PREVIEW: No. 25 Red Raiders set to host Texas Southern

No. 25 Texas Tech is on a 22-game home winning streak going into the second game of the season where it'll take on Texas Southern at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (1-0) earned a 73-49 season-opening win over Northwestern State on Monday, while the Tigers (0-1) took a 90-77 loss to San Francisco in their opener in California.

• Tech is coming off a season where it reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time – a new Tech record... Tech has made the NCAA Tournament 19 times in program history
• Texas Southern has made the NCAA Tournament 10 times in its program history, including two straight with wins in First Four games in Dayton over the past two tournaments
• Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program… A 1979 Tech graduate, Adams led the Red Raiders to a 27-10 overall record and 12-6 conference mark in his first season as the head coach… He was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year
• Tech returned only one starter (Kevin Obanor) and three lettermen (Daniel Batcho, KJ Allen and Obanor) from last year's team while welcoming in five transfers (D'Maurian Williams, Fardaws Aimaq, Jaylon Tyson, De'Vion Harmon, Kerwin Walton) and five true freshmen (Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams, Elijah Fisher)
• Batcho led Tech with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the win over Northwestern State… It was his first career start, first double-double, career-high in scoring and third career game in double-figure rebounds
• The Red Raider starters for the season-opener was Obanor, Batcho, Isaacs, Tyson and Harmon… They are 1-0 as a starting unit… Batcho, Isaacs and Tyson were all making their first starts… Harmon has now started 92 games and Obanor 124 in their college careers
• Corey Williams returned as an assistant coach for his second season at Tech while Steve Green and Al Pinkins joined the staff as assistant coaches during the offseason… Pinkins returns to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18… Green was at South Plains College for the past 23 seasons where he was a national champion… Adams has built a staff that also includes: Rick Cooper (chief of staff), Taylor Sinclair (director of operations), Sean Sutton (advisor), Darryl Dora (player personnel), Matt Scherbenske (director of recruiting), George Neilson (director of scouting), Darby Rich (strength & conditioning), John Bloom (assistant strength & conditioning), Luke Adams (player development), Cooper Anderson (coordinator of operations), Jamaal Scott (academics) and Briana Whitaker (executive associate)
• Tech went 18-0 at home last season, including 9-0 in Big 12 play… The team is scheduled to play 17 home games this season and is currently 1-0
• The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last year… After one game, the Red Raiders are 9^th in the category on Kenpom… Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020
• Tech has won 16 straight non-conference home games without a loss since an overtime defeat to Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020… The 16 straight wins come after the program had won 54 non-conference home games in a row before the loss to the Wildcats in a Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup
• Finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arena… Outscored opponents 79.7 to 58.8 per game with opponents shooting 39.1 percent… 16 of the 18 home wins were by double-digits with the only ones not by 10 or more being victories over Kansas (75-67, +8) and Kansas State (73-68, +5)
• The Red Raiders had a sell-out (15,098) for their season-opener on Monday after they finished 11th nationally in average attendance last season with 13,973 fans per game and 251,515 total... Tech had five sell-outs last season and established a new program record by exceeding capacity at 15,300 fans in attendance against Texas… There were 12 games of 14,000+ in attendance and all 18 exceeded 12,000

ROSTER REPORT
• Kevin Obanor has started all 38 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is coming off nine points and four rebounds in the season opener against Northwestern State… He finished last season with double-doubles in each of the three NCAA Tournament games… Obanor, who is a fifth-year senior, started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last season… He has 1,685 points, 893 rebounds, 171 3-pointers and 35 double-doubles in his career… Obanor earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season and is on the All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention list along with the Julius Erving Award Watch List to start this year… He scored a season-high 23 points and also had 13 rebounds in the home win over Baylor last season before going for 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16… Obanor had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Duke to finish the season.
• Daniel Batcho recorded the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Northwestern State… He also added a team-high four assists… Batcho's 12 points were a career-high after he had scored eight in games last season against Incarnate Word and Alabama State… In the season opener, he went 4-for-5 from the field and 4-for-5 at the free-throw line… He returned for his second season with the Red Raiders after playing in 33 games as a reserve last season… A Paris, France native, Batcho had a season-high 11 rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee last season… He would go off for four blocked shots, six points and three rebounds against West Virginia for his best Big 12 game.
• Jaylon Tyson scored eight points and had five rebounds in his Texas Tech debut on Monday night… He transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raiders… Against Northwestern State, Tyson made his first collegiate start and was 3-for-4 from the field, including going 2-for-3 on 3-pointers…He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with career-high 11 points coming against Houston Christian… A Plano, Texas native, Tyson was an all-state performer and state champion at John Paul II… His younger brother is a freshman on the University of Colorado football team.
• De'Vion Harmon was also in the starting lineup in his Texas Tech debut on Monday where he finished with seven points and four assists (matching a team-high)… Harmon transferred from Oregon where he played last season after two years at Oklahoma… Harmon, a Denton, Texas native who was a Class 6A All-State performer at Guyer HS, has played in 92 games in his college career where he has 935 points, 190 assists and 108 steals… Harmon averaged 10.8 points per game and had 71 assists last season for the Ducks after averaging 12.9 points per game for the Sooners as a sophomore… Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanford.
• Kerwin Walton played as a reserve in the season opener and led the Tech bench with nine points and four rebounds… He played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summer… He has made 81 3-pointers through 61 games in his career with a career-high five 3-pointers made in a game against Louisville in his freshman season… Walton is 81-for-206 (39.3 percent) from beyond the arc, including making a UNC freshman 3-point percentage record with 58 3-pointers where he started 20 games during his first season in Chapel Hill… Walton, a Hopkins, Minnesota native, averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman for the Tar Heels with a career-high 19 points coming in that game against Louisville.
• KJ Allen scored two points in 11 minutes against Northwestern State on Monday after he had played in 19 games as a reserve last season for the Red Raiders with a season-high six points coming in games against Kansas State and Omaha… A Los Angeles native, Allen added a season-best eight rebounds in the conference game against Kansas State… He finished his first season in Lubbock by going 16-for-30 from the field… Allen was featured on the Netflix documentary Last Chance U while playing at East Los Angeles College where he averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
• D'Maurian Williams scored six points in 13 minutes of play in his Texas Tech debut on Monday where he was 2-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line… Williams now has 737 points, 131 assists, 58 steals and 220 rebounds through 58 games in his career… He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasons… An Arizona native, Williams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy… He averaged in double-figures both seasons at Gardner-Webb, going for 10.8 points per game as a freshman before averaging 14.5 points per game last season as a sophomore… He had a career-high 27 points against Columbia International last season and made six 3-pointers against Western Colorado.
• Fardaws Aimaq is an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and is also on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List for the top center in college basketball. A transfer from Utah Valley, Aimaq has recorded 1,056 points, 918 rebounds, 99 blocked shots and 41 double-doubles in his career… His 41 double-doubles are the fifth most for an active player in the nation… He earned the 2020-21 WAC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore after leading the nation with 15.0 rebounds to go along with 13.9 points per game and is coming off a junior season where he went for 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game… He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasons… During his career, he's averaged 11.1 rebounds per game which is the third best career mark nationally… Aimaq will be sidelined with a foot injury to begin the season with no official timetable for his return.
• Five freshmen made their debuts on Monday with Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams and Elijah Fisher each getting into the game against Northwestern State… Isaacs was in the starting lineup to begin the season, contributing six points after going 2-for-3 from the field while Jennings also had six points in 10 minutes as a reserve. Jennings was 2-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line for the Red Raiders while Washington had four assists (matched team-high) and three points. Fisher would play 16 minutes, scoring five points and adding three rebounds in his first collegiate action. Washington was the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year while playing at Jefferson High School as a junior before playing at Compass Prep in Arizona last season as a senior. He produced 2,135 points, 705 rebounds and 823 assists during his high school career. Isaacs, a Las Vegas native, averaged 23 points as a senior at Coronado High School where he was named the Southern Nevada Offensive Player of the Year. Along with his prep career, he won a Gold Medal playing with the USA Basketball U16 team. A Desoto, Texas native, Robert Jennings averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds last season while playing for the Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes (home school). He also played at Desoto HS before finishing at home. Elijah Fisher was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked No. 15 by ESPN for the 2023 class. He reclassified to play this season and enrolled at Tech a year early. A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior season. CJ Williams was a four-time all-state performer at Fayetteville HS. He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams.

RANKINGS
• Tech enters the season at No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll
• Tech has now earned a preseason ranking three times in program history
• The Red Raiders opened the 2019-20 season at No. 13 after reaching the Final Four for their highest preseason ranking and were No. 14 to begin the 2020-21 season
• Tech was unranked to begin last season before entering the polls at No. 25 following an overtime win over Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic
• It took Tech five weeks before it earned the ranking last season but remained ranked for the rest of the season
• Tech was as high as No. 9 during February and finished the season at No. 14
• Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)… The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final

OFF AND RUNNING
• Tech has now won 23 straight season openers and is 71-27 in the first game of a season all-time
• This year was the 25th straight season Tech opened its season at home
• Tech's last loss to begin a season came against Indiana on November 19, 1999… That game was the first-ever in the USA which was then known as United Spirit Arena… The game featured Andy Ellis scoring a career-high 30 points in front of 15,050 fans for a sellout
• Tech lost its first-ever season opener with a 37-25 loss to Daniel Baker on January 25, 1926
• Tech started last season with a 6-0 record before a loss at Providence College… It was the eighth time in program history to begin a year with six straight wins.
• The Red Raiders began the 1929-30 season with a 12-0 record for the best start in program history and were 10-0 to begin the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden

THE SERIES
• Texas Tech leads the all-time series against Texas Southern by a 1-0 margin
• The programs are meeting for the first time since an 80-71 win by the Red Raiders on November 18, 2013
• Jaye Crockett led Tech with 21 points and seven rebounds as Tech improved to 3-1 to begin the 2013-14 season with its win over TSU
• The attendance for the game in 2013 was only 4,682 at the United Spirit Arena
• This will be the first time in the series with Tech as a ranked team
• Tech is 20-0 against SWAC opponents in program history, including wins over Grambling, Prairie View A&M and Alabama State last season
• The Red Raiders are scheduled to play Jackson State at the Coaches vs. Racism Roundball Classic on December 17 in Houston

THE TIGERS
• Texas Southern went 19-13 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament where it earned a 76-67 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the First Four before losing to Kansas in the first round
• Texas Southern is a Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent from Houston, Texas
• Johnny Jones is in his fifth season leading the program; Jones played and coached at LSU and was also the head coach at the University of North Texas for 11 seasons
• Texas Southern has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in program history, including in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022
• The Tigers earned NCAA Tournament First Four wins in 2018, 2021 and 2022; The program knocked off North Carolina Central in 2018, topped Mount Saint Mary's in 2021 and advanced by beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by a 76-67 margin last season
• TSU lost 83-56 to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament First Round last season
• TSU has won the SWAC Championship Tournament 10 times and the regular season title 14 times; They have won the past two tournament titles
• PJ Henry, Karl Nicholas and John Walker III returned this season after strong seasons last year leading the team's production; Nicholls was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-SWAC First Team while Walker was a SWAC Second-Team selection
• Henry led the Tigers with 21 points and five steals in the opener against San Francisco, He was 6-for-17 from the field and made seven free throws
• Walker added 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while Davon Barnes gave TSU three players in double figures with 14 points
• Shaqir O'Neal, a son of Shaquille O'Neal, plays for TSU; Texas Tech also played against Shaq's son Shareef O'Neal when he was at LSU

DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech started the season 28-8 scoring advantage over Northwestern State in the paint… The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage. Game-by-game points from the paint are listed below.
TTU 54 - UNF 20; TTU 30 - GRM 16; TTU 38 – PVAMU 20; TTU 40 – UIW 24; TTU 54 – UNO 10; TTU 26 – LMR 20; TTU 30 – PC 22; TTU 28 – TENN 26; TTU 40 – ARK ST. 12; TTU 26 – GONZ 16; TTU 40 – EWU 4; TTU 36 – ALB ST. 8; TTU 28 – ISU 6; TTU 44 – KU 18; TTU 36 – BU 22; TTU 30 – OSU 20; TTU 30 – ISU 26; TTU 30 – WVU 16; TTU 46 – KU 40; TTU 44 – MISS ST. 16; TTU 30 – UT 24; TTU 34 – WVU 10; TTU 30 – OU 18; TTU 38 – TCU 20; TTU 28 – BU 22; TTU 26 – UT 10; TTU 34 – OU 16; TTU 40 - TCU 30; TTU 36 – KSU 10; TTU 22 – OSU 26; TTU 42 - ISU 14; OU 26 - TTU 22; TTU 36 – KU 30; TTU 38 – MSU 16; TTU 24 – ND 10; TTU 42-Duke 36.

JUST GETTING STARTED
• Tech opens the season with a three-game homestand at the United Supermarkets Arena before taking off for Maui
• Up next, to conclude the homestand, is Louisiana Tech on Monday, November 14; The game is at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+
• Louisiana Tech is led by Talvin Hester who was an assistant coach for Adams last season… The Bulldogs went 24-10 last season
• Tech's home stand ends with a trip to the Maui Invitational and a first-round matchup against No. 9-ranked Creighton on Monday, November 21

PREVIEW: No. 25 Red Raiders set to host Texas Southern

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Players Mentioned

Fardaws Aimaq

KJ Allen

Daniel Batcho

Elijah Fisher

De'Vion Harmon

Pop Isaacs

Robert Jennings

Kevin Obanor

Jaylon Tyson

Kerwin Walton

Lamar Washington

CJ Williams

D'Maurian Williams