Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders No. 14 in first A.P. poll

Dec 29, 2019; Lubbock, Texas, USA; The Texas Tech Red Raiders Masked Rider walks on the court before the game against the Cal.State-Bakersfield Roadrunners at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Monday, the season’s first Associated Press poll was released and the Texas Tech basketball program checks in at No. 14.

There once was a time when Texas Tech basketball fans couldn’t have cared less about the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. As recently as just five years ago, the only reason Red Raider fans had to check the year’s first poll would be to find out how highly through-of the top end of the conference was.

But now, the release of the…