Red Raiders ring in New Year against North Alabama

Monday, January 1

Lubbock, Texas

1 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

North Alabama

Red Raiders ring in New Year against North Alabama

December 30, 2023 | Men's Basketball

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1 p.m., Monday | TV: ESPN+ | Lubbock, Texas

By: Wes Bloomquist

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech men's basketball team will ring in the New Year with its final non-conference game of the season in a 1 p.m. matchup against North Alabama on Monday at United Supermarkets Arena.

The Red Raiders (10-2) are currently 7-0 at home this season and on a 29-game non-conference home winning streak after their 96-60 win over Sam Houston on Thursday. The 96 points, 36-point margin of victory, and 15 3-pointers they knocked down were all season-highs for the team that went unbeaten throughout the month of December. Tech is now focused on the 13th game of the season, first of 2024, and final non-conference game with the matchup against the Lions (6-7).

"It's a great opportunity before Big 12 play," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "North Alabama is a tough team and that's what we've wanted in this non-conference schedule to face tough teams. They play the game in a physical way and can score. They took K-State into overtime and have played a tough road schedule. I have a lot of respect for a team that goes on the road and competes and find a way to be in every game they've played."

Texas Tech opens Big 12 play at No. 21 Texas on Saturday, January 6 at the Moody Center in Austin. Tip-off for the conference opener is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Red Raiders host Oklahoma State (Jan. 9) and Kansas State (Jan. 13) in following the matchup against the Longhorns.

Pop Isaacs is coming off a career-high 28 points, Joe Toussaint scored in double-figures for the 12th time in 13 games and had four or more assists for the seventh time, and Kerwin Walton scored 18 points with four 3-pointers in his fourth game as a starter to help Texas Tech extend a five-game winning streak. Additionally, Darrion Williams had six assists for the second straight game, Warren Washington had three blocks for the second straight game, and Chance McMillian hit three 3-pointers or more for the fifth time this season.

Texas Tech is 87-2 in non-conference home games since the start of the 2013-14 season after its win over Sam Houston. The two losses during that stretch of home dominance came against SEC opponents with a 71-69 loss to LSU on Dec. 18, 2013, and a 76-74 overtime loss to No. 15 Kentucky on January 25, 2020. The loss to Kentucky snapped a 54-game non-conference home winning streak and set up this current streak that began with a 101-58 win over Northwestern State on Nov. 25, 2020, in the 2020-21 season-opener. Tech was 18-0 throughout the 2021-22 season for its best home record in program history.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: North Alabama (6-7) vs. Texas Tech (10-2)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 1:01 p.m., Monday, January 1, 2024
TV: ESPN+
TV CALL: John Harris (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
RADIO (Texas Tech Sports Network): 97.3 Double T FM
RADIO CALL: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Clark Lammert (analyst)

OPPONENT / SERIES HISTORY
North Alabama is on a two-game losing streak after falling at Indiana by an 83-66 margin on December 21 in its last game. Dallas Howell led the Lions with 14 points with four 3-pointers as a reserve, while Jacari Lane scored 12 and Damian Forrest had 10 rebounds and six points in the loss against the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana. The Lions battled Kansas State to overtime on December 2, falling 75-74 in Manhattan, Kansas in their only other game against a Big 12 opponent this season. Lane and Detalian Brown had 19 points each in that game at KSU. KJ Johnson leads UNA with 13.6 points and Lane is at 13.3 points per game coming into Lubbock, while Forrest is at 8.6 rebounds and 9.3 points per game. Johnson had 11 points at Indiana.

It's only the second-ever matchup between the programs with Tech earning a 90-66 win back on December 28, 1989. The Lions went 18-15 overall last season and were 10-8 in ASUN Conference action. Tony Pujol enters his sixth season leading the program as its head coach. North Alabama transitioned from NCAA Division II to Division I in the 2018-19 season.

RED RAIDER REPORT

Grant McCasland's inaugural roster at Texas Tech has 14 players on it with five returners and nine newcomers… McCasland was named the 19th head coach in program history on March 31, 2023, after leading North Texas to the 2023 NIT Championship… He is currently in his 10th season as an NCAA head coach and has a 221-91 overall record with head coaching experiences at Midwestern State, Arkansas State, and North Texas… He was also an assistant at Baylor from 2011-16 and won the 2007 NJCAA National Championship in his first head coaching role leading Midland College
Isaacs is leading Tech in scoring for the first time this season at 15.4 points per game after his 28 points against Sam Houston that followed 18 points against UTA and 19 in the win over Vanderbilt in Fort Worth… Isaacs added four assists to his scoring performance and is now also averaging 3.6 assists per game which is second on the team to Toussaint who is at 4.1 assists per game to go along with his 14.8 scoring production
Tech is currently first in the Big 12 and 20th nationally by shooting 77.3 percent from the free-throw line, led by Toussaint who is 50-for-57 (87.7%)… The Red Raiders have made 15 or more free throws in 8 of 12 games this season after going 17-for-24 (70.8%) against Sam Houston… As a team, Tech has shot 80% or better from the free-throw line in six of 12 games this season
Tech has now made nine or more 3-pointers in 7 of 12 games this season following a season-high 15 against Sam Houston after going 10-for-27 against UTA… The 15 3-pointers matched the second most in program history and fell just one shy of the program record of 16 3-pointers which has happened three times – most recently against Kansas in 2019… The Red Raiders are now 108-for-305 (35.4%) for the season on 3-pointers and are 4th in the Big 12 with 9.0 3-pointers per game… Three players are shooting over 40 percent on 3s with Walton (55.9), Darrion Williams (41.5), and McMillian (43.1)
Tech has been led in scoring by six different players in its opening 12 games… Isaacs led Tech in scoring for the fourth time this season after his 28 points against Sam Houston…Warren Washington was the sixth leading scorer after he had his game-high 18 points against ORU following Walton scoring his career-high 22 points against Omaha a game after McMillian led the team for the second time this season with his 24 at Butler… Toussaint has led Tech in scoring three times after his 19 against UTA
The Red Raiders returned Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, D'Maurian Williams, Kerwin Walton, and Robert Jennings who are each in their second season in the program… Tech returned only 25.4 percent of its scoring from last season with eight departures from last year's roster… Isaacs is Tech's leading returning scorer after going for 11.5 points per game as a true freshman in 25 games played last season
The list of newcomers includes five players from the transfer portal in Devan Cambridge (Arizona State), Chance McMillian (Grand Canyon), Joe Toussaint (West Virginia), Darrion Williams (Nevada), and Warren Washington (Arizona State)… All five players signed out of the transfer portal played on teams that advanced to the 2023 NCAA Tournament… The transfer portal additions had a combined 492 games of experience and 3,454 points scored coming into the season
Cambridge suffered a season-ending knee injury in the win over Omaha on December 6 and will miss the remainder of the year… A starter in all eight games before the injury, Cambridge will have the option after the season to file a medical hardship through the Big 12… He averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Red Raiders and is currently at 983 points and 515 rebounds in his career
Tech's starting lineup for the opening eight games was: Cambridge, Isaacs, Toussaint, Warren Washington, Darrion Williams… Kerwin Walton has started against ORU, Vanderbilt, UTA, and Sam Houston since Cambridge's injury… The starting lineup of Isaacs, Toussaint, Warren Washington, Darrion Williams, and Walton is currently 4-0 together
Toussaint scored in double figures in the first eight games of the season before finishing with nine against ORU for the longest double-figure scoring streak of the season… Jarrett Culver began the 2018-19 season with 13 straight double-figure scoring games for the previous long to start a season
Tech established a season-high with five players in double-figure scoring at Butler with McMillian (24), Isaacs (18), Toussaint (18), Cambridge (16), Warren Washington (10)… The Red Raiders matched a previous season-high with four players scoring in double-figures against Michigan after also having four double-figure scorers against UNI and Corpus… Against UNI, Toussaint (21), Isaacs (18), Cambridge (10), Darrion Williams (10) after also having four against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with McMillian (17), Toussaint (14), Warren Washington (13), Darrion Williams (10)
A season-high 11 players scored in the opener against Texas A&M-Commerce… Tech is coming off a game against Vandy where eight players scored
Eight players have made their Tech debut this season, including Jack Francis and KyeRon Lindsay who played for their first time this season against Omaha
Darrion Williams was McCasland's first signee on April 21, 2023
Cambridge and Toussaint were both officially announced on July 6, 2023, to complete the roster... Six players were signed by McCasland and staff in the off-season
Tech is a team comprised of 5th-year seniors (3), seniors (3), sophomores (6), and freshmen (2)
Tech has players from Texas (4), California (3), Arizona (1), Minnesota (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Oregon (1), Tennessee (1), Finland (1)
Toussaint leads the Red Raiders with 4.1 assists and is second in scoring at 14.8 points per game after going for 13 points and five assists in the win over Sam Houston… Toussaint has 970 points, 417 assists, 151 steals, and 296 rebounds through 144 games in his career… He has 31 assists over the past six games, including a career-high 12 at Butler and four assists against Omaha, ORU, and Vandy… He is currently 12th in the Big 12 with a 2.04 assist-to-turnover ratio, 13th in assists, and 18th in scoring… A Bronx native, he went for 20 points and four assists against Omaha after recording his second career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 12 assists at Butler… At the free-throw line, Toussaint is 50-for-57 (87.7 percent) which is third in the Big 12 after he was 7-for-10 at the line against Sam Houston… His 12 assists in the overtime loss at Butler were the most for a Tech player since Chris Clarke had an 11-assist game in 2019 and just two back of the Tech single-game record established by Stan Bonewitz against Fresno State in 1996… Toussaint scored the first four points of Tech's season in the opener against Texas A&M-Commerce and finished with 10 points to go along with three rebounds and an assists in his Tech debut… A 6-foot guard, he is in his fifth and final season of college basketball after playing his first three seasons at Iowa and then last year at West Virginia… The New Yorker played against Texas Tech four times as an opponent in his career, including three times last season while at WVU and once while at Iowa in 2019… He scored his career-high 22 points against the Red Raiders in Lubbock after making 12 free throws and has now scored 20 or more three times in his career… He had his first career double-double with 11 assists and 11 points against Alabama State back on Nov. 18, 2021, while playing at Iowa… His 144 games are the most experience on this year's Tech roster and the fifth most among all active players in the nation… Toussaint is coming off a season at WVU were he averaged 9.4 points and had 89 assists… He started against Texas A&M in the exhibition game, finishing with a team-high seven assists and also having six points and three rebounds in 36 minutes of play… Toussaint's 11 games this season in double figures leads the team and now has him with 37 double-figure scoring games in his career… His points-assist double-double at Butler was the first for Tech since John Roberson had 12 points and 12 assists against Iowa State in 2011
Isaacs leads Tech in scoring with 15.4 points per game after going off for a new career-high with 28 points against Sam Houston… He was 5-for-11 on 3-pointers and 10-for-10 overall from the field in his new career-best and third game of 20 or more points in his career… A sophomore from Las Vegas, Isaacs has led Tech in scoring four times this season including with 19 points and a career-high seven assists against Vandy in a game where he also only had one turnover… He goes into the game against North Alabama with 472 points and 87 3-pointers made through 37 career games play at Tech and is currently averaging 3.6 assists and a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio… In his second season at Tech, Isaacs also had 18 points and four assists at Butler, including hitting the game-tying layup as time expired in regulation to force overtime… Proving to be a clutch player for the Red Raiders, Isaacs also hit the game-winner against UNI with 0.8 on the clock and finished with 18 points and four 3-pointers for the second straight game in the Bahamas… Isaacs now has 25 double-figure scoring performances and 21 games of three or more assists in his career… Isaacs led Tech with 16 points in the Battle 4 Atlantis opener against Villanova where he made four 3-pointers for the first time this season… In the preseason, Isaacs also went off for 30 points after going 6-for-10 on 3-pointers in the exhibition win over Texas A&M where he also led the team with three steals… Last season, he made 62 3-pointers (37.8%), including making five 3-pointers in games against Nicholls, TCU, and Texas… Isaacs scored a previous career-high 24 points in the non-conference game against Nicholls and also had 23 points at Texas after he went off by making 5-of-9 3-pointers against the Longhorns… Isaacs made 24 starts last year and earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors during his first season at Tech where he averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 rebounds per game… He finished third in scoring among freshmen in the Big 12 and was fourth throughout the conference by averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers per game… Isaacs is currently 12th in the Big 12 with 185 total points this season
Darrion Williams has had six assists in the past two games and comes into the matchup against North Alabama averaging 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game… He had nine points, six assists, and four rebounds in the win over Sam Houston… Williams leads Tech with three double-doubles and just missed his fourth after going for 14 points, nine rebounds, and a season-high six assists against UTA… He recorded his third double-double after going for 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over ORU… His three double-doubles are the third most in the Big 12, behind Hunter Dickinson of Kansas who has seven… Williams had recorded his second double-double of the season and third of his career after going for 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Michigan… A sophomore from Sacramento, Williams approached a double-double against UNI with 10 points and nine rebounds before he fouled out with two minutes remaining in the second game in the Bahamas… Against Michigan, he had a season-high three 3-pointers which was just shy of his career-best of four 3-pointers in a game last season against Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament… He went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers against UTA before shooting 1-for-3 against Sam Houston and is now 17-for-41 (41.5%) for the season from beyond the arc… He recorded the first double-double of the season for Texas Tech and the second in his career by going for a career-high 14 rebounds and adding 10 points in the win over Corpus Christi… Williams began his Tech career by going for 14 points and seven rebounds in the win over Commerce before scoring nine points and having six rebounds against San Jose… A sophomore in his first year at Texas Tech, Williams earned Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season while playing at the University of Nevada after earning Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior year of high school at Bishop Gorman… He transferred to Tech during the summer after averaging 7.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a freshman… He also had 90 assists, 47 steals, and 11 blocks in his first collegiate season… Darrion scored a career-high 16 points in a game against Fresno State and had a previous-best of 13 rebounds in his first-ever double-double against New Mexico last season… His freshman-year report saw him record 11 games with double-figure rebounds, 11 games with double-figure scoring, and one double-double… Williams started against Texas A&M in Tech's exhibition game and finished with six points and two rebounds in 17 minutes… In the scrimmage against UTEP, Darrion had 14 points… Last season, Williams was 91-for-220 (41.4%) from the field and 35-of-98 (35.7%) on 3-pointers... The Athletic had Williams as the 14th best available transfer while ESPN put him at No. 43 on its 2023-24 transfer list
Warren Washington is currently fourth in the Big 12 with 8.6 rebounds per game and fifth with 1.5 blocks per game after he went for nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots against Sam Houston… A 7-foot, fifth-year senior, Washington now has 949 points, 672 rebounds, and 130 blocked shots in 121 games in his career… He was two points shy of his second double-double of the season after he had 10 rebounds, eight points, three blocks, and a season-high four assists in the win over UTA last Thursday… He had recorded his first double-double of the season and 10th of his career with a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds in the win over ORU and followed it with 9 points and 7 rebounds against Vandy… He's now averaging 9.0 points through 12 starts for the Red Raiders… His 12 rebounds against ORU was the third time this season he had 12 rebounds in a game, including in the season-opener against Commerce and then against Omaha… Washington recorded a season-high four blocked shots against Villanova at Battle 4 Atlantis where he also had eight rebounds… The tallest Red Raider on the roster, Washington scored his previous season-high 13 points against Corpus Christi where he also had eight rebounds and three assists… Washington is in his sixth year of college and has also played at Oregon State, Nevada, and Arizona State before making Texas Tech his final destination in his collegiate career… An Escondido, California native, he has 47 games in double-figure scoring, 17 double-figure rebounding games, and a team-best 10 double-doubles through 121 games in his career… He is coming off a season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.2 points and 6.9 rebounds and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors… Washington started for the Red Raiders in the exhibition win over Texas A&M, finishing with a team-high seven rebounds but not scoring… In a scrimmage against UTEP, Washington led Tech with 16 points after going 7-for-9 from the field… His career resume includes a career-high 21 points in games against Wyoming and Southern Cal and a 14-rebound performance against Texas Southern last season while at ASU… Washington has 18 total blocks this season with at least one in every game this season besides the opener and six in the past two games
Kerwin Walton has started the past four games and is currently shooting 19-for-34 (55.7%) from beyond the arc this season… His percentage is above the national leader Koby Brea of Dayton who is at 52.9 but does not currently meet the minimum… A senior in his second season at Tech, Walton had 18 points after going 4-for-8 on 3-pointers in the win over Sam Houston… He has scored 69 points on 16-for-22 shooting on 3-pointers in the past five games after having 11 points in the first six games of the season… Walton, who is currently averaging 7.3 points per game, made his first start of the season against ORU, finishing with 17 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc after he had scored a career-high 22 points by going 6-for-7 on 3-pointers in the win over Omaha… Last season, Walton started seven games for the Red Raiders and started 21 in his first two years at North Carolina… He has now made 123 3-pointers in his career… In the Bahamas, he hit a 3-pointer to cut UNI's lead to 62-59 at Battle 4 Atlantis and finished those three points and then played a season-high 15:48 against Michigan… A senior with two years of eligibility remaining, he is in his second season at Texas Tech after playing two years at North Carolina… A Hopkins, Minnesota native, Walton has 521 points through 98 games played in his career… He averaged 3.6 points with 23 3-pointers made in 27 games played last year for the Red Raiders with seven starts… As a freshman at North Carolina, Walton made 58 3-pointers, averaged 8.2 points, started 20 games, and set the UNC freshman percentage record at 42.0 percent… Walton had a previous career-high 19 points against Louisville as a freshman where he made a career-high five 3-pointers… He was a sophomore on the 2022 North Carolina team that advanced to the NCAA National Championship game
Cambridge suffered his season-ending injury with 983 points and 515 rebounds in his career… He was averaging a career-high 10.5 points this season after he scored a season-high 17 points in the win over Michigan in a game where he was 6-for-10 from the field before going for 16 points at Butler on 6-for-11 shooting… He scored in double figures in five of eight games this season and in 45 games through 135 games in his career… Cambridge got into double figure scoring for the second time this season with 11 points against Villanova and was shooting 52.7 percent which was second on the team… He led Tech in scoring for the first time this season with 15 points in the win over San Jose State before his 17 against Michigan… A 6-foot-6 fifth-year senior from Nashville, Tennessee, he averaged 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game to go along with his scoring… Cambridge began his career with three seasons at Auburn before playing last season at Arizona State… He averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season for the Sun Devils and helped ASU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament… Cambridge has made 116 3-pointers and is 360-for-821 (43.8%) from the field in his career… He scored a career-high 26 points against South Carolina as a freshman on January 22, 2020, and had a career-best 11 rebounds against San Diego on December 18, 2022… Cambridge started against Texas A&M in Tech's exhibition win, scoring 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers… For his career, Cambridge has recorded five double-doubles and has scored 20 or more points in two games
McMillian scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and third straight game after going for 11 points against Sam Houston after 13 points in the win over UTA and 14 points against Vandy where he also matched a career-high with three steals… He was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers against Sam Houston and is now shooting 25-for-58 (43.1 percent) from beyond the arc this season… His 25 3-pointers are tied for the most on the team with Isaacs and puts him 11th in the Big 12 with 2.08 3-pointers per game this season… McMillian matched a career-high with 24 points at Butler where he established a new career-best with eight 3-pointers and also led the team with seven rebounds in 36 minutes as a reserve… A Vallejo, California native, he is currently averaging 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game and comes into the game against North Alabama with 775 career points in 103 career games played… McMillian earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the performance at Butler where his eight 3-pointers were just one back of the program record set by Alan Voskuil against Kansas back in 2009… It was the first time a Tech player has made six or more 3-pointers since Toddrick Gotcher made six in 2015 against UT Martin… He also led the Red Raiders in scoring with 17 points in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 25 minutes as a reserve before having nine points with three 3-pointers against Villanova in the first game in the Bahamas… McMillian now has 35 games in double-figure scoring in his career and three games with 20 or more… McMillian secured six rebounds in both games against Commerce and San Jose State to begin his career at Tech for his previous season-high in rebounding before his seven against Butler… In his first year at Tech, he is a senior with two years of eligibility remaining after he played the last three years at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona where he advanced to the 2021 and 2023 NCAA Tournaments… Against Texas A&M in Tech's exhibition, McMillian scored 17 points with four 3-pointers as a reserve in 23 minutes… McMillian is 134-for-326 (41.1%) on 3-pointers in his career including a game last season against SFA in February where he made six 3-pointers for GCU… He scored a career-high 24 points for the first time in his career in that game against SFA on Feb. 24, 2023… McMillian is coming off a season at Grand Canyon where he averaged 10.9 points per game and had 78 assists
Lamar Washington scored a season-high eight points against Omaha and has played all 11 games this season as a reserve… He had matched a previous season-high with seven points and added three assists against Villanova after he had scored a season-high seven points in just under 30 minutes of play as a reserve against Corpus Christi… A sophomore with 44 games of experience, he is now averaging 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season as a key reserve… In the season opener, he led Tech with four assists and also added five points and four rebounds in the win over Commerce and then had four points and four rebounds against San Jose State… Washington is in his second season at Tech after averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman… He finished with 13 points and two steals in the exhibition win over Texas A&M where he played 24 minutes as a reserve… Washington had a career-high 13 points and five steals last season in a win over Kansas State at home… He played in 32 games and made three starts during the 2022-23 season… A 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard, Washington is a Portland, Oregon native who was named the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year before finishing prep school in Arizona… Washington has 151 points, 72 assists, and 35 steals through those 44 games in his career
Robert Jennings provided six points and two rebounds in 12 minutes of play against Sam Houston where he was 3-for-4 from the field… A sophomore forward, Jennings had a career-high eight rebounds and season-best six points in the win over ORU and provided four points and four rebounds against Vandy… He had four points and four rebounds in the win over UTA and is now averaging 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 points per game… Against ORU, he secured seven offensive rebounds in the game in just under 10 minutes on the court… A Desoto, Texas native who is listed at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, Jennings has appeared in nine games this season and in 39 during his Texas Tech career… Jennings celebrated a birthday on Saturday, Dec. 3… He had a career-high eight points in games against Houston Christian, Oklahoma, and Louisville last season… He also had strong performances with six rebounds against South Carolina State and West Virginia last year… Jennings played in 30 games with four starts last season as a true freshman where he averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game
D'Maurian Williams has 816 points and a team-best 146 3-pointers made through 88 games played in his career… He scored two points in four minutes of play against Commerce in the opener but has not scored in another game this season… A senior with two years of eligibility remaining, D'Maurian is in his second season at Tech after playing his first two years at Gardner Webb where he averaged 14.5 points per game as a sophomore after 10.8 as a freshman… He played 27 games with one start last season for the Red Raiders, averaging 3.1 points per game and with 14 3-pointers… For his career, Williams is 146-for-379 (38.5%) from beyond the arc… He had a career-high 27 points against Columbia International while playing at Gardner Webb and also had a 10-rebound performance against UNLV… Last season, Williams scored a season-high 17 points against Jackson State after going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers… He's scored in double-figures 40 times in his career and has one double-double
Tech's roster has two true freshman on it with Eemeli Yalaho and Drew Steffe… Yalaho scored two points in six minutes of play in the opener against Commerce to make his collegiate debut and played just under five minutes against San Jose State… An international player from Jyväskylä, Finland, he completed high school with his senior season at Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, Ohio) where he averaged 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game… Yalaho is listed as a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward… Steffe is a four-star recruit who was signed last November out of Frisco Memorial High School… A 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward, he was a Class 5A All-state selection… Steffe has not played this season
Two of the newcomers made their debut in the win over Omaha after they were with the Red Raiders last season but not on the active roster… KyeRon Lindsay transferred to Tech at midterm last December after starting his career at the University of Georgia where he started eight games and played in 10 as a true freshman… He was 2-for-2 at the free-throw line against Omaha for his first points as a Red Raider in a game where he played three minutes… A Denton, Texas native, Lindsay averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a Bulldog including recording a double-double with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds against Miami (Ohio) on November 14, 2022… Jack Francis is a sophomore from Austin who was on the practice squad last season and earned his spot on this season's roster… Francis is the team's only walk-on and is an accomplished player who scored over 1,000 points at Anderson High School… Francis scored for the first time in his career by going 2-for-2 on free throws against Sam Houston… Lindsay and Francis both practiced with the Red Raiders throughout the 2023 Spring semester
McCasland's staff includes assistant coaches Dave Smart, Matt Braeuer, Achoki Moikobu, and Luke Barnwell along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Clay Wilson (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations), Chris Nottingham (video coordinator), and Christian Hosley (assistant strength & conditioning). Braeuer, Moikobu, Wright, Wilson, and Hosley worked with McCasland at UNT

A BRIEF LOOK AT TECH PROGRAM HISTORY
The Red Raiders are a proud program that has experienced great success with 19 overall NCAA Tournament appearances and advancement to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, and 2022 Sweet 16. This is the 99th season in program history and includes recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, a 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship, 25 NBA Draft selections, and over 1,500 wins. Recently in the NBA Draft, selections of Zhaire Smith (R1-P16), Jarrett Culver (R1-P6), and Jahmi'us Ramsey (R2-P43) were made. Mac McClung represented the program by winning the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Tech went 18-0 at home during the 2021-22 season for the best record nationally two years ago. Last season, the program ranked No. 21 in average attendance with 13,222 per game.

RANKINGS

Texas Tech came into the 2023-24 season unranked AP Preseason Poll and has remained unranked in the Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Dec. 25 polls…
Tech has not played a team that is ranked this season
The Red Raiders were at No. 25 to begin the 2022-23 season following advancing to the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16… Tech was in the first three polls last season and rose as high as No. 21 before falling out and not returning
Tech is 0-0 against ranked opponents this season
Tech was picked 8th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll
Kansas was picked first in the Big 12 Preseason Poll followed by Houston, Texas, Baylor, and TCU to round out the Top-5
Texas Tech did not have a player selected in the preseason awards
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