Wednesday Morning Links at Viva The Matadors | 2012-12-19

The men's basketball team plays Alabama tonight. There is a preview coming up later this morning along with the morning links. The women's team is in Vegas baby! for a holiday tournament and will play Michigan St. on Thursday.

CAMPUS PHOTOS

* Totally Texas Tech: New TTU Campus Pictures - Carol of Lights Edition - 12/18/2012 | Terrific photos and makes me wish I could bring my kid to the campus to see the lights.

GOLF

* Top-ranked Kaufman's game centers around consistency | What a great article on Kaufman.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

* Lady Raiders face toughest non-conference test in preparation for Big 12 play | Red Raiders

BASEBALL

* Nineteen Baseball Student-Athletes Earn Academic Honor Roll - Texas Tech Red Raiders Official Athletic Site | Congrats!

FOOTBALL | I have also seen some thoughts about how head coach Kliff Kingsbury needs to hire a defensive coordinator as soon as possible because the pool of candidates is decreasing and Texas Tech is losing out on recruiting. I did want to try to clarify some points. A coaching staff, at any time, may only have nine coaches on staff. When Tuberville left, I think that AD Kirby Hocutt mentioned that he met with all of the defensive coaches who gave him their word that they would coach through the bowl game. These coaches know that they may not be here, but Hocutt and these coaches made a deal and they are honoring that deal. It will be fine. The pool of defensive coordinators is neither disappearing nor getting bigger.

The coaching staff is in a recruiting "dead period" which means that coaches can't host or meet with recruits until after Christmas. I'd also add that Kingsbury may have tabbed his defensive coordinator already and is allowing that defensive coordinator to coach out their bowl game (TAMU's Marcel Yates or Fresno St.'s Nick Toth are two thoughts). These are two names being thrown around, but I think everything will be okay.

* Report: Tech selects Dennis as strength coach | Red Raiders | You all found this out last night, which is that Texas A&M assistant strength and conditioning coach Chad Dennis is the new strength coach at Texas Tech. I have no idea if this is a good hire. I don't know anything about Dennis, so we'll just have to wait and see. I'll try to do a profile later when I do all of the coaching profiles.

* Some Juco recruiting notes | Mississippi Recruiting Report | The Clarion Ledger is reporting that DE Terrell Hartsfield and DE Jerrell Jordan will most likely sign with Cincinnati. Also, RB Rodriguez Moore is also leaning towards Cincinnati or Kansas. This is really just fine. With Hartsfield, he had a personal relationship with Robert Prunty and his decision is understandable. With Jordan and Moore, these may be mutual decisions.

* Texas A&M quarterback commit says he is ’100 percent’ committed after Kliff Kingsbury departure | College Sports Blog | I have never thought that Texas Tech was going to "steal" any of TAMU's commits this year.

* B1G bowl primer: Meineke Car Care Bowl - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN

* Strength Vs. Strength In Meineke Car Care Bowl - Minnesota

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