Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Illinois
No. 10 Tech, No. 17 Illinois set to battle
November 09, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A nationally-ranked road game begins the second week of the college basketball season for No. 10 Texas Tech with a matchup against No. 17 Illinois set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The Red Raiders (2-0) and Fighting Illini (2-0) have both started their seasons with a pair of dominant wins and will be meeting for the first time ever. A return game is set for next season in Lubbock on a date to be determined.
Updated national rankings and Big 12 weekly awards will be posted on Monday.
Tech, which went 8-2 on the road last season, is coming off a 98-77 win over Sam Houston in a game where JT Toppin recorded his 32nd career double-double with 31 points and 14 rebounds while Christian Anderson had 18 points and seven assists. Donovan Atwell went 6-for-11 on 3-pointers, finishing with 19 points in the game, and is now 12-for-24 from beyond the arc in the first two games of the season and head coach Grant McCasland improved to 53-20 leading the program. Toppin, a returning Consensus All-America and Big 12 Player of the Year, made his season debut and continued his dominance by shooting 10-for-19 from the field, making 11 free throws, grabbing eight offensive rebounds and also contributing four assists and three steals. In the season opener, the Red Raiders established a new program record with 17 made 3-pointers in the win over Lindenwood – breaking the record of 16 that had been set six times, including three times last season. The Red Raiders, who shot 45 3s in the game for the second most in program history, saw seven players make at least one 3-pointer, led by Atwell who made six and Anderson knocking down three. Nolan Groves led Tech with 16 rebounds, setting a program record for a freshman in a game where the team owned a 59-43 rebounding advantage. Anderson travels to Illinois averaging 26.0 points and 9.0 assists through two games played this season.
Illinois has scored 113 points in its first two games of the season and is coming off a 113-70 win over Florida Gulf Coast last Friday where it only had two turnovers and owned a 48-28 scoring advantage in the paint. Kylan Boswell led the Fighting Illini with 31 points and 10 rebounds while Keaton Wagler had 22 points and seven rebounds. David Mirkovic gave the team a second player with a double-double in the game, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Illinois finished the night with a 51-30 rebounding advantage and shot 11-for-31 on 3-pointers to go along with its inside dominance.
The Red Raiders are playing their first true road game in non-conference play since taking on Butler on November 30, 2023 in a Big 12-Big East Battle at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Tech fell 103-95 in overtime in the game during McCasland's first season. Illinois is the first ranked opponent the Red Raiders will travel to play at in non-conference play since a trip to No. 2 Arizona on December 3, 2013 – a 79-58 loss. Tech reached the NCAA Elite Eight last season for the third time in program history and finished at No. 8 in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The No. 10 preseason ranking is the highest in program history.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 10 Texas Tech (2-0) at No. 17 Illinois (2-0)
Location: Champaign, Illinois
Venue: State Farm Center
Tip: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 11
TV: FS1
TV CALL: Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Steve Smith (analyst)
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")
Tyeree Bryan: "Team player. Competitor. Hard worker."
Bryan recorded his 50th career game scoring in double figures after going for 12 points in the win over Sam Houston… He also added seven rebounds and two steals in his second game with the Red Raiders after he started and contributed eight rebounds and seven points against Lindenwood in his Red Raider debut… He is in his first season at Texas Tech after playing the past two at Santa Clara and beginning his career with one season at Charleston Southern and one at River State College… Bryan has 919 points, 436 rebounds, 123 assists and 65 steals through 95 career games played… He is coming off a season at Santa Clara where he averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 66-for-154 (42.9 percent) on 3-pointers… An Orlando, Florida native, Bryan scored a career-high 35 points against Gonzaga last season after going 7-for-12 from deep… He made four or more 3-pointers in seven games last season and is now 147-for-355 (41.4 percent) on 3-pointers in his career.
Jazz Henderson: "Vocal. Confident. Energetic."
Henderson made his college debut and scored two points in seven minutes of playing time against Lindenwood and contributed two rebounds in the win over Sam Houston… He is in his second season with the Texas Tech basketball program after redshirting due to injury last season… A Dallas, Texas native, he was a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family High School where he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior.
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Watts made his Tech debut in the second game of the season against Sam Houston and finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of play… He had missed the season opener with a lower body injury… Watts is in his first season at Texas Tech and enters the season as the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year along with being selected for the Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List… A Fresno, California native, he is coming into his fourth year in college after playing last season at Washington State and spending two seasons at Eastern Washington where he redshirted as a freshman… At Washington State last season, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game… He had nine double-doubles and also recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Santa Clara… He scored a career-high 24 points in a game against San Francisco and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds against Idaho last season… Watts now has 779 points, 391 rebounds, 204 assists and 10 double-doubles through 67 career games played in his career.
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Anderson is averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals through two games – along with only having three turnovers… He recorded his first career double-double and established new career highs with 34 points and 11 assists in the win over Lindenwood in the opener and followed it with 18 points and seven assists in the win over Sam Houston last Friday… He is the first player in program history to have a double-double with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists… He also added seven rebounds, matched a career-high with four steals, made three 3-pointers and went 9-of-11 at the free-throw line… Entering the season, Anderson was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and is on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List… He is coming off a freshman season where he averaged 10.6 points and 2.2 assists per game – earning All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors before helping Germany to the silver medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup during the summer in Switzerland… An Atlanta, Georgia native, Anderson scored a previous career-high 22 points in the Sweet 16 win over Arkansas last season and matched the team lead by making 71 3-pointers… He led the Red Raiders with 46 made 3-pointers in Big 12 play and finished the season shooting 38.0 percent from distance… During the summer with Germany, Anderson averaged 17.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds, including scoring 18 points and having nine assists against the USA in the championship game… He finished his freshman season with four games of scoring 20 or more points and had a career-high six assists in the win at Kansas… Anderson has now scored in double figures in 20 games and has 424 points, 95 assists, 114 rebounds and 48 steals through 37 career games.
Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Moseley has missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury… He returned to his home state of Texas after playing his freshman season at Villanova where he played in 30 games as a reserve… A Round Rock, Texas native, he was the 2023-24 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 22.8 points and 8.9 rebounds for Stony Point High School… At Villanova, Moseley scored a career-high 10 points against Lafayette and had a career-best seven rebounds against Temple… He finished his freshman season averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Leon Horner: "Vocal. High intensity. Coachable."
Horner scored a career-high 10 points after making 2-of-3 shots from beyond the arc in the season opener against Lindenwood along with grabbing six rebounds but missed the game against Sam Houston with a lower body injury… Horner has played in 10 career games after he returned for his second season at Texas Tech following playing nine games last season as a true freshman… A Dallas, Texas native, he scored his first career points in a win over Oral Roberts and had one rebound in five games… Horner played at Dynamic Prep and a was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior where he averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Nolan Groves: "Hardworking. Coachable. Team player."
Groves has started the first two games of the season and is averaging 7.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game… He established a new Texas Tech freshman record in his college debut by grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Lindenwood and has scored seven points in both games… Against Lindenwood, he had six offensive rebounds and 10 on the defensive side of the court to go along with scoring seven points, dishing out three assists and coming away with two steals in 27 minutes of action from the starting lineup… Groves entered his freshman season after earning Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Orono High School… He finished his senior season averaging 34.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game… A Long Lake, Minnesota native, Groves scored 40 or more points in nine games and had a 57-point performance.
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye missed both games last week with a lower body injury and is listed as day-to-day leading into the matchup at Illinois… He transferred to Texas Tech after playing his freshman season at VCU where he ranked second among all freshmen in the nation with 75 blocks and was tied for 17th overall with 2.14 blocks per game... A London native, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in a season where he earned Atlantic 10 Conference All-Defensive Team and All-Rookie honors… He appeared in 35 games with 24 starts, including scoring a career-high 17 points and having a career-best seven blocks against UMass.
Jack Francis: "Humble. Resilient. Coachable."
Francis is the longest tenured Red Raider, having joined the program as a practice player in the 2022-23 season… He has appeared in 18 games over the past three seasons, including playing in 11 last season… An Austin, Texas native, Francis played at Anderson High School where he scored over 1,000 points in his career… At Tech, he scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston and also scored last season against Oral Roberts… Texas Tech is 18-0 in games he has appeared in.
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty showed out in his collegiate debut by going for nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and having only one turnover against Lindenwood in the opener… He played 34 minutes off the bench and finished the night with four offensive rebounds and made two 3-pointers… Petty earned Washington Gatorade Player of the Year honors last season after averaging 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game at Rainier Beach High School… A four-star recruit from Seattle, Washington, he led his team to a state championship and had a triple-double in a game where he produced 61 points, 15 assists and 15 steals… Petty was a McDonald's All-American nominee, adidas All-America, NBPA Topp 100 selection, a two-time Donovan Mitchell camp participant, an Allen Iverson Showcase selection and the Iverson Class 24K Showcase MVP.
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Atwell is 12-for-24 on 3-pointers to begin the season and is averaging 20.5 points per game… He is coming off his second straight game with six 3-pointers, going 6-for-11 and finishing with 19 points in the win over Sam Houston last Friday and now has 16 career games with five or more 3-pointers in his career… He also led Tech with six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points in the season-opening win over Lindenwood… Atwell went 6-for-13 on 3-pointers and also added four rebounds and two steals in the opener… He joined the Red Raiders for his senior season after playing the past three at UNC Greensboro and is coming off a junior season where he averaged 13.3 points per game and was 96-for-241 (39.8 percent) on 3-pointers… His 96 3-pointers were the 43rd most in the nation…A Huntersville, North Carolina native, Atwell now has 930 career points and is 223-for-561 (39.8 percent) on 3-pointers in his career… He scored a career-high 28 points last season at Chattanooga by going 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and has two games in his career with eight made 3-pointers… Atwell has averaged scoring in double figures the past two seasons, including going for 11.4 points per game as a sophomore in the 2023-24 season where he was 93-for-220 (42.3 percent) on 3-point attempts… His career-high for 3-pointers made is eight, knocking down eight 3s against Kansas City and Eastern Kentucky during the 2023-24 season while at UNC Greensboro.
Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."
Akuentok started and made his college debut in the win over Lindenwood – going for eight rebounds, seven points and having one blocked shot – before playing in a reserve role against Sam Houston and finishing with two rebounds… He was 3-for-5 from the field in 17 minutes of action against Lindenwood and scored the first points of the season for the Red Raiders with a 3-pointer… Akuentok returned for his second season at Texas Tech after redshirting last year… He joined the program in January and experienced the journey to the Elite Eight… Akuentok is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was a top-100 recruit who reclassified… He played at Fort Erie International Academy and was named the co-player of the year and defensive player of the year… He also competed for the U18 Canada National Team and helped lead them to the bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup.
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
Toppin missed the season opener with a lower body injury but showed no signs of alarm in his debut, going off for 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals in his junior season debut against Sam Houston… It was his 32nd career double-double and fourth double-double with 30-plus points in his career… The 31 points were also his 52nd career game scoring in double figures and the 20th game scoring over 20 points… Toppin returned for his junior season from a Consensus Second Team All-America season as a sophomore and has a slew of preseason honors leading into this season… He was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Associated Press Preseason All-American and is on the Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List… A Dallas, Texas native, he was coming off a season where he recorded 19 double-doubles and averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game – each the team's leader… He set a career-high with 41 points in an overtime win over Arizona State and had a career-best 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's… Toppin recorded three games with 30-plus points including going for 32 points and 12 rebounds at Oklahoma State and producing 30 points and 14 rebounds in the home finale against Colorado… He also had seven double-doubles with 25-plus point performances… Toppin ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding while having the seventh most double-doubles in the nation… A sophomore from Dallas, Toppin has played in 69 games in his collegiate career and now has 1,047 points, 636 rebounds, 116 blocks and 31 double-doubles… Toppin scored 20 or more points in 17 games last season, passing Jarrett Culver (2018-19) who had 13 games of 20 or more as a sophomore during the run to the 2019 Final Four… His 18.2 points per game were also the most for the program since Culver averaged 18.5 in the 2018-19 season with the program record being 24.5 from Greg Lowery in the 1971-72 season where he posted 19 games of 20-plus scoring… His 19 double-doubles were only behind Tony Battie's 20 during the 1996-97 season in the Tech record book and was the 7th most nationally during the season… Toppin travels to Illinois having already produced 1,078 points, 650 rebounds and 117 blocked shots through 70 career games.
LaTrell Hoover: "Energetic. Coachable. Hardworking."
The final addition to this year's roster, Hoover signed with the Red Raiders on September 8 and immediately joined the program to begin practicing… McCasland said he plans to redshirt Hoover this season… Hoover is listed at 7-foot tall, making him the tallest player on the roster… A San Antonio, Texas native, Hoover played at Samuel Clements High School where he averaged 11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior – earning all-district second team honors
McCasland is now 264-109 (70.8%) in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 53-20 overall (73 games – 72.6%), 26-12 in Big 12 games, 31-5 at home and 12-8 in true road games… McCasland has also been the head coach at Midwestern State (56-12 record / 2 seasons), Arkansas State (20-12 / 1 season) and North Texas (135-65 / 6 seasons). Along with coaching Texas Tech, McCasland is also an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team which won the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup over the summer in Switzerland after winning the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires… McCasland was a 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalist presented by AXIA Time… His 52-20 record at Tech is the best start for a head coach in program history… McCasland joined Bob Knight as the only two coaches in program history with 20-plus wins in their first two seasons after Knight's teams accomplished it in 2001-02 and 2002-03… In 11 seasons as an NCAA coach, McCasland has won 20 or more games 10 times with the only exception coming in an 18-win year in 2020-21 at UNT with reduced games because of Covid restrictions… He is in his 10th season as a NCAA Division I coach.
SQUARING OFF AGAINST ILLINOIS
Boswell is leading the Fighting Illini with 20.5 points per game while Wagler is at 20.0 entering the matchup against Texas Tech. Tomislav Ivisic scored 21 points in their opener but did not play against FGCU on Friday. The team boasts six players averaging in double figures through two games, including David Mikovic at 18.0 after he recorded his 17-point, 11-rebound double-double and Ben Humrichous who is at 15.0 ppg. after having nine in the last game. Andrej Stojakovic made his Illinois debut against Florida Gulf Coast and finished with nine points and five rebounds. The Fighting Illini are shooting 28-for-68 on 3-pointers through two games and owned a 112-49 rebounding advantage.
The Illini went 22-13 overall last season, 12-8 in Big Ten Conference play and 13-4 on their home court. Illinois advanced to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, earning an 86-73 win over Xavier in the first round before falling to Kentucky in the second round. Illinois finished last season receiving votes in both national polls and are a top 25 for next season in the early rankings by multiple news organizations. Brad Underwood is entering his ninth season leading the Illini program where he is 165-101. Underwood also coached one season at Oklahoma State and three at SFA. He is currently 219-126 in his head coaching career.
ON THE ROAD
The Red Raiders went 8-2 on the road last season, surpassing 2018-19 (6-3 total) and 2006-07 (6-5 total) for the most road wins in Big 12 play in the program's history… The 1995-96 team was 11-0 on the road for the overall program record… Tech went 5-4 in neutral-court games this season, earning a win over Syracuse in the Legends Classic (Brooklyn), against Baylor in the Big 12 quarterfinals, Drake and UNCW in the NCAA Tournament in Wichita, and versus Arkansas in the Sweet 16 in San Francisco.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech will return home to host Milwaukee at 7 p.m. on Friday at United Supermarkets Arena before traveling to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Championship on November 20-21. The Panthers are 1-1 after the first week of the college basketball season with a win over Hampton in their opener before dropping an 86-76 decision at Wofford on Saturday. Milwaukee hosts Little Rock on Monday night and will play at Indiana on Wednesday before coming down to Lubbock for the Friday night matchup. Tech has won 40 straight non-conference home games and is now 18-0 in non-conference home games under McCasland. The program has not lost a non-conference home game since falling to Kentucky in a 76-74 overtime decision on January 25, 2019.
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4
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