junior Clarence Nadolny is on the best stretch of his career. He’s averaged 12.3 points, 3.0 steals and 1.7 assists per game over the last three contests. Nadolny has been known at Texas Tech for his unlimited motor and high-energy defense, but he’s been putting the ball in the basket effortlessly so far in conference play.

The individual performances have been impressive, but it’s clear that the entire roster has adopted a mentality and culture under Adams. There’s no doubt that Texas Tech has adopted the underdog mentality, too, and is using that to propel itself forward. After years of aiming to embrace the street-dog mentality, the Red Raiders have finally found that under Adams.

“These guys are warriors,” Adams said about his team after the win over Baylor.

The Red Raiders have won back-to-back regular season games against top-10 opponents for the first time since 2007.

Welcome to the Mark Adams experience, Big 12.

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