Texas Tech University Athletics
Tuesday, December 13
Lubbock, Texas
7 p.m.
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Eastern Washington
PREVIEW: Tech, EWU set for Tuesday matchup
December 11, 2022 | Men's Basketball
7 p.m., Tuesday | TV: ESPN+ | Lubbock, Texas
LUBBOCK, Texas โ Texas Tech will look to extend a 26-game home winning streak this week when it hosts Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in a non-conference matchup at the United Supermarkets Arena before playing Jackson State at the Coaches vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic on Saturday in Houston. Along with the games, Red Raider Basketball with Mark Adams will have its second edition at 6 p.m. on Monday at Rudy's BBQ to preview the week.ย
The Red Raiders (6-2) are coming off a 78-71 win over Nicholls last Wednesday with Pop Isaacs hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with a career-high 24 points while leading scorer Kevin Obanor had a season-high 20 points. EWU (4-6) took a 77-76 loss against South Dakota State on Saturday night in Brookings, South Dakota following a 50-48 win over Cal last week in Berkley. Ethan Price led the Eagles with 16 points in the defeat in South Dakota in a game where all five of their starters scored in double figures.
Tech will return to competition this weekend by traveling to Houston to play against Jackson State in the HBCU Roundball Classic. The game is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Delmar Fieldhouse and will be available through a stream on HBCUGO.tv.
Obanor leads Tech with 14.0 points per game this season after scoring a season-high 20 against Nicholls, while Daniel Batcho is averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Batcho leads the team in rebounding and blocks and is coming off a game where he had 14 points and nine rebounds. De'Vion Harmon leads the Red Raiders with 3.8 assists this season after matching a career-best with six against the Buckeyes and is also averaging 10.1 points per game. Tyson missed the Nicholls game with an ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day. He is averaging 10.4 points per game after his career-high 18 against Georgetown, while Isaacs is at 10.3 points per game after his 24 last Wednesday.
Tech went 18-0 at home last season (including 9-0 in Big 12 play) and is also on a 20-0 winning streak in non-conference home games with five home wins this season. Overall, Tech has won 26 home games in a row with its last loss coming on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia. The 20 straight non-conference home wins without a loss dates back to an overtime defeat to Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020 in the Big 12-SEC Challenge in Lubbock. The loss ended a 54 non-conference home winning streak from Tech.
RED RAIDER NOTABLES
โข Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program where he is now 33-12 overall and 23-0 at homeโฆ A 1979 Tech graduate, Adams led the Red Raiders to a 27-10 overall record, 12-6 conference mark, to the Big 12 Championship final and the NCAA Sweet 16 in his first season as the head coachโฆ He was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Yearโฆ His 27 wins last season were the most by a first-year Tech head coach.
โข Tech's last home loss came on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia in an 82-71 defeatโฆ The Red Raiders were ranked No. 7 in the nation in that game
โข Tech is coming off a season where it did not lose back-to-back games under Adams
โข 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)
โข The Red Raider starters for the first seven games this season was Obanor, Batcho, Isaacs, Tyson and Harmonโฆ They are 5-2 as a starting unitโฆ D'Maurian Williams started in place of Tyson in the Nicholls game due to injury
โข Tech is hitting 48.1 percent of its shots this season; opponents are being limited to 39.3 percentโฆ The Red Raiders limited Louisville to only 22.4 percent shooting and also held Northwestern State to only 28.4 in their best defensive efforts of the season
โข Tech has won three games by 20 or more points this season, including a season-high 34-point win over Louisvilleโฆ The Red Raiders have held four opponents under 60 points, two under 50 and one under 40 with Louisville scoring only 38 points
โข Tech is currently scoring 72.5 points per game and is limiting opponents to 61.0 ppg.
โข Tech overcame an 11-point deficit against Nicholls for its largest comeback this season
โข Creighton won by 11 for Tech's only double-digit loss this season
โข Tech is currently 50-for-141 (35.5 percent) on 3-pointersโฆ Isaacs leads the team with 17 3-pointers (17-for-35 / 48.6%) while Tyson is shooting 55.0 percent (11-for-20)
โข Batcho is 39-for-60 from the field (65.0%) and Obanor is 41-for-78 (52.6%)
โข Tech is 126-for-176 (71.6 percent) at the free-throw line after going 13-for-16 in the win over Georgetown and then 29-for-46 against Nicholls
โข Tech made a season-best eight 3-pointers against Georgetown; The Red Raiders made seven 3s in wins over Nicholls, Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State
โข 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 โ a new Tech recordโฆ The Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 Championship Final, 2021 Second Round and 2022 Sweet 16โฆ Tech has an 11-4 record over the past four tournamentsโฆ The program has made the Sweet 16 in three of the past four tournaments
โข The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last yearโฆ After eight games, the Red Raiders are 26th in the category on Kenpomโฆ Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020
โข Tech started last season with a 6-0 record before a loss at Providence College in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battleโฆ It was the eighth time in program history to begin a year with six straight winsโฆ 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
โข 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 offseasonโฆ Pinkins returned to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18โฆ He was the interim head coach at Florida in the 2022 NITโฆ Green was at South Plains College for the past 23 seasons where he was a national championโฆ 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)
โข Tech went 18-0 at home last season, including 9-0 in Big 12 playโฆ The team is scheduled to play 17 home games this season and is currently 5-0
โข Tech's program record is 35 straight home victoriesโฆ That streak started with four wins at the end of the 1993-94 season before a pair of 13-0 runs (1994-95 and 1995-96) and then five home wins to start the 1996-97 season
โข Tech finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arenaโฆ Tech outscored opponents 79.7 to 58.8 per game with opponents shooting 39.1 percentโฆ 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)
โข The matchup against Creighton was the third of five regular-season games on a Monday for the Red Raiders with the final two coming in the Big 12 schedule... Tech is currently 2-1 on Mondaysโฆ The final game of the NCAA basketball season is on Monday, April 3 in Houston, Texas
โข The Red Raiders had a sell-out (15,098) for their 2022-23 season-opener against Northwestern State 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 Texasโฆ There were 12 games of 14,000+ in attendance and all 18 exceeded 12,000โฆ Tech had 14,649 fans at its game against Georgetown and 12,682 against Nicholls
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ROSTER REPORT
โข Kevin Obanor has started all 45 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is leading the team with 14.0 points per game after going for a season-high 20 against Nicholls where he was 7-for-13 from the field with two 3-pointers. He now has 482 points as a Red Raider and 1,788 through 131 in his career.ย He had a previous season-high 19 points against Ohio State and 15 against Louisville in Mauiโฆ Obanor has scored in double figures in seven straight games after having nine in the season-opener against Northwestern Stateโฆ Before Maui, he was coming off a season-high 15 points and eight rebounds against LA Tech and 13 points and seven rebounds in the win over Texas Southernโฆ A fifth-year senior, he now has 935 career rebounds and has had 96 games where he has scored in double figuresโฆ He finished last season with double-doubles in each of the three NCAA Tournament games against Montana State (10 points/11 rebounds), Notre Dame (15/15) and Duke (10/10)โฆ Obanor, who is a Houston native, started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last seasonโฆ He has 1,788 points, 935 rebounds, 177 3-pointers and 35 double-doubles in his careerโฆ 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 yearโฆ Last season, he scored a season-high 23 points and also had 13 rebounds in the home win over Baylor before going for 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16โฆ Obanor is currently 23-for-26 at the free-throw line (88.5 percent) this season and 391-for-473 (82.7%) in his career.
โข Daniel Batcho recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and his second career double-double with 15 points against Georgetown before having 14 points and nine rebounds against Nichollsโฆ Batcho, who has led Tech in scoring in three games and in rebounding in six, has scored in double figures in three straight games for the first time in his careerโฆ He had a career-high 21 points against Ohio State where he was 7 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line in Mauiโฆ He also added six rebounds in the game after he had established a previous career-high with12 rebounds in the win against Louisville along with having nine points, three blocks and three stealsโฆ He is averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game through eight games (all from starting lineup)โฆ He had scored a career-high 17 points against Creighton in Maui where he was 7-for-12 from the field in 24 minutes on the court before his 21-point performance against the Buckeyesโฆ Batcho recorded a career-high six blocks in the win over LA Tech where he also added nine points and seven rebounds in the team's last home gameโฆ His six blocks in a game are tied for the third most in program history with Tariq Owens owning the single-game record with eight in a win over Memphis in 2018 and Will Flemons second with seven against Texas A&M in 1990โฆ A 6-foot-11 forward from Paris, France, he recorded the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the season-opening win over Northwestern Stateโฆ He has started all eight games of the season after playing 33 as a reserve last seasonโฆ Batcho's 12 points in the opener was his previous career-high after he had scored eight in games last season against Incarnate Word and Alabama Stateโฆ He came into this season with a career-high 11 rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee last season at Madison Square Garden in the 2021 Jimmy V Classicโฆ He would go off for four blocked shots, six points and three rebounds against West Virginia for his best Big 12 gameโฆ Batcho currently has three games with 10 or more rebounds this season and has scored in double figures in five games.
โข De'Vion Harmon has scored 1,009 points in his career after a season-high 18 in the win over Georgetown where he also had four steals and two assistsโฆ Harmon had five assists and three points against Nichollsโฆ He leads Tech with 3.8 assists per game after matching his career-best with six assists against Ohio State in Maui and has had three or more assists in six of eight gamesโฆ Through eight games, he's averaging 10.1 points, a team-high 3.8 assists and is at 1.9 stealsโฆ He had matched a career-high with six assists and four steals in the win over LA Tech to go along with a season-high 15 points by going 6-for-8 from the field before traveling to Mauiโฆ Against Louisville, Harmon had three steals and now has 15 this season and 123 in his careerโฆ Harmon transferred from Oregon where he played last season after two years at Oklahoma and has now scored in double figures in five of eight games this seasonโฆ Harmon, a Denton, Texas native who was a Class 6A All-State performer at Guyer HS, has played in 99 games in his college career where he also now has 216 assists after his five last week against Nichollsโฆ 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 sophomoreโฆ Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanfordโฆ His career-high 23 points came in his first game as a freshman at Oklahoma against UTSA on November 5, 2019, and then again as a sophomore for the Sooners against Oklahoma State on February 27, 2021โฆ Of his 1,009 career points, 81 have come this season at Tech. ย ย
โข Jaylon Tyson had started all seven games before missing the contest against Nicholls with an ankle injuryโฆ He is listed as day-to-dayโฆ Tyson is averaging 10.4 points, 1.6 steals and 4.9 rebounds per game after going for a career-high 18 against Georgetown where he was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers after he had scored 10 points and recorded season-best six rebounds against Ohio Stateโฆ He had nine points and five rebounds against Creighton before eight points and three rebounds against Louisville in Mauiโฆ Tyson scored a previous career-high 13 points in the win over Texas Southern in the second game of the seasonโฆ He transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raidersโฆ Tyson is currently 11-for-20 (55.0 percent) on 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in six of seven games playedโฆ 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 to finish with eight pointsโฆ His 3-pointer on Tech's second possession of the season-opener was the first basket this season for the Red Raidersโฆ He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with freshman season-high 11 points coming against Houston Christianโฆ A Plano, Texas native, Tyson was an all-state performer and state champion at John Paul IIโฆ His younger brother is a freshman on the University of Colorado football team.
โข Pop Isaacs has started all eight games as a true freshman and leads the Red Raiders with 17 3-pointersโฆ He is coming off a career-high 24 points and five 3-pointers in the win over Nicholls and is now averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game to begin his college careerโฆ His 24 points are the most by a Red Raider in a game this seasonโฆ Isaacs recorded his third of four double-figure scoring performance with 10 points against Georgetown where he also had four assists and two stealsโฆ He has 12 assists in the past three games after having three against Nicholls, four on Georgetown and five against Ohio State in the Maui finaleโฆIsaacs had a previous career-high four 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 13 points against Creightonโฆ A guard from Las Vegas, he had made at least one 3-pointer in seven of seven games โฆ He also scored in double figures with 10 points in the home win over Louisiana Tech where he was 2-for-4 on 3-pointersโฆ Isaacs comes into this week shooting 17-for-35 (48.6 percent) on 3-pointers this season.
โข D'Maurian Williams made his first start at Tech against Nicholls in place of Tysonโฆ He had three rebounds and two points in 17 minutesโฆ Williams scored a season-high 10 points against Louisville after hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-5 at the free-throw lineโฆ He is currently averaging 4.1 points this season after scoring six against Georgetownโฆ A junior from Phoenix, he scored six points in 13 minutes of play in his Texas Tech debut against Northwestern State and followed it with five points against Texas Southernโฆ Williams now has 760 points, 136 assists, 60 steals and 227 rebounds through 64 games in his careerโฆ He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasonsโฆWilliams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut)โฆ 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.
โข Kerwin Walton is averaging 2.4 points through eight games as a Red Raider reserveโฆ Walton led the Tech bench with nine points and four rebounds against Northwestern State in the season-opener and had five points against TSU and LA Techโฆ He has not scored in the past five gamesโฆ Walton played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summerโฆ He has made 83 3-pointers through 68 games in his career with a career-high five 3-pointers made in a game against Louisville in his freshman seasonโฆ Walton is 83-for-216 (38.4 percent) from beyond the arc for his career, including making a UNC freshman 3-point percentage record with 58 3-pointers where he started 20 games during his first season in Chapel Hillโฆ 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 Louisvilleโฆ He experienced the Final Four last season as a member of UNC which finished as the national runner-up.
โข KJ Allen is in his second season at Tech and is currently averaging 1.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this seasonโฆ He had a season-high five rebounds against Creighton in the first game in Mauiโฆ Allen contributed four points and four rebounds in the win over Texas Southern after he had two points in 11 minutes against Northwestern State in the openerโฆ He 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 Omahaโฆ A Los Angeles, California native, Allen added a season-best eight rebounds in the conference game against Kansas Stateโฆ He finished his first season in Lubbock by going 16-for-30 from the fieldโฆ 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 gameโฆ He was Adams' first signee.
โข 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. โฆ Aimaq is a key part to the Tech roster this season but will be sidelined with a foot injury to begin the season with no official timetable for his returnโฆ A transfer from Utah Valley, Aimaq has recorded 1,056 points, 918 rebounds, 99 blocked shots and 41 double-doubles in his careerโฆ His 41 double-doubles are the fifth most for an active player in the nationโฆ 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 gameโฆ He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasonsโฆ During his career, he's averaged 11.1 rebounds per game which is the third best career mark nationally.
โข Elijah Fisher is averaging 2.6 points per game with a career-high seven points coming against Texas Southern in the second game of the seasonโฆ He scored three points and had two rebounds in the loss to Ohio Stateโฆ A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior seasonโฆ Fisher was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked No. 15 by ESPN for the 2023 classโฆ He reclassified to play this season and enrolled at Tech a year early.
โข Robert Jennings recorded career-high eight points against Louisville after he went 3-for-5 from the field and also hit two free throws in 15 minutes of workโฆ He's currently averaging 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game after having three points and two rebounds in the win over Nichollsโฆ A freshman from Desoto, Texas, he had six points in 10 minutes against Northwestern State in the opener before having three rebounds and two points against Texas Southernโฆ Jennings averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds last season while playing for the Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes (home school)โฆ He also played at Desoto HS before finishing at home.
โข Lamar Washington established a career-high with 12 points and five assists in the win over Nicholls after going 12-for-17 from the free-throw lineโฆ It was the first time he scored in double figures and came with him going 0-for-1 from the field shootingโฆ He also matched a career-best with seven rebounds in the win after he also had seven rebounds in the win over Louisville in Mauiโฆ Washington is averaging 2.4 assists per game with four or more assists in three gamesโฆ A Portland, Oregon native, he is averaging 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 points to begin his freshman seasonโฆ He has a career-high four assists against Louisville and Northwestern Stateโฆ He also scored four points against Texas Southern after he had four assists (matched team-high) and three points in the opener against Northwestern State... 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.
โข CJ Williams scored his first career points against Louisville with a pair of free throwsโฆ A freshman guard, he has played in two games this season after making his debut in the opener against Northwestern Stateโฆ He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams
TECH vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON
โข Tech is 1-0 all-time against EWU with a 78-46 win last season on December 12, 2021
โข Obanor had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the win; Batcho had 5 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes of play
โข Tech owned a 40-4 scoring advantage in the paint in the game
โข Tech also topped Montana State (Big Sky) last season in the NCAA Tournament
โข EWU is the only Big Sky opponent for Tech on this year's scheduleโฆ Tech is 46-7 all-time against current Big Sky opponents
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
โข EWU is a Big Sky program from Cheney, Washington
โข David Riley is in his second season as the EWU head coach after being an assistant under Shantay Legans who is now the head coach at Portland
โข Steele Venters leads the Eagles with 13.6 points per game and 24 assistsโฆ Venters was an All-Big Sky Second-Team selection last seasonโฆ He had 13 points on Saturday in South Dakota
โข EWU is currently 1-4 on the road this season
โข EWU went 18-16 last season
โข EWU won the 2021 Big Sky Championship Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a game to Kansas in Indianapolis
RANKINGS
โข Tech fell out of the AP Top 25 in the 11/28 rankings after its losses in Maui and remained unranked this week (12/5)
โข Tech had moved up two spots in the AP Poll last week (11/21) for the second straight week and was at No. 21
โข Ohio State was just outside the rankings at the time it beat Tech and is now at No. 25 in the 11/28 rankings
โข The Red Raiders were No. 23 in the first release of the season (11/14) after a No. 25 preseason ranking
โข Tech entered the season at No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll
โข Tech has now earned a preseason ranking three times in program history
โข Tech is currently 0-1 against ranked opponents this season with its loss to No. 10 Creightonโฆ The Bluejays moved up to No. 7 in the 11/28 poll
โข Tech was 3-2 against Top-10 teams last year in the regular seasonโฆ The Red Raiders dropped a 69-55 game to No. 5 Gonzaga last December in Phoenix before earning wins over Baylor which was at No. 1 (65-62 in Waco) and No. 7 (83-73 in Lubbock) at the time of the victories and also a 75-67 home win over Kansas when it was No. 6
โข Tech has beat a top-10 opponent in eight straight seasons, a top-5 opponent in seven straight and has 27 wins over top-10 teams in program history
โข Tech went 7-5 last season against Top 25 opponents, including a 57-52 overtime win over No. 13 Tennessee on December 7 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Gardenโฆ The Red Raiders were 1-1 against Top 25 teams in their non-conference schedule with the loss to Gonzaga following the win over the Vols
โข 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
โข 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
โข It took Tech five weeks before it earned the ranking last season but remained ranked for the rest of the season
โข Tech was as high as No. 9 during February and finished the season at No. 14
โข Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)โฆ 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
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DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech has started this season by outscoring 7 of 8 opponents in the paint and by a 264-178 combined marginโฆ Nicholls is the only team to outscore Tech inside the paint this season. (NIC 30 โ TTU 26; TTU 38 โ GU 16; TTU 34-OSU 28; TTU 70-LOU 38; TTU 38-CU 30; TTU 26-LT 24; TTU 42 โ TSU 30; TTU 28 โ NWST 8)โฆ The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage.
GAME REPORTS
โข GAME EIGHTย (6-2): Isaacs scored a career-high 24 points with five 3-pointers and Obanor had a season-best 20 points as Tech overcame an upset bid by Nicholls. Tech trailed by as many as 11 points in the game but would secure its 26th straight home win. Washington had a career-high 12 points with all 12 coming from the free-throw line. The Red Raiders were 29-for-46 at the free-throw line.
โข GAME SEVEN (5-2): Tyson had a career night against Georgetown with 18 points (four 3-pointers) and nine rebounds, while Batcho recorded his second career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Harmon joined Tyson for the team lead with 18 points in a game where Obanor scored 11 points and Isaacs had 10 as all five starters scored in double figures in the same game for the first time this season. Tech shot 50.9 percent from the field while limiting the Hoyas to 44.6 percent. The Red Raiders hit a season-best eight 3-pointers with Tyson going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
โข GAME SIX (4-2): Batcho posted a career-high 21 points and added six rebounds in an 80-73 loss to Ohio State in the final game in Maui. Obanor would add 19 points, while Harmon and Tyson both scored 10. The Buckeyes shot 51.9 percent from the field, made eight 3-pointers and owned a 10-2 scoring advantage on fastbreak points. Tech trailed at halftime for the first time this season (41-37) and never led in the second half.
โข GAME FIVE (4-1): Obanor led Tech with 15 points while Batcho went off for a career-high 12 rebounds, nine points, three blocks and three steals in the dominating 70-38 victory over Louisville. Tech limited the Cardinals to 17.4 percent shooting in the first half and to 22.4 percent for the game. The Red Raiders owned a 32-12 scoring advantage in the paint and went on an 11-0 run after Louisville had started the game with a 3-pointer. The 38 points allowed were the fewest for a Tech team since the 2018-19 team held Incarnate Word to 37 and also fell one point short of the all-time Maui Invitational record. ย It was also the fewest points by a Louisville team since the 1981 season.
โข GAME FOUR (3-1): Batcho went off for a career-high 17 points in the loss against Creighton where he was 7-for-12 from the field and added five rebounds. The game was tied 31-all at halftime before the No. 10 Bluejays pulled away in the second half. Isaacs also had a career-high with 13 points after going 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, while Harmon scored 12 and Obanor added 10 to give the Red Raiders four double-figure scorers for the first time this season.
โข GAME THREE (3-0): Harmon and Obanor each finished with 15 points as Tech earned a 64-55 win over Louisiana Tech last Mondayโฆ Harmon matched career-highs with six assists and four steals in the game while Batcho had a career-high six blocked shotsโฆ Tech led by as many as 15 and never trailed in the game.
โข GAME TWO (2-0): Obanor led Tech with 13 points and seven rebounds in the 78-54 win over Texas Southern on Thursday, Nov. 10โฆ It was the 90th game Obanor scored in double figures and he also reached 900 career rebounds in the gameโฆ He was joined in double figures by Tyson who had a career-high 13 points and Harmon who had 12 points and a team-high three assistsโฆ Tech won the game by 24 points and only trailed for 42 seconds
โข GAME ONE (1-0): Batcho led Tech with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the season-opening win over Northwestern State on Nov. 7โฆ It was his first career start, first double-double, career-high in scoring and third career game in double-figure reboundsโฆ Obanor and Walton had nine points each in the win, while Tyson had eight points and five rebounds
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OFF AND RUNNING
โข Tech has now won 23 straight season openers and is 71-27 in the first game of a season all-time after its win over Northwestern State on November 7 in Lubbock
โข This year was the 25th straight season Tech opened its season at home
โข Tech's last loss to begin a season came against Indiana on November 19, 1999โฆ That game was the first-ever in the USA which was then known as United Spirit Arena
RED RAIDER 20-WIN SEASONS (16 in 97 seasons)
1939-40: 21-7 - Berl Huffman
1948-49: 21-9 - Polk Robison
1953-54: 21-5 - Polk Robison
1975-76: 25-6 - Gerald Meyers
1976-77: 20-9 - Gerald Meyers
1984-85: 23-8 - Gerald Meyers
1994-95: 20-10 - James Dickey
1995-96: 30-2 - James Dickey
2001-02: 23-9 - Bob Knight
2002-03: 22-13 - Bob Knight
2003-04: 23-11 - Bob Knight
2004-05: 22-11 - Bob Knight
2006-07: 21-13 - Bob Knight
2017-18: 27-10 - Chris Beard
2018-19: 31-7 - Chris Beard (most wins in a season)
2021-22: 27-10 - Mark Adams
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2022-23 AWARDS/WATCH LIST
Kevin Obanor: Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention; Julius Erving Award Watch List
Fardaws Aimaq: Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List
Daniel Batcho: Maui Jim Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team
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LOOKING BACK | 2021-22 AWARDS / WATCH LISTS
Mark Adams: Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year; Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Bryson Williams: All-Big 12 1st Team; Big 12 All-Newcomer Team; Associated Press All-Big 12 1st Team; Big 12 Newcomer of Week (1/31, 2/21)
Kevin McCullar: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist; Academic All-Big 12 (1st Team)
Kevin Obanor: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (1/24)
Adonis Arms: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Terrence Shannon: Academic All-Big 12 (1st Team)
Marcus Santos-Silva: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Academic All-Big 12 (2nd Team)
Clarence Nadolny: Academic All-Big 12 (2nd Team)
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LEGACY
Texas Tech spent the first and second day of October in Stanton, Texas at its annual team retreat working to continue building strong bonds for the season. The Red Raiders were at the Circle 6 Camp for two days with a theme of legacy that was designed to connect the past with the current team. Adams, shown holding up boxing gloves, talked with the current team about past players who helped build the program and also about how each of the current players owes it to themselves and the program to work hard every day to continue building the legacy that many have worked to build. The team opened up to each other through discussion and also had fun with multiple team-building activities.
RED RAIDERS IN THE NBA / G-LEAGUE
Adonis Arms: Grand Rapids Gold
Jarrett Culver: 2-Way (Atlanta Hawks/College Park Skyhawks)
Mac McClung: Delaware Blue Coats
Norense Odiase: Greensboro Swarm
Jahmi'us Ramsey: Oklahoma City Blue
Davion Warren: College Park Skyhawks
Bryson Williams: Ontario Clippers
TEXAS TECH FEATURE LINKSย ย
Define Yourself โ Video Seriesย ย
Harmon - Featureย
Aimaq - Feature
Pop Isaacs - Featureย
Tyson - Featureย
Obanor - Featureย ย
Big 12 Media Day โ Four Journeysย ย ย
Formative Conversation โ Playersย ย
Formative Conversation - Coachesย ย
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The Red Raiders (6-2) are coming off a 78-71 win over Nicholls last Wednesday with Pop Isaacs hitting five 3-pointers and finishing with a career-high 24 points while leading scorer Kevin Obanor had a season-high 20 points. EWU (4-6) took a 77-76 loss against South Dakota State on Saturday night in Brookings, South Dakota following a 50-48 win over Cal last week in Berkley. Ethan Price led the Eagles with 16 points in the defeat in South Dakota in a game where all five of their starters scored in double figures.
Tech will return to competition this weekend by traveling to Houston to play against Jackson State in the HBCU Roundball Classic. The game is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Delmar Fieldhouse and will be available through a stream on HBCUGO.tv.
Obanor leads Tech with 14.0 points per game this season after scoring a season-high 20 against Nicholls, while Daniel Batcho is averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Batcho leads the team in rebounding and blocks and is coming off a game where he had 14 points and nine rebounds. De'Vion Harmon leads the Red Raiders with 3.8 assists this season after matching a career-best with six against the Buckeyes and is also averaging 10.1 points per game. Tyson missed the Nicholls game with an ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day. He is averaging 10.4 points per game after his career-high 18 against Georgetown, while Isaacs is at 10.3 points per game after his 24 last Wednesday.
Tech went 18-0 at home last season (including 9-0 in Big 12 play) and is also on a 20-0 winning streak in non-conference home games with five home wins this season. Overall, Tech has won 26 home games in a row with its last loss coming on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia. The 20 straight non-conference home wins without a loss dates back to an overtime defeat to Kentucky on Jan. 25, 2020 in the Big 12-SEC Challenge in Lubbock. The loss ended a 54 non-conference home winning streak from Tech.
RED RAIDER NOTABLES
โข Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program where he is now 33-12 overall and 23-0 at homeโฆ A 1979 Tech graduate, Adams led the Red Raiders to a 27-10 overall record, 12-6 conference mark, to the Big 12 Championship final and the NCAA Sweet 16 in his first season as the head coachโฆ He was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Yearโฆ His 27 wins last season were the most by a first-year Tech head coach.
โข Tech's last home loss came on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia in an 82-71 defeatโฆ The Red Raiders were ranked No. 7 in the nation in that game
โข Tech is coming off a season where it did not lose back-to-back games under Adams
โข 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)
โข The Red Raider starters for the first seven games this season was Obanor, Batcho, Isaacs, Tyson and Harmonโฆ They are 5-2 as a starting unitโฆ D'Maurian Williams started in place of Tyson in the Nicholls game due to injury
โข Tech is hitting 48.1 percent of its shots this season; opponents are being limited to 39.3 percentโฆ The Red Raiders limited Louisville to only 22.4 percent shooting and also held Northwestern State to only 28.4 in their best defensive efforts of the season
โข Tech has won three games by 20 or more points this season, including a season-high 34-point win over Louisvilleโฆ The Red Raiders have held four opponents under 60 points, two under 50 and one under 40 with Louisville scoring only 38 points
โข Tech is currently scoring 72.5 points per game and is limiting opponents to 61.0 ppg.
โข Tech overcame an 11-point deficit against Nicholls for its largest comeback this season
โข Creighton won by 11 for Tech's only double-digit loss this season
โข Tech is currently 50-for-141 (35.5 percent) on 3-pointersโฆ Isaacs leads the team with 17 3-pointers (17-for-35 / 48.6%) while Tyson is shooting 55.0 percent (11-for-20)
โข Batcho is 39-for-60 from the field (65.0%) and Obanor is 41-for-78 (52.6%)
โข Tech is 126-for-176 (71.6 percent) at the free-throw line after going 13-for-16 in the win over Georgetown and then 29-for-46 against Nicholls
โข Tech made a season-best eight 3-pointers against Georgetown; The Red Raiders made seven 3s in wins over Nicholls, Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State
โข 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 โ a new Tech recordโฆ The Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 Championship Final, 2021 Second Round and 2022 Sweet 16โฆ Tech has an 11-4 record over the past four tournamentsโฆ The program has made the Sweet 16 in three of the past four tournaments
โข The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last yearโฆ After eight games, the Red Raiders are 26th in the category on Kenpomโฆ Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020
โข Tech started last season with a 6-0 record before a loss at Providence College in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battleโฆ It was the eighth time in program history to begin a year with six straight winsโฆ 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
โข 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 offseasonโฆ Pinkins returned to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18โฆ He was the interim head coach at Florida in the 2022 NITโฆ Green was at South Plains College for the past 23 seasons where he was a national championโฆ 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)
โข Tech went 18-0 at home last season, including 9-0 in Big 12 playโฆ The team is scheduled to play 17 home games this season and is currently 5-0
โข Tech's program record is 35 straight home victoriesโฆ That streak started with four wins at the end of the 1993-94 season before a pair of 13-0 runs (1994-95 and 1995-96) and then five home wins to start the 1996-97 season
โข Tech finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arenaโฆ Tech outscored opponents 79.7 to 58.8 per game with opponents shooting 39.1 percentโฆ 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)
โข The matchup against Creighton was the third of five regular-season games on a Monday for the Red Raiders with the final two coming in the Big 12 schedule... Tech is currently 2-1 on Mondaysโฆ The final game of the NCAA basketball season is on Monday, April 3 in Houston, Texas
โข The Red Raiders had a sell-out (15,098) for their 2022-23 season-opener against Northwestern State 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 Texasโฆ There were 12 games of 14,000+ in attendance and all 18 exceeded 12,000โฆ Tech had 14,649 fans at its game against Georgetown and 12,682 against Nicholls
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ROSTER REPORT
โข Kevin Obanor has started all 45 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is leading the team with 14.0 points per game after going for a season-high 20 against Nicholls where he was 7-for-13 from the field with two 3-pointers. He now has 482 points as a Red Raider and 1,788 through 131 in his career.ย He had a previous season-high 19 points against Ohio State and 15 against Louisville in Mauiโฆ Obanor has scored in double figures in seven straight games after having nine in the season-opener against Northwestern Stateโฆ Before Maui, he was coming off a season-high 15 points and eight rebounds against LA Tech and 13 points and seven rebounds in the win over Texas Southernโฆ A fifth-year senior, he now has 935 career rebounds and has had 96 games where he has scored in double figuresโฆ He finished last season with double-doubles in each of the three NCAA Tournament games against Montana State (10 points/11 rebounds), Notre Dame (15/15) and Duke (10/10)โฆ Obanor, who is a Houston native, started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last seasonโฆ He has 1,788 points, 935 rebounds, 177 3-pointers and 35 double-doubles in his careerโฆ 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 yearโฆ Last season, he scored a season-high 23 points and also had 13 rebounds in the home win over Baylor before going for 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16โฆ Obanor is currently 23-for-26 at the free-throw line (88.5 percent) this season and 391-for-473 (82.7%) in his career.
โข Daniel Batcho recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and his second career double-double with 15 points against Georgetown before having 14 points and nine rebounds against Nichollsโฆ Batcho, who has led Tech in scoring in three games and in rebounding in six, has scored in double figures in three straight games for the first time in his careerโฆ He had a career-high 21 points against Ohio State where he was 7 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line in Mauiโฆ He also added six rebounds in the game after he had established a previous career-high with12 rebounds in the win against Louisville along with having nine points, three blocks and three stealsโฆ He is averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game through eight games (all from starting lineup)โฆ He had scored a career-high 17 points against Creighton in Maui where he was 7-for-12 from the field in 24 minutes on the court before his 21-point performance against the Buckeyesโฆ Batcho recorded a career-high six blocks in the win over LA Tech where he also added nine points and seven rebounds in the team's last home gameโฆ His six blocks in a game are tied for the third most in program history with Tariq Owens owning the single-game record with eight in a win over Memphis in 2018 and Will Flemons second with seven against Texas A&M in 1990โฆ A 6-foot-11 forward from Paris, France, he recorded the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the season-opening win over Northwestern Stateโฆ He has started all eight games of the season after playing 33 as a reserve last seasonโฆ Batcho's 12 points in the opener was his previous career-high after he had scored eight in games last season against Incarnate Word and Alabama Stateโฆ He came into this season with a career-high 11 rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee last season at Madison Square Garden in the 2021 Jimmy V Classicโฆ He would go off for four blocked shots, six points and three rebounds against West Virginia for his best Big 12 gameโฆ Batcho currently has three games with 10 or more rebounds this season and has scored in double figures in five games.
โข De'Vion Harmon has scored 1,009 points in his career after a season-high 18 in the win over Georgetown where he also had four steals and two assistsโฆ Harmon had five assists and three points against Nichollsโฆ He leads Tech with 3.8 assists per game after matching his career-best with six assists against Ohio State in Maui and has had three or more assists in six of eight gamesโฆ Through eight games, he's averaging 10.1 points, a team-high 3.8 assists and is at 1.9 stealsโฆ He had matched a career-high with six assists and four steals in the win over LA Tech to go along with a season-high 15 points by going 6-for-8 from the field before traveling to Mauiโฆ Against Louisville, Harmon had three steals and now has 15 this season and 123 in his careerโฆ Harmon transferred from Oregon where he played last season after two years at Oklahoma and has now scored in double figures in five of eight games this seasonโฆ Harmon, a Denton, Texas native who was a Class 6A All-State performer at Guyer HS, has played in 99 games in his college career where he also now has 216 assists after his five last week against Nichollsโฆ 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 sophomoreโฆ Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanfordโฆ His career-high 23 points came in his first game as a freshman at Oklahoma against UTSA on November 5, 2019, and then again as a sophomore for the Sooners against Oklahoma State on February 27, 2021โฆ Of his 1,009 career points, 81 have come this season at Tech. ย ย
โข Jaylon Tyson had started all seven games before missing the contest against Nicholls with an ankle injuryโฆ He is listed as day-to-dayโฆ Tyson is averaging 10.4 points, 1.6 steals and 4.9 rebounds per game after going for a career-high 18 against Georgetown where he was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers after he had scored 10 points and recorded season-best six rebounds against Ohio Stateโฆ He had nine points and five rebounds against Creighton before eight points and three rebounds against Louisville in Mauiโฆ Tyson scored a previous career-high 13 points in the win over Texas Southern in the second game of the seasonโฆ He transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raidersโฆ Tyson is currently 11-for-20 (55.0 percent) on 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in six of seven games playedโฆ 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 to finish with eight pointsโฆ His 3-pointer on Tech's second possession of the season-opener was the first basket this season for the Red Raidersโฆ He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with freshman season-high 11 points coming against Houston Christianโฆ A Plano, Texas native, Tyson was an all-state performer and state champion at John Paul IIโฆ His younger brother is a freshman on the University of Colorado football team.
โข Pop Isaacs has started all eight games as a true freshman and leads the Red Raiders with 17 3-pointersโฆ He is coming off a career-high 24 points and five 3-pointers in the win over Nicholls and is now averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game to begin his college careerโฆ His 24 points are the most by a Red Raider in a game this seasonโฆ Isaacs recorded his third of four double-figure scoring performance with 10 points against Georgetown where he also had four assists and two stealsโฆ He has 12 assists in the past three games after having three against Nicholls, four on Georgetown and five against Ohio State in the Maui finaleโฆIsaacs had a previous career-high four 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 13 points against Creightonโฆ A guard from Las Vegas, he had made at least one 3-pointer in seven of seven games โฆ He also scored in double figures with 10 points in the home win over Louisiana Tech where he was 2-for-4 on 3-pointersโฆ Isaacs comes into this week shooting 17-for-35 (48.6 percent) on 3-pointers this season.
โข D'Maurian Williams made his first start at Tech against Nicholls in place of Tysonโฆ He had three rebounds and two points in 17 minutesโฆ Williams scored a season-high 10 points against Louisville after hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-5 at the free-throw lineโฆ He is currently averaging 4.1 points this season after scoring six against Georgetownโฆ A junior from Phoenix, he scored six points in 13 minutes of play in his Texas Tech debut against Northwestern State and followed it with five points against Texas Southernโฆ Williams now has 760 points, 136 assists, 60 steals and 227 rebounds through 64 games in his careerโฆ He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasonsโฆWilliams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut)โฆ 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.
โข Kerwin Walton is averaging 2.4 points through eight games as a Red Raider reserveโฆ Walton led the Tech bench with nine points and four rebounds against Northwestern State in the season-opener and had five points against TSU and LA Techโฆ He has not scored in the past five gamesโฆ Walton played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summerโฆ He has made 83 3-pointers through 68 games in his career with a career-high five 3-pointers made in a game against Louisville in his freshman seasonโฆ Walton is 83-for-216 (38.4 percent) from beyond the arc for his career, including making a UNC freshman 3-point percentage record with 58 3-pointers where he started 20 games during his first season in Chapel Hillโฆ 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 Louisvilleโฆ He experienced the Final Four last season as a member of UNC which finished as the national runner-up.
โข KJ Allen is in his second season at Tech and is currently averaging 1.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this seasonโฆ He had a season-high five rebounds against Creighton in the first game in Mauiโฆ Allen contributed four points and four rebounds in the win over Texas Southern after he had two points in 11 minutes against Northwestern State in the openerโฆ He 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 Omahaโฆ A Los Angeles, California native, Allen added a season-best eight rebounds in the conference game against Kansas Stateโฆ He finished his first season in Lubbock by going 16-for-30 from the fieldโฆ 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 gameโฆ He was Adams' first signee.
โข 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. โฆ Aimaq is a key part to the Tech roster this season but will be sidelined with a foot injury to begin the season with no official timetable for his returnโฆ A transfer from Utah Valley, Aimaq has recorded 1,056 points, 918 rebounds, 99 blocked shots and 41 double-doubles in his careerโฆ His 41 double-doubles are the fifth most for an active player in the nationโฆ 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 gameโฆ He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasonsโฆ During his career, he's averaged 11.1 rebounds per game which is the third best career mark nationally.
โข Elijah Fisher is averaging 2.6 points per game with a career-high seven points coming against Texas Southern in the second game of the seasonโฆ He scored three points and had two rebounds in the loss to Ohio Stateโฆ A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior seasonโฆ Fisher was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked No. 15 by ESPN for the 2023 classโฆ He reclassified to play this season and enrolled at Tech a year early.
โข Robert Jennings recorded career-high eight points against Louisville after he went 3-for-5 from the field and also hit two free throws in 15 minutes of workโฆ He's currently averaging 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game after having three points and two rebounds in the win over Nichollsโฆ A freshman from Desoto, Texas, he had six points in 10 minutes against Northwestern State in the opener before having three rebounds and two points against Texas Southernโฆ Jennings averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds last season while playing for the Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes (home school)โฆ He also played at Desoto HS before finishing at home.
โข Lamar Washington established a career-high with 12 points and five assists in the win over Nicholls after going 12-for-17 from the free-throw lineโฆ It was the first time he scored in double figures and came with him going 0-for-1 from the field shootingโฆ He also matched a career-best with seven rebounds in the win after he also had seven rebounds in the win over Louisville in Mauiโฆ Washington is averaging 2.4 assists per game with four or more assists in three gamesโฆ A Portland, Oregon native, he is averaging 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 points to begin his freshman seasonโฆ He has a career-high four assists against Louisville and Northwestern Stateโฆ He also scored four points against Texas Southern after he had four assists (matched team-high) and three points in the opener against Northwestern State... 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.
โข CJ Williams scored his first career points against Louisville with a pair of free throwsโฆ A freshman guard, he has played in two games this season after making his debut in the opener against Northwestern Stateโฆ He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams
TECH vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON
โข Tech is 1-0 all-time against EWU with a 78-46 win last season on December 12, 2021
โข Obanor had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the win; Batcho had 5 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes of play
โข Tech owned a 40-4 scoring advantage in the paint in the game
โข Tech also topped Montana State (Big Sky) last season in the NCAA Tournament
โข EWU is the only Big Sky opponent for Tech on this year's scheduleโฆ Tech is 46-7 all-time against current Big Sky opponents
EASTERN WASHINGTON EAGLES
โข EWU is a Big Sky program from Cheney, Washington
โข David Riley is in his second season as the EWU head coach after being an assistant under Shantay Legans who is now the head coach at Portland
โข Steele Venters leads the Eagles with 13.6 points per game and 24 assistsโฆ Venters was an All-Big Sky Second-Team selection last seasonโฆ He had 13 points on Saturday in South Dakota
โข EWU is currently 1-4 on the road this season
โข EWU went 18-16 last season
โข EWU won the 2021 Big Sky Championship Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a game to Kansas in Indianapolis
RANKINGS
โข Tech fell out of the AP Top 25 in the 11/28 rankings after its losses in Maui and remained unranked this week (12/5)
โข Tech had moved up two spots in the AP Poll last week (11/21) for the second straight week and was at No. 21
โข Ohio State was just outside the rankings at the time it beat Tech and is now at No. 25 in the 11/28 rankings
โข The Red Raiders were No. 23 in the first release of the season (11/14) after a No. 25 preseason ranking
โข Tech entered the season at No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll
โข Tech has now earned a preseason ranking three times in program history
โข Tech is currently 0-1 against ranked opponents this season with its loss to No. 10 Creightonโฆ The Bluejays moved up to No. 7 in the 11/28 poll
โข Tech was 3-2 against Top-10 teams last year in the regular seasonโฆ The Red Raiders dropped a 69-55 game to No. 5 Gonzaga last December in Phoenix before earning wins over Baylor which was at No. 1 (65-62 in Waco) and No. 7 (83-73 in Lubbock) at the time of the victories and also a 75-67 home win over Kansas when it was No. 6
โข Tech has beat a top-10 opponent in eight straight seasons, a top-5 opponent in seven straight and has 27 wins over top-10 teams in program history
โข Tech went 7-5 last season against Top 25 opponents, including a 57-52 overtime win over No. 13 Tennessee on December 7 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Gardenโฆ The Red Raiders were 1-1 against Top 25 teams in their non-conference schedule with the loss to Gonzaga following the win over the Vols
โข 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
โข 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
โข It took Tech five weeks before it earned the ranking last season but remained ranked for the rest of the season
โข Tech was as high as No. 9 during February and finished the season at No. 14
โข Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)โฆ 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
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DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech has started this season by outscoring 7 of 8 opponents in the paint and by a 264-178 combined marginโฆ Nicholls is the only team to outscore Tech inside the paint this season. (NIC 30 โ TTU 26; TTU 38 โ GU 16; TTU 34-OSU 28; TTU 70-LOU 38; TTU 38-CU 30; TTU 26-LT 24; TTU 42 โ TSU 30; TTU 28 โ NWST 8)โฆ The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage.
GAME REPORTS
โข GAME EIGHTย (6-2): Isaacs scored a career-high 24 points with five 3-pointers and Obanor had a season-best 20 points as Tech overcame an upset bid by Nicholls. Tech trailed by as many as 11 points in the game but would secure its 26th straight home win. Washington had a career-high 12 points with all 12 coming from the free-throw line. The Red Raiders were 29-for-46 at the free-throw line.
โข GAME SEVEN (5-2): Tyson had a career night against Georgetown with 18 points (four 3-pointers) and nine rebounds, while Batcho recorded his second career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Harmon joined Tyson for the team lead with 18 points in a game where Obanor scored 11 points and Isaacs had 10 as all five starters scored in double figures in the same game for the first time this season. Tech shot 50.9 percent from the field while limiting the Hoyas to 44.6 percent. The Red Raiders hit a season-best eight 3-pointers with Tyson going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
โข GAME SIX (4-2): Batcho posted a career-high 21 points and added six rebounds in an 80-73 loss to Ohio State in the final game in Maui. Obanor would add 19 points, while Harmon and Tyson both scored 10. The Buckeyes shot 51.9 percent from the field, made eight 3-pointers and owned a 10-2 scoring advantage on fastbreak points. Tech trailed at halftime for the first time this season (41-37) and never led in the second half.
โข GAME FIVE (4-1): Obanor led Tech with 15 points while Batcho went off for a career-high 12 rebounds, nine points, three blocks and three steals in the dominating 70-38 victory over Louisville. Tech limited the Cardinals to 17.4 percent shooting in the first half and to 22.4 percent for the game. The Red Raiders owned a 32-12 scoring advantage in the paint and went on an 11-0 run after Louisville had started the game with a 3-pointer. The 38 points allowed were the fewest for a Tech team since the 2018-19 team held Incarnate Word to 37 and also fell one point short of the all-time Maui Invitational record. ย It was also the fewest points by a Louisville team since the 1981 season.
โข GAME FOUR (3-1): Batcho went off for a career-high 17 points in the loss against Creighton where he was 7-for-12 from the field and added five rebounds. The game was tied 31-all at halftime before the No. 10 Bluejays pulled away in the second half. Isaacs also had a career-high with 13 points after going 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, while Harmon scored 12 and Obanor added 10 to give the Red Raiders four double-figure scorers for the first time this season.
โข GAME THREE (3-0): Harmon and Obanor each finished with 15 points as Tech earned a 64-55 win over Louisiana Tech last Mondayโฆ Harmon matched career-highs with six assists and four steals in the game while Batcho had a career-high six blocked shotsโฆ Tech led by as many as 15 and never trailed in the game.
โข GAME TWO (2-0): Obanor led Tech with 13 points and seven rebounds in the 78-54 win over Texas Southern on Thursday, Nov. 10โฆ It was the 90th game Obanor scored in double figures and he also reached 900 career rebounds in the gameโฆ He was joined in double figures by Tyson who had a career-high 13 points and Harmon who had 12 points and a team-high three assistsโฆ Tech won the game by 24 points and only trailed for 42 seconds
โข GAME ONE (1-0): Batcho led Tech with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the season-opening win over Northwestern State on Nov. 7โฆ It was his first career start, first double-double, career-high in scoring and third career game in double-figure reboundsโฆ Obanor and Walton had nine points each in the win, while Tyson had eight points and five rebounds
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OFF AND RUNNING
โข Tech has now won 23 straight season openers and is 71-27 in the first game of a season all-time after its win over Northwestern State on November 7 in Lubbock
โข This year was the 25th straight season Tech opened its season at home
โข Tech's last loss to begin a season came against Indiana on November 19, 1999โฆ That game was the first-ever in the USA which was then known as United Spirit Arena
RED RAIDER 20-WIN SEASONS (16 in 97 seasons)
1939-40: 21-7 - Berl Huffman
1948-49: 21-9 - Polk Robison
1953-54: 21-5 - Polk Robison
1975-76: 25-6 - Gerald Meyers
1976-77: 20-9 - Gerald Meyers
1984-85: 23-8 - Gerald Meyers
1994-95: 20-10 - James Dickey
1995-96: 30-2 - James Dickey
2001-02: 23-9 - Bob Knight
2002-03: 22-13 - Bob Knight
2003-04: 23-11 - Bob Knight
2004-05: 22-11 - Bob Knight
2006-07: 21-13 - Bob Knight
2017-18: 27-10 - Chris Beard
2018-19: 31-7 - Chris Beard (most wins in a season)
2021-22: 27-10 - Mark Adams
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2022-23 AWARDS/WATCH LIST
Kevin Obanor: Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention; Julius Erving Award Watch List
Fardaws Aimaq: Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List
Daniel Batcho: Maui Jim Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team
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LOOKING BACK | 2021-22 AWARDS / WATCH LISTS
Mark Adams: Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year; Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Bryson Williams: All-Big 12 1st Team; Big 12 All-Newcomer Team; Associated Press All-Big 12 1st Team; Big 12 Newcomer of Week (1/31, 2/21)
Kevin McCullar: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist; Academic All-Big 12 (1st Team)
Kevin Obanor: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (1/24)
Adonis Arms: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Terrence Shannon: Academic All-Big 12 (1st Team)
Marcus Santos-Silva: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Academic All-Big 12 (2nd Team)
Clarence Nadolny: Academic All-Big 12 (2nd Team)
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LEGACY
Texas Tech spent the first and second day of October in Stanton, Texas at its annual team retreat working to continue building strong bonds for the season. The Red Raiders were at the Circle 6 Camp for two days with a theme of legacy that was designed to connect the past with the current team. Adams, shown holding up boxing gloves, talked with the current team about past players who helped build the program and also about how each of the current players owes it to themselves and the program to work hard every day to continue building the legacy that many have worked to build. The team opened up to each other through discussion and also had fun with multiple team-building activities.
RED RAIDERS IN THE NBA / G-LEAGUE
Adonis Arms: Grand Rapids Gold
Jarrett Culver: 2-Way (Atlanta Hawks/College Park Skyhawks)
Mac McClung: Delaware Blue Coats
Norense Odiase: Greensboro Swarm
Jahmi'us Ramsey: Oklahoma City Blue
Davion Warren: College Park Skyhawks
Bryson Williams: Ontario Clippers
TEXAS TECH FEATURE LINKSย ย
Define Yourself โ Video Seriesย ย
Harmon - Featureย
Aimaq - Feature
Pop Isaacs - Featureย
Tyson - Featureย
Obanor - Featureย ย
Big 12 Media Day โ Four Journeysย ย ย
Formative Conversation โ Playersย ย
Formative Conversation - Coachesย ย
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/ Men's BasketballTuesday, September 22
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