The Texas Tech Red Raiders had an impressive outing Saturday after blowing out Oklahoma State 85-50 in the Big 12 opener.

The deed will get a tad tougher in the Red Raiders’ two-game conference homestand welcoming in the No. 4 Baylor Bears (11-1), but with marquee wins over Louisville and previously Oklahoma State, Tuesday night looks to be another big opportunity, all the more to the Red Raiders holding ground at No. 22 in the latest AP ranking.

Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard addressed the media Monday afternoon and began talking about the Baylor Bears and their success in the AP rankings this season saying they are worthy of their position.

“Definitely a team that’ll compete for a championship in the Big 12,” Beard said. “Definitely a team that has the roster and coaching and just DNA of a team that can make the Final Four this year.”

Beard said Baylor has four key guards “that are tremendous,” saying each of them can dribble, pass, shoot, what have you.

“Just really good players,” Beard said. “Front-line, (redshirt junior Mark Vital)’s one of my favorite players in the league with how hard he plays, and (redshirt senior forward Freddie Gillespie) is one of the most experienced returning, improved players in college basketball. They come off the bench with basically six, seven, eight starters. So, just a really good team.”

Beard also said he has a lot of respect for Baylor head coach Scott Drew, and rightfully so with the season the Bears have posted so far.

“It’s a well-documented story that really never gets old telling,” Beard said. “you know, where he inherited the Baylor program and where it’s at today. They have a consistency with their program that we’re striving for here, and so we’ll have to play our best game of the year to have a chance to beat a top-five ranked team, but that’s life in the Big 12.”

TJ Holyfield took a while this season to get going, almost like an old lawnmower you tried turning on but never quite started. Luckily, Holyfield’s drought ended Saturday as he posted a 17-point game and only fouled twice. That is big since he has been in foul trouble for most of the games this year.

Beard had massive praise for the Stephen F. Austin grad transfer saying he had a great game against Oklahoma State but reversed back to the Big 12 season being an 18-round fight, make it 19 if you want to include the upcoming Kentucky game.

“We’ve told the guys it’s an 18-game season,” Beard said. “We’re one game into it, and this is the next game on the schedule. Got to be consistent. There will be a lot of guys throughout the season that have really good individual games. Then, there’ll be a few guys that are consistent enough to do it night in and night out, and I know that’s Holyfield number-one objective, and I’m right there with him.”

Beard added that Holyfield has his 100 percent support.

“I certainly think he’s a guy that can make an impact on this league,” Beard said. “We’re just trying to find that consistency.”

The Red Raiders had a slow first half in the rebounding aisle against Oklahoma State but quickly turned that around in the eventual blowout victory. However, Beard talked about how big rebounding will be against the number-four team in the country on Tuesday night.

Beard said the key to any BCS game is rebounding, and playing great defense is good, but not rebounding the ball is not great defense.

“Rebounding is everything,” Beard said, “not only this year, but really since coach Drew has been there. It’s really the DNA and the identity of Baylor basketball. If you’re going to play with Baylor, get ready to rebound and grab and fight and block out, make hustle-plays, get hands on balls and just understand that’s just who they are.”

Beard said his team has shown the ability to be a great rebounding team, and they have had some good games in that stat-line.

“We’ll just have to bring it every single possession against Baylor,” Beard said. “You can’t get too high or too low. There’s going to be times in the game where they’re pounding it pretty good on the glass. They do it to everybody. You just got to stay the course, and you got to be consistent with your effort.”

Beard said the conference season is special and said it is the grind of the conference season, the grind of the conference championship that everyone strives for.

In preparing for Baylor, having the upset win against Louisville is a good resume builder. Beard talked about how it prepares his guys for another big matchup Baylor.

“There is a case for every school in the Big 12 to be ranked right now,” Beard said, “but when the poll has 25 teams, it’s kind of hard to get all ten in, but everybody’s worthy.”

“It’s kind of exciting for fans,” Beard said. “but the reality of life in the Big 12 is every single night you play, you’re playing against one of the best teams in college basketball. As (Jahmi’us Ramsey) says, ‘Facts.’”

Beard also called out a freshman player on last year’s Baylor squad who has turned into their leading scorer, and that player is guard Jared Butler. Only a sophomore, but Beard said he has the talent to be an All-Big 12 player this year.

Butler is averaging 17.3 points per game this season, while Jahmi'us Ramsey is putting up 17.4.