Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raider Report | Game 4
November 14, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A four-game homestand to open the season will come to its conclusion when the Texas Tech men's basketball team hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. on Monday at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (3-0) are off to a blistering start with three lopsided wins, including a 47-point win over Wyoming on Wednesday where the team forced 25 turnovers and finished the night shooting 63.9 percent from the field with 10 3-pointers. JT Toppin led Tech with 24 points and 12 rebounds for his and the team's first double-double of the season, while Chance McMillian was 4-for-4 on 3-pointers and Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson made their highly-anticipated debuts – combining for nine assists and only one turnover. The Red Raiders are unranked in both national polls but currently find themselves at No. 11 on the Kenpom.com grid and lead the nation with a 66.3 effective field-goal percentage.
Tech is off to a 3-0 start for the fourth straight season and extended a 33-game winning streak in non-conference home contests with the 96-49 win over the previously unbeaten Cowboys. The Red Raiders have not dropped a non-conference home game since an overtime loss to Kentucky back on January 25, 2020, which snapped a 54-game winning streak in non-conference home games. Tech's 47-point win over Wyoming was its largest margin of victory since a 50-point victory over Jackson State on December 17, 2022, in Houston. The 25 turnovers were also the most since that game when the Red Raiders forced 30 turnovers.
The Red Raiders are currently averaging 92.0 points per game and are limiting opponents to only 58.3. The team is currently shooting 104-for-181 (57.5 percent) from the field and is 32-for-67 (47.8 percent) on 3-pointers. Five players are averaging in double figures through three games with Toppin (22.7), McMillian (15.3), Darrion Williams (13.0), Kerwin Walton (11.7) and Kevin Overton (11.3). McMillian is 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) on 3-pointers while Toppin is 28-for-38 (73.7 percent) from the field. Tech has made 10 or more 3-pointers in two of its first three games, including going off for 16 in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman to match a program record.
Grant McCasland improved to 237-100 in his career with the win over Wyoming is now 26-11 overall and 18-2 at home leading the Red Raiders. McCasland's roster has 14 players on it this season, including three fifth-year seniors (Devan Cambridge, McMillian, Walton), two seniors (Elijah Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Eemeli Yalaho) and three freshmen (Christian Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner).
QUICK NOTES: Tech's 16 3-pointers in the opener against Bethune-Cookman matched the program record that was most recently accomplished against Kansas back on February 23, 2019, and also against UNC-Asheville (2004) and New Mexico State (1996)… The Red Raiders finished last season with 11 games of 10 or more 3s, including a season-high 15 against Sam Houston and then making 14 at TCU in Big 12 play...Texas Tech was second in the Big 12 last season by shooting 35.9 percent on 3-pointers and third with 8.5 made per game… Last season, Tech led the Big 12 at the free-throw line shooting 78.0 percent and are coming off a season opener where it went 6-for-10… The Red Raiders dominated the glass with a 44-21 rebounding advantage against Northwestern State in the second game of the season with Toppin having eight rebounds and Cambridge grabbing seven… The 94 points were the most in a season opener since a 101-58 win over Northwestern State in the 2020-21 season and Wednesday's 96 points were the fifth time over 90 under McCasland… Tech's largest runs of the season have been a 17-0 run to end the first half against Bethune-Cookman and a 14-0 spurt to take a 26-point halftime lead against Wyoming… The Red Raiders will go on the road for the first time this season when they travel to play at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn next week – opening against Saint Joseph's on Thursday night and then playing either Syracuse or Texas on Friday.
Toppin led the Red Raiders in scoring for the second straight game after dropping 24 points on Wyoming to go along with 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. He was 10-for-15 from the field in the game with one 3-pointer and also had three offensive rebounds. He continued showing why he is on the Karl Malone Award Watch List and was one of the top gets out of the transfer portal by recording 25 points and seven rebounds in his second game of the season against Northwestern State after going for 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in his debut. He was 10-for-11 from the field against Northwestern State after an 8-for-12 shooting performance against Bethune-Cookman. Toppin is now 28-for-38 (73.7 percent) from the field this season and is averaging 22.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.7 steals through the three wins. Toppin transferred to Tech after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year last season following a freshman season at New Mexico where he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. He also provided 68 blocked shots, 38 steals and recorded 12 double-doubles which was tied for the 38th most in the nation. A Dallas native, Toppin returned to his home state after a freshman season where he recorded 23 double-figure scoring performances in 35 games. His first career double-double came with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UT Arlington and was highlighted by him going for a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against Toledo. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game, he had a career-best five blocks in games against San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV. He also had 25 points and 13 rebounds at Air Force and 21 points at Boise State. His 12th double-double of the season came with him going off for 13 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State in the MWC tournament. Toppin finished his first collegiate season going 193-for-310 (62.3 percent) from the field with 11 3-pointers. He was ranked No. 12 in ESPN's transfer rankings and was the third-best transfer still available when he signed on May 28. Toppin enters Monday's game with five games of 20-plus point scoring performances and 26 double-figure scoring games through 39 career games.
Williams is averaging 13.0 points, 7.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game after providing 14 points and three assists against Wyoming. He recorded a career-high 11 assists and nearly became the third Red Raider in history to have a triple-double after adding eight points and eight rebounds in the win over Northwestern State. He started his junior season off with 17 points, six rebounds and a career-high eight assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman. He was 7-for-12 from the field, including going 2-for-4 on 3-pointers in the opener. He's now at 667 points and 504 rebounds through 69 career game. Williams is the leading returner with 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and nine double-doubles after a sophomore season where he earned All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team honors. He made 33 starts last season, scoring in double-figures in 19, including a program-best performance where he went 12-for-12 from the field and scored 30 points in a 79-50 home win over No. 6 Kansas. A California native who played his freshman season at Nevada, he finished his first season at Tech shooting 131-for-265 (49.4 percent) from the field and 44-for-96 (45.8 percent) on 3-pointers along with providing 82 assists, 38 steals and 11 blocked shots. In Big 12 play, Williams averaged 13.1 points per game and was 23-for-44 on 3-pointers which is the second best in program history for percentage at a 52.3 percent. He established a career-high with 14 rebounds in a non-conference win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and had his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Baylor in the regular-season finale. His 19th double-figure scoring performance came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament.
McMillian stayed hot to start the season, dropping 16 points on a 4-for-4 display from 3-point range against Wyoming and is now 9-for-13 on 3s for the season. He was coming off his 50th career double-figure scoring performance after going for 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over Northwestern State. He also drilled four 3-pointers and went off for 17 points, five assists and five rebounds against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener. He was 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the game and was only one assist shy of matching his career-high. Against Wyoming, he shot 6-for-7 from the field and also added three assists and three steals to his stat line. He enters his fourth game of his second season at Texas Tech with 1,073 points, 197 assists, 83 steals, 375 rebounds and 51 double-figure scoring performances. McMillian averaged 10.8 points per game and was 65-for-168 (38.7 percent) on 3-pointers in his first season as a Red Raider where he recorded 18 double-figure scoring performances that included a career-high 27 points at Oklahoma where he went 6-for-8 on 3-pointers. A California native, he scored 17 points in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win over BYU and had 15 points against Houston in the semifinals. McMillian was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice during the season, the first time against going off for 24 points at Butler where he went 8-for-10 on 3-pointers. He finished the year 40-for-44 at the free-throw line, including going 26-for-28 in conference play. McMillian is currently averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He has a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio to start the season.
Walton is third nationally in active 3-point percentage at 43.2 percent which is only behind Koby Brea (Kentucky) who is at 44.4 percent and Cade Tyson (North Carolina) at 44.1 percent. Walton made a career-high seven 3-pointers and led the Red Raiders with 21 points in the season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman before making three 3-pointers and finishing with 11 points against Northwestern State. He's coming off a game where he finished with three points on 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. His 21 points in the opener was his second career game with 20 or more points in his career only being surpassed by his career-best 22-point performance last season against Omaha. The seven 3-pointers were the most for a Red Raider since McMillian made eight last season at Butler and two off from Alan Voskuil's program record of nine against Kansas back on March 4, 2009. Walton is now 11-for-21 (52.4 percent) on 3-pointers this season. He is the longest tenured Red Raider in his third season in the program and fifth as a collegiate player who now has 755 points and 180 made 3-pointers in his career. A Minnesota native, Walton is coming off a senior season where he averaged 8.5 points per game and finished 65-for-136 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc. His percentage was second nationally and second in program history. He scored a career-high 22 points in a non-conference win over Omaha where he was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and 8-for-9 from the field. In Big 12 play, Walton started all 18 games last season with a pair of 18-point scoring performances in road games at Houston and UCF. He finished the season with 11 double-figure scoring performances with 12 points against BYU in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win in Kansas City. He had eight games with three or more 3s, with a 3-for-4 outing against NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Round being the final one. Walton is now 176-for-414 (43.2 percent) in his career beyond the arc. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 63 games with 36 starts at Tech where he is 99-for-213 (46.5 percent) on 3s and is currently averaging 11.7 points per game this season.
Overton recorded his second straight double-figure scoring performance to begin his sophomore season after providing 19 points in a game against Northwestern State where he was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line but is coming off being held to five points against Wyoming. He also scored 10 points from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut against Bethune-Cookman with one 3-pointer. Overton, who is currently averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, joined the Texas Tech program this season after a freshman year at Drake where he provided 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a starter in 35 games (29.9 minutes per game). An Oklahoma City native, he scored in double figures in 19 games with a career-high 23 points coming against Murray State in his freshman season. Overton finished his first collegiate season shooting 62-for-179 on 3-pointers and contributed 21 steals. He scored 20 or more points in three games with 22 against Oakland and 21 against Saint Louis before his 23-point performance against Murray State where he was 8-for-11 from the field with five 3-pointers. Overton played one prep season at Sunrise Christian before beginning his collegiate career. He has 428 points and 127 rebounds through 38 games in his collegiate career.
Cambridge reached the 1,000-point milestone by scoring 10 points in the win over Wyoming after going 4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. He now has 1,003 career points and is averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He made his return from an injury-shortened season by contributing seven rebounds and five points against Bethune-Cookman in just over 21 minutes of time on the court. A starter in the first eight games last season and in two this year, Cambridge suffered a lower body injury that forced him out the remainder of the season. He was averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season at Texas Tech before the injury, including a season-best 17 points in a win over Michigan in the Bahamas and going for 16 points at Butler. His injury occurred at home against Omaha where he had nine points in 18 minutes. Cambridge began his career by playing three seasons at Auburn before playing the 2022-23 season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 36 games played (35 starts). A Tennessee native, he is now 362-for-825 from the field for his career which includes going 1-for-1 on 3-point attempts this season and making 117 overall. Cambridge, who played as a reserve in the opener and started against Northwestern State, is currently averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds through two games this season. His 138 games played are the fifth most in the nation among active players with Dajuan Harris of Kansas at 143 for the most.
Hawkins made his Texas Tech debut by going for a team-high five assists and adding seven points in just under 13 minutes of play against Wyoming. He is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List after he transferred to Texas Tech as a senior having already produced 1,084 points, 593 assists and 171 steals through 93 games in his career. His 6.38 assists per game in his career leads all active players in the nation while his 593 career assists are the fifth most for an active player with Djuan Harris of Kansas atop the list with 690. Hawkins missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury. A Washington, D.C. native, Hawkins was second nationally last season with 7.5 assists per game at Minnesota where he also averaged 9.5 points and had six double-doubles as an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win. For his career, Hawkins is 135-for-359 (37.6 percent) on 3-pointers and has made 265 free throws. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Howard before playing one at Minnesota. Last season, he had eight games with double-figure assists, including dishing out 15 assists and scoring 11 points in a win over Butler in the NIT and also having double-doubles against Nebraska (12p/11a), Maine (12p/10a), Northwestern (13p/10a) at home, Illinois (12a/10p) and at Northwestern (14p/10a).
Federiko hasn't missed a shot all season and is providing depth and size for the Red Raiders where he is currently averaging 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game through three games. He scored a season-high eight points in the win over Wyoming where he was 4-for-4 from the field. For the season, Federiko is 8-for-8 shooting. He had a career-high three steals in the win over Northwestern State to lead the Red Raiders who had seven steals in the game. He is a senior in his first and final season at Texas Tech following two years at Pitt. A Finland native, Federiko is coming off a season where he averaged 4.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and had 43 blocked shots as a starter in 26 games. He had a career-high 22 points against North Florida last season and finished with eight games in double-figure scoring as a sophomore and two last season. In 2022-23, he went for 13 points and eight points at Florida State and produced his only double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart. Last season, he had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against North Carolina A&T. As a sophomore, Federiko recorded 18 games with two or more blocks, including having four blocks in games against Miami, Vanderbilt and North Carolina before having six games with three or more blocks last season. Federiko was a NJCAA All-America as a freshman at Northern Oklahoma. He now has 398 points, 366 rebounds and 103 blocks through 70 games at the NCAA level.
Anderson made his collegiate debut against Wyoming where he scored nine points and contributed four assists and three steals in over 25 minutes of play as a reserve. Anderson missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury but made his presence felt early with a 3-pointer for his first points and finished the night shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21 as a four-star recruit following one season at Oak Hill Academy where he averaged 19.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. Originally a Michigan signee, Anderson opened his recruitment and joined the Red Raiders who he practiced with in June before going overseas in July to lead Germany to the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket Championship this season. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.0 assists per game in the tournament, including going off for 31 points and five assists in the finals against Serbia. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Anderson played at The Lovett School where he averaged 23.7 points in his high school career with 2,038 points. As a junior at The Lovett School, before Oak Hill, Anderson averaged 26.1 points and 4.1 assists with three games of 40 or more points.
Yalaho has missed all three games to start the season with a lower body injury. He enters his sophomore season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a career-high 10 points against Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. A Finland native, Yalaho was 16-for-33 from the field and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He had a career-best six rebounds at UCF where he also had eight points. Against Houston in Kansas City, Yalaho scored in double figures for the first time in his career after he also provided seven points and three rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Baylor. Over the summer, Yalaho returned to Finland where he participated in workouts with his national team.
Green played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener but did not play against Northwestern State after he joined the Texas Tech program as a walk-on in September. He played the previous two seasons at Air Force. A Midlothian native, Green returned to his home state having played in 36 career games and produced 46 blocked shots. As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, Green started 12 games and played in 24 at Air Force where he averaged 6.5 points and had 34 blocks. Last season, he played in 12 games where he averaged 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and had 12 blocked shots. His career-best came with 17 points and 12 rebounds against USC Update on November 21, 2022. Green is a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
Francis played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener, making his seventh appearance on the court as a Red Raider. He is a walk-on who played in five games last season for the Red Raiders. He scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston in a non-conference win and had two rebounds against Kansas and Oklahoma State in Big 12 play. An Austin native, Francis was a practice player during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.
Horner made his collegiate debut on Tuesday night with two minutes of playing time. He is a freshman who joined the Texas Tech program after playing at Dynamic Prep and Frisco Memorial. As a senior at Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee and helped the program to the Texas Christian Athletic League 6A State Championship. He earned T-CAL All-State Second Team honors. At Frisco Memorial, Horner was a three-time all-district selection who had 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons.
Henderson will be out of action for an extended period as he recovers from a lower body injury. He joined the program as a walk-on this season after being a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family in high school. A Dallas native, he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior after going for 10 points and 7 assists as a junior.
UP NEXT: Monday, November 18, 2024: Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Texas Tech
The Arkansas-Pine Bluff program will make its fourth trip to Lubbock where the Red Raiders own a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles are 1-3 on the season with losses to Cincinnati, Tulsa and South Florida going into a Saturday matchup against Incarnate Word in San Antonio before travelling to Lubbock. Tech earned a 65-47 win on December 5, 2019, in the most recent game in the series. The Golden Lions went 13-18 overall and 8-10 in SWAC games last season under head coach Solomon Bozeman who has also coached at Oral Roberts, Abilene Christian and Arkansas-Little Rock.
VIDEO LINKSÂ
Game 1 – Preview Media Session | EP1 - Toughest Team Wins | EP2 - Toughest Team Wins | EP3 - Toughest Team Wins | EP4 – Toughest Team Wins | Define YourselfÂ
FEATURE STORY LINKS
Formative Conversation | Four Journeys to Big 12 Media Day | Chance McMillian | Kerwin Walton | Elijah Hawkins – Cousy Award Watch List | JT Toppin – Malone Award Watch List | Darrion Williams | Grant McCaslandÂ
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
