Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders rise to No. 22 in USA TODAY Coaches Poll
November 18, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Texas Tech has entered a national poll for the first time this season at No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll while remaining just outside the AP Top 25 Men's Basketball Poll with the most votes.
The Red Raiders (3-0) are off to a strong start to the season and are at No. 9 in Kenpom.com after lopsided wins over Bethune-Cookman, Northwestern State and Wyoming going into tonight's game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tech travels to Brooklyn for the Legends Classic this week where it plays Saint Joseph's at 8 p.m. (CST) on Thursday and then either Texas or Syracuse on Friday at Barclays Center. The Red Raiders come into the third week of the basketball season leading the nation with a 66.3 effective field goal percentage and are third by shooting 57.5 percent from the field this season and fifth on 3-pointers by going 32-for-67 (47.8 percent) to start the season.
Tech received 109 votes in the AP Top 25 to put it just behind No. 25 Illinois which has 116 votes. Kansas (4-0) remains atop both national rankings ahead of No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Iowa State in the AP Top 25.
JT Toppin leads the Red Raiders by averaging 22.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game following recording his 13th double-double of his career with 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 47-point win over Wyoming. Chance McMillian went 4-for-4 on 3-pointers in the game and finished with 16 points, taking his season average to 15.3 points per. Darrion Williams is currently second in the Big 12 with 7.3 assists per game and is also adding 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, while Kerwin Walton is scoring 11.7 per game and Kevin Overton is at 11.3 per to give the Red Raiders five players averaging in double figures. Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson made their debuts last week after missing the first two games of the season. Hawkins is the active NCAA leader with 6.39 assists per game in his career and opened his Texas Tech career with a team-high five assists against Wyoming.
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The Red Raiders (3-0) are off to a strong start to the season and are at No. 9 in Kenpom.com after lopsided wins over Bethune-Cookman, Northwestern State and Wyoming going into tonight's game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tech travels to Brooklyn for the Legends Classic this week where it plays Saint Joseph's at 8 p.m. (CST) on Thursday and then either Texas or Syracuse on Friday at Barclays Center. The Red Raiders come into the third week of the basketball season leading the nation with a 66.3 effective field goal percentage and are third by shooting 57.5 percent from the field this season and fifth on 3-pointers by going 32-for-67 (47.8 percent) to start the season.
Tech received 109 votes in the AP Top 25 to put it just behind No. 25 Illinois which has 116 votes. Kansas (4-0) remains atop both national rankings ahead of No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Iowa State in the AP Top 25.
JT Toppin leads the Red Raiders by averaging 22.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game following recording his 13th double-double of his career with 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 47-point win over Wyoming. Chance McMillian went 4-for-4 on 3-pointers in the game and finished with 16 points, taking his season average to 15.3 points per. Darrion Williams is currently second in the Big 12 with 7.3 assists per game and is also adding 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, while Kerwin Walton is scoring 11.7 per game and Kevin Overton is at 11.3 per to give the Red Raiders five players averaging in double figures. Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson made their debuts last week after missing the first two games of the season. Hawkins is the active NCAA leader with 6.39 assists per game in his career and opened his Texas Tech career with a team-high five assists against Wyoming.
- Tech started the 2024-25 season unranked in the preseason polls after being at No. 22 in both national polls going into the NCAA Tournament last season
- The Red Raiders were at No. 25 in the final USA TODAY Coaches Poll and received votes in the final AP Poll
- Texas Tech was picked 7th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and did not have a player selected in the 2024 preseason awards
- Last season, Tech was at No. 15 (Jan. 29) for its highest ranking of the season; Tech came into the 2023-24 season unranked in the AP Preseason Poll and remained unranked in the Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Dec. 25, Jan. 1, and Jan. 8 polls; The team received votes for the first time last season with 62 in the January 8 poll after the win over the Longhorns in Austin to begin conference play
- The No. 15 national ranking was the highest since the program was No. 12 in the AP Top 25 at the end of the 2022 season
- 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
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