PREVIEW: Tech, LSU set for Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech is heading back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where it will play LSU at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the 2023 Big 12-SEC Men's Basketball Challenge at the Maravich Center.

The Red Raiders (10-10) are venturing outside Big 12 play for the final time this season and will look to snap an eight-game losing streak, while the Tigers (12-8) are on a seven-game losing streak of their own. Tech, which will host No. 12 Iowa State (15-4, 6-2 Big 12) on Monday night, is currently 10-2 in non-conference play but has opened conference play with eight straight losses after falling, 76-61, against West Virginia on Wednesday in Lubbock. LSU took a 60-40 loss at Arkansas on Tuesday in Fayetteville, Arkansas – dropping to 1-7 in SEC play.

Texas Tech is 6-3 all-time in the Big 12-SEC Challenge after earning a 75-50 home win over Mississippi State last season. Tech has won five of the last six matchups in the annual series against SEC opponents, including going on the road in 2021 and taking a 76-71 win over LSU in the most recent matchup. The Red Raiders own a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series over LSU and are 3-1 in Baton Rouge.

Kevin Obanor leads the Red Raiders with 15.0 points per game this season and is coming off a game against WVU where he went for 20 points and eight rebounds. He has 1,976 points and 1,016 rebounds in his career coming into the game and is looking to join Virginia's Jayden Gardner and LSU's KJ Williams as the only active players currently with over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Pop Isaacs, who leads Tech with 13.9 points in Big 12 games, is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury that he suffered with 15:24 remaining against WVU. He had two points in the game, breaking a streak of seven straight games scoring in double figures. De'Vion Harmon had 14 points against WVU and is now averaging 12.2 points per game and leads Tech with 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals, while Daniel Batcho leads Tech with 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks after having three blocks and three rebounds against WVU. Jaylon Tyson is adding 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, while Fardaws Aimaq is at 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds through three games played. He returned against Texas after missing the opening 16 games of the season with a foot injury. A transfer from Utah Valley who earned the past two WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, Aimaq played against the Longhorns, Baylor, and Kansas State, but again was sidelined for Wednesday's game against WVU and will be a game-time decision at LSU.

Williams leads LSU with 17.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He is a fifth-year senior who played the last four seasons at Murry State under new LSU head coach Matt McMahon. Williams also leads the team with 18 blocked shots and 28 steals. He comes into this weekend with 2,014 points and 1,034 rebounds. Adam Miller is adding 11.7 points per game, while Cam Hayes is at 7.6 and Derek Fountain at 7.0. The Tigers are currently 9-3 on their home court, including a 60-57 win over Arkansas on December 28 for their lone SEC win of the season so far. LSU is scoring 66.5 points per game this season but is coming off a season-low 40 at Arkansas in the rematch where the Razorbacks held them to 25.9 percent shooting.

Texas Tech and LSU will be meeting for the ninth time, dating back to the first matchup in 1957. The Red Raiders also earned a 77-64 victory in Lubbock on Jan. 28, 2017, in a Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup. The all-time series began with Tech taking a 79-72 victory on Dec. 16, 1957 in Baton Rouge in the first matchup between the two programs. Big 12 teams are 48-41 (.539) in the Big 12-SEC Challenge coming into Saturday's slate of games.

Texas Tech – Big 12-SEC Challenge History
Date, Matchup; Location
01/29/2022: Texas Tech 75, Mississippi State 50; Lubbock, Texas
01/30/2021: Texas Tech 76, LSU 71; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
01/25/2020: Kentucky 76, Texas Tech 74 (OT); Lubbock, Texas
01/26/2019: Texas Tech 67, Arkansas 64; Lubbock, Texas
01/27/2018: Texas Tech 70, South Carolina 63; Columbia, South Carolina
01/28/2017: Texas Tech 77, LSU 64; Lubbock, Texas
01/30/2016: Arkansas 75, Texas Tech 68 (OT); Fayetteville, Arkansas
12/03/2014: Texas Tech 46, Auburn 44; Lubbock, Texas
11/14/2013: Alabama 76, Texas Tech 64; Tuscaloosa, Alabama

RED RAIDER STORYLINES
• Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program where he is now 37-20 overall, 12-14 in Big 12 games and 26-4 at home… 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 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… His 27 wins last season were the most by a first-year Tech head coach
• Tech has lost eight straight games for the first time since 2012… Tech was coming off a season where it did not lose back-to-back games under Adams… Five of the eight Big 12 losses have come by seven points or less… The longest losing streak to begin a Big 12 season is going 0-11 to start the 2012 conference schedule… That team went 1-17 in Big 12 play
• Tech is currently 0-7 against ranked opponents this season with a loss to No. 10 Creighton in Maui before falling at No. 18 TCU, vs. No. 3 Kansas, at No. 14 Iowa State, at No. 10 Texas, No. 21 Baylor and at No. 13 Kansas State in the opening rounds of Big 12 play
• Tech is 8-4 at home, 0-4 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-court games this season
• Tech is 0-1 in overtime games this season with a 68-63 OT loss against Oklahoma
• Tech is 0-3 when leading at halftime in Big 12 games after seeing a 33-28 advantage slip away at KSU… The Red Raiders were up 11 at halftime at TCU and led by nine at halftime at Texas… All three halftime leads that were lost were on the road
• 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, Elijah Fisher, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams)… The Red Raiders lost nine contributing players from last year's Sweet 16 team with four exhausting eligibility, four transferring and Clarence Nadolny turning pro overseas
• Tech has three players who have scored over 1,000 points in their careers with Obanor (1,976), Harmon (1,172) and Aimaq (1,086)
• Tech was 12-6 in Big 12 play last season, including going 9-0 in home games… The Red Raiders advanced to the Big 12 Championship Finals where they lost to Kansas
• Tech had its season-best six-game winning streak end with the loss at TCU in its Big 12 opener on New Year's Eve in Fort Worth… It started the season with three straight wins before falling against Creighton in Maui
• Tech had a 29-game home winning streak end with its first Big 12 home game this season after going 8-0 at home in non-conference play… The last home loss before falling to No. 3 Kansas on January 3 and then Oklahoma came back on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia in an 82-71 defeat
• Tech came into Big 12 play having scored over 100 points in three straight games… The program had not scored 100+ points in three straight games since the 1965-66 season… Tech had not scored over 100 points in two straight games since 1996 in a 111-101 win over Fresno State and a 122-105 loss to New Mexico State… The Red Raiders are now 70-4 all-time when scoring over 100 points… The 111 points against HCU were just outside the top-10 scoring performances in program history… The most points scored in a game is 128 against Texas in 2004
• The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last year… Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020… Tech is currently 70^th overall in Kenpom and 53^rd defensively and 95^th offensively
• Tech's program record remains at 35 straight home victories… 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
• Tech finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arena… Tech 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)
• Tech is hitting 46.7 percent of its shots this season; opponents are being limited to 41.5 percent… 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… In eight Big 12 games, Tech is shooting just 40.2 percent and opponents are at 44.2 percent
• Tech made 14 3-pointers against South Carolina which was the most since they hit a program-best 16 against Kansas in 2019… Tech made 13 3s against Jackson State for a previous season-high… Tech had its worst 3-point shooting performance of the season against OU by going just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc in the overtime loss
• Tech forced a season-high 30 turnovers from Jackson State and scored 47 points off those turnovers… Tech had 19 steals in the game led by Obanor who had four while Isaacs, Washington and Williams had three steals each… The program record for steals in a game is 24 against Nicholls in 2002… The 19 matched the second-most ever for a Red Raider team
• The 50-point win over Jackson State was the 14th time in program history a Tech team has won by 50 or more
• Tech has won six games by 20 or more points this season, including the 50-point win over JSU, topping HSU by 44, winning by 39 over SC State and a 34-point win over Louisville in Maui… The Red Raiders have held five opponents under 60 points, two under 50 and one under 40 with Louisville scoring only 38 points
• Tech overcame an 11-point deficit against Nicholls for its largest comeback this season
• Tech trailed Iowa State by 19 at halftime and lost by 34… Both were the largest margins this season… Creighton had won by 11 for Tech's only double-digit loss this season
• As a program, Tech advanced to 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… The Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 Championship Final, 2021 Second Round and 2022 Sweet 16… Tech has an 11-4 record over the past four tournaments… The program has made the Sweet 16 in three of the past four tournaments
• 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 returned to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18… He was the interim head coach at Florida in the 2022 NIT… 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)
• 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 is averaging 13,236 fans through its 12 homes this season after having 14,385 against Kansas, 14,082 with Oklahoma in town and 14,152 versus Baylor… Tech is currently 18th nationally in average attendance and second within the Big 12

ROSTER REPORT
• Kevin Obanor comes into the game against LSU with 1,976 points and 1,016 rebounds through 143 games in his career after going for 20 points and eight rebounds against WVU on Wednesday… A fifth-year senior, Obanor is one of just 11 current players nationally with 1,000 or more rebounds in their career after reaching the milestone last Tuesday against Baylor… He has started all 57 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is leading the team with 15.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season… Obanor is now averaging 12.6 points and 6.4 rebounds through eight Big 12 games… Obanor scored a season-high 26 points against Kansas where he was 8-for-14 from the field and 4-of-8 on 3-pointers against the Jayhawks in 37 minutes of play… A Houston native, he has scored in double figures in 15 of 20 games this season, 104 in his career and is shooting 103-for-207 (49.8 percent) from the field this season… Obanor had scored a previous season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Eastern Washington for his first double-double of the season and went for 24 points with a season-best five 3-pointers against South Carolina State... It was his first double-double of the season and the 36th in his career... He now has 670 points as a Red Raider... 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)… Obanor started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last season… Obanor earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season and was on the All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention list along with the Julius Erving Award Watch List to start this year… 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 16… While at ORU, Obanor scored 39 points against Omaha in a game where he hit six 3-pointers for his career-high… Six of his 36 double-doubles have come in the NCAA Tournament with three during ORU's Sweet 16 run before last season… Obanor had 13 points and six rebounds in the win over Mississippi State last season in the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
• Daniel Batcho leads Tech with 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game to go along with scoring 9.3 points per game this season… He had three blocks, four points and three rebounds against WVU… He has 17 blocked shots through seven Big 12 games played after having conference-best five at TCU and then three more against KU… Prior to conference play, he had a 12/10 performance against Jackson State which was his third double-double of the season and the fourth game with 10 or more rebounds this season… A 6-foot-11 sophomore from France, 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 Nicholls… Batcho, who has led Tech in scoring in three games and in rebounding in eight, had scored in double figures in five straight games for the first time in his career coming into Big 12 action… He scored 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 Maui… His six blocks against Louisiana Tech 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 1990… A reserve in 33 games last season at Tech, 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 Classic… He would go off for four blocked shots, six points and three rebounds against West Virginia for his best Big 12 game.
• De'Vion Harmon scored 13 points last Saturday at Kansas State and then had 14 against WVU in the past two games… He is averaging a team-high 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals this season to go along with 12.2 points… He matched his career-high with 23 points against Oklahoma with 21 of those points coming in the second half and followed the performance with a team-high 14 points, four assists, five steals and five rebounds at Iowa State… Against Oklahoma, Harmon was 9-for-15 from the field in the game and also hit five free throws before going 6-for-13 from the field in Ames, Iowa… A senior in his first season at Tech with another year of eligibility, he has played in 111 career games, scoring 1,172 points to go along with 254 assists and 148 steals… Harmon averaged 10.8 points per game and had 71 assists last season at Oregon last season after averaging 12.9 points per game at Oklahoma as a sophomore… Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanford… 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, 2021.
• Pop Isaacs was sidelined with an ankle injury with 15:24 remaining against WVU on Wednesday after landing on a 3-point shot attempt… He leads Tech with 13.9 points per game within Big 12 games after going for 13 points with three 3-pointers at KSU but having only two against WVU on 1-for-4 shooting before exiting the game… Isaacs had scored in double figures in seven straight games and in 12 this season before having that streak end… He led Tech with 23 points at Texas after going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers before providing 14 points and five assists against Baylor… His five 3s at UT was his third game with five 3-pointers in a game while his three 3s against BU and KSU last week takes him to nine games with three or more… He's scored double figures in each of the six of seven conference games he's played in… A freshman from Las Vegas, he missed the game against OU due to being in concussion protocol but returned to contribute 10 points, three assists and three steals at Iowa State in 32 minutes of play… A starter in 19 of 20 games, the game against OU was the only game he missed this season and came after he was injured on the final play against Kansas… Isaacs led Tech with 17 points at TCU after matching a career-high with five 3-pointers before going off for 18 points with four 3-pointers against Kansas… He has started Big 12 play by going 21-for-64 (32.8 percent) on 3-pointers… For the season, Isaacs is averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals… He scored a career-high 24 points and five 3-pointers in the win over Nicholls… His 24 points were the most by a Red Raider in a game this season before Obanor went for his 25 against EWU… He has made at least one 3-pointer in 16 of 19 games played … He is listed as day-to-day and will be a game-time decision at LSU.
• Fardaws Aimaq is averaging 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds through three games played after going for six points and six rebounds at KSU last Saturday… H enow has 1,086 points, 938 rebounds and 99 blocked shots in his career… Aimaq made his Texas Tech debut at Texas where he went for 12 points and five rebounds in 28:58 of time on the court before going for 12 points and nine rebounds in his home debut last Tuesday against Baylor… A 6-foot-11 senior, he came into this season as an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and was also on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List for the top center in college basketball. … Listed as a forward from Vancouver, Aimaq had been sidelined with a foot injury he suffered before in September… He would go 5-for-12 from the field and was 1-of-3 from beyond the arc in Austin and was 5-for-8 with one 3-pointer against Baylor… His 41 double-doubles are tied for fourth nationally among active players… 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 was 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 10.9 rebounds through 86 games which is the third best career mark nationally.
• Jaylon Tyson recorded the first two double-doubles of his career after going for a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds against Baylor following 12 points and 14 rebounds at Texas… His 14 rebounds were a career-best and the first time he had double-digit rebounds after having nine rebounds in games this season against Georgetown and Kansas… He was held to six points and one rebound against WVU and is now averaging 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals in his sophomore season… Tyson, who transferred from Texas last season, led Tech with nine rebounds against Kansas and added 10 points, three steals and three assists in the game… He was just one rebound shy of his first career double-double in games against Georgetown and Kansas before getting it against the Longhorns… Tyson has scored in double figures in nine games this season and has had five or more rebounds in 12 of 19 games played… He had scored a career-high 18 points against Georgetown where he was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers… A starter in 19 of 20 games, Tyson transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raiders… Tyson is currently 25-for-68 (36.8 percent) on 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in 15 of 19 games played… Against Northwestern State, in his first game at Tech, 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 points… His 3-pointer on Tech's second possession of the season-opener was the first basket this season for the Red Raiders… He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with freshman season-high 11 points coming against Houston Christian last season.
• KJ Allen scored nine points and had five rebounds against TCU in 20 minutes of play for his top Big 12 performance… He was 4-for-5 from the field and also came away with one steal against the Horned Frogs… Allen went off for a career-high 15 points in the win over Jackson State by shooting 7-for-10 from the field before scoring six against Houston Christian… A junior from Los Angeles, Allen had a season-high seven rebounds and scored five points in the win over EWU in 18 minutes off the bench… In his second season at Tech, Allen is currently averaging 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this season… He had a previous season-high five rebounds against Creighton in the first game in Maui… Allen 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… 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 and was Adams' first signee.
• Robert Jennings led the Tech reserves with seven points and two rebounds against WVU… He made his fourth start of his career against OU in a game where he contributed eight points (matched career-high) and three rebounds in a career-best 23 minutes of play before contributing three rebounds… He returned to his reserve role at ISU and UT where he played limited minutes and did not play against Baylor or KSU last week… Jennings produced a career-high six rebounds as a reserve in the final non-conference game against SC State…He was coming off matching his career-highs with eight points and five rebounds against Houston Christian… Jennings played in six minutes of action at TCU but did not score or have a rebound… A freshman from Desoto, he established his career-high with eight points against Louisville in Maui after he went 3-for-5 from the field and also hit two free throws in 15 minutes of work… He's currently averaging 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
• Lamar Washington made his first career start against Oklahoma in a game where he contributed six points and six rebounds in 36 minutes of play before having three rebounds and two assists in a reserve role at Iowa State… He is coming off playing five minutes against WVU where he had two rebounds but did not score… Washington established a career-high with 12 points and five assists in the non-conference win over Nicholls after going 12-for-17 from the free-throw line… A key reserve in his freshman season, he is currently averaging 3.3 points, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.0 rebounds per game… Washington had three points and a rebound against TCU in the first Big 12 game of his career after he was averaging 7.8 points and 3.0 assists in the past five games coming into conference play… He matched his season-best with three steals against Houston Christian and also scored seven points… A freshman from Portland, Oregon, his career-best 12 points against Nicholls was the first time he scored in double figures and came with him going 0-for-1 from the field shooting… 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.
• D'Maurian Williams hit a 3-pointer in overtime against the Sooners to cut it to one and finished with five points and five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench but has not scored in the past four games… He made five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 17 points in the non-conference win over Jackson State with all 17 coming in the second half… A junior from Arizona, Williams made his first start at Tech against Nicholls in place of Tyson who was injured… He played against JSU as a reserve, going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers after coming into the game with only three made 3-pointers through eight games played… Williams scored a previous season-high 10 points against Louisville after hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-5 at the free-throw line… He is currently averaging 4.0 points this season… Williams now has 787 points, 142 assists, 65 steals and 242 rebounds through 71 games in his career… He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasons…Williams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut)… 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.
• Kerwin Walton scored a season-high with 12 points against Baylor after going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers He was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and finished with six points at Iowa State but did not play at Texas… He is averaging 3.6 points through 18 games played as a Red Raider reserve… 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 Tech… Walton played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summer… He has made 97 3-pointers through 76 games in his career with a career-high five 3-pointers made in a game against Louisville in his freshman season… Walton is 97-for-239 (40.6 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 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… He experienced the Final Four last season as a member of UNC which finished as the national runner-up…. He is currently 16-for-36 (44.4 percent) on 3-pointers this season.
• Elijah Fisher scored two points and had two rebounds in 15 minutes against WVU after he had not played in the past three games as a coach's decision… For the season, he scored a best of eight points after going 3-for-4 from the field against Jackson State before scoring five points in each of the wins over SC State and HCU… He is now averaging 2.9 points per game with a previous season-best seven points coming against Texas Southern in the second game of the season… A reserve in 16 games, he is 19-for-40 (47.5 percent) from the field this season… Along with his eight points, Fisher added a career-best three rebounds in the win over Jackson State in Houston… His first-year resume also includes scoring three points and having two rebounds in the loss to Ohio State… A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior season… 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.
• CJ Williams scored his first career points against Louisville with a pair of free throws and his first bucket with a layup against South Carolina State… A freshman guard, he has played in six games this season after making his debut in the opener against Northwestern State… He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams

RANKINGS
• Tech was at No. 21 in the nation this season before it fell out of the AP Top 25 in the 11/28 rankings after losses in Maui… The Red Raiders have remained unranked since
• Tech is now 0-7 this season against ranked opponents with losses against vs. No. 10 Creighton, at No. 18 TCU, No. 3 Kansas, at No. 14 Iowa State, at No. 10 Texas, No. 21 Baylor, at No. 13 Kansas State (rankings as of game played)
• Tech had moved up two spots in the AP Poll (11/21) for the second straight week and was at No. 21 entering the Maui Invitational
• The Red Raiders were No. 23 in the first release of the season (11/14) after a No. 25 preseason ranking
• Tech entered 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
• Tech was 3-2 against Top-10 teams last year in the regular season… 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
• 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
• 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 Garden… 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
• 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

DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech has outscored 15 of 20 opponents in the paint and by a 674-488 combined margin… (TTU 34 – WVU 10; TTU 30 – KSU 20; BU 28 – TTU 18; TTU 28 – UT 16; ISU 36 - TTU 24; TTU 38 – OU 32; TTU 30 – KU 30; TCU 44 – TTU 22; TTU 48 – SCST 36; TTU 56 – HCU 24; TTU 42 – JSU 18; TTU 40 – EWU 18; NIC 30 – TTU 26; TTU 38 – GU 16; TTU 34-OSU 28; TTU 70-LOU 38; TTU 38-CU 30; TTU 26-LT 24; TTU 42 – TSU 30; TTU 28 – NWST 8)… The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage.

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
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 LINKS
Define Yourself – Video Series
Obanor – Feature (December 2022)
Harmon - Feature
Aimaq - Feature
Pop Isaacs - Feature
Tyson - Feature
Obanor – Feature (March 2022)
Big 12 Media Day – Four Journeys
Formative Conversation – Players
Formative Conversation - Coaches

PREVIEW: Tech, LSU set for Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup

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Players Mentioned

Fardaws Aimaq

KJ Allen

Adonis Arms

Daniel Batcho

Elijah Fisher

De'Vion Harmon

Pop Isaacs

Robert Jennings

Kevin Obanor

Jaylon Tyson

Lamar Washington

Bryson Williams

CJ Williams