Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 17 Arkansas
No. 16 Tech, No. 17 Arkansas primed for Dallas showdown
December 09, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A historic series that began in 1942 and was renewed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 is set for its 82nd meeting when No. 16 Texas Tech takes on No. 17 Arkansas at 11 a.m. on Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The neutral-court matchup at the home of the Dallas Mavericks is dubbed the Revocruit Rematch – a reflection of an electric NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game last season where Tech earned an 85-83 overtime win to advance to the program's third Elite Eight.
The Red Raiders (7-2) are on a three-game winning streak after earning an 82-58 win over LSU on Sunday in Fort Worth and have now been ranked in the AP Top 25 for a program record 15 straight releases. The Razorbacks (7-2) rose in the rankings this week following an 89-80 win over then No. 6 Louisville last Wednesday at home before an 82-58 victory over Fresno State. Texas Tech earned the 85-83 overtime victory over Arkansas last season in the Sweet 16 in San Francisco and comes into Saturday's matchup leading the all-time series by a 41-40 margin over its former Southwest Conference rival.
A full preview and game notes will be posted on Wednesday.
The Red Raiders advanced to the 2025 Elite 8 last season after earning the overtime win over the Razorbacks with Christian Anderson going off for a freshman-season high of 22 points and JT Toppin recording a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds – along with a career-best five blocked shots. Tech trailed in the game by 16 points before storming back to force the sixth overtime game in the series and ultimately advancing to the program's third Elite Eight. Toppin and Anderson are the only current Red Raiders who played in the win over the Razorbacks last season.
"We're looking forward to returning to downtown Dallas and matching up against Arkansas," Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said. "This is a historic series that dates back to the 1940s and always proves to be a great game. I'm excited to play in front of our fanbase at American Airlines Center and to renew the rivalry."
Along with rising in the AP national poll, the Red Raiders are up to No. 16 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, No. 19 in Kenpom ratings and No. 20 in the NCAA NET Rankings. Tech was at No. 36 in the NET previously. Statistically, the team leads the Big 12 by making 10.7 3-pointers per game after going 13-for-27 (48.1 percent) from beyond the arc against LSU. It was the sixth game this season with double-figure 3-pointers, including setting the program's record with 17 made 3-pointers in the season opener against Lindenwood. Tech is also third in the conference with 40.3 rebounds per game and second with 14.7 offensive rebounds per game. The Red Raiders are currently 0-2 against AP Top 25 opponents this season with losses to No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Illinois.
Through nine games on the schedule, Tech has four players averaging in double-figure scoring with Toppin leading the way with 20.8 points per game and Anderson scoring 19.1 points per game. Anderson, Toppin and LeJuan Watts each recorded a double-double in the win over LSU with Anderson going for 27 points and 10 assists, Toppin finishing with 15 rebounds and 11 points and Watts notching his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. A junior from Dallas, Toppin is now leading the Big 12 with 11.5 rebounds per game and is fourth in scoring. His rebounding average ranks fourth nationally while his scoring is 20th. Anderson earned his second Big 12 Starting Five honor of the season following the performance. Donovan Atwell, who is now at 997 career points, finished with three 3-pointers and nine points and is now averaging 12.0 points per game. Atwell is currently third in the Big 12 with 3.4 made 3-pointers this season and leads the team with 31 made this season. Watts is averaging 12.0 points and 6.1 rebounds following his 11th career double-double.
Tech returns to American Airlines Center for the first time since the 2018 NCAA Tournament where it earned wins over SFA and Florida to advance to the Sweet 16.Â
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 17 Arkansas (7-2) vs No. 16 Texas Tech (7-2)
Location: Dallas, Texas
Venue: American Airlines Center
Tip: 11 a.m., Saturday, December 13, 2025
TV: ESPN2
TV CALL: Mike Monaco and Jon Crispin
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton and Chris Level
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
Toppin recorded his 35th career double-double after producing 15 rebounds and 11 points in the win over LSU… The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America is currently averaging 20.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game – ranking first in the Big 12 and fourth nationally in rebounds per game and is fourth in the conference with his 20.8 points per game after also dominating with 27 points and nine rebounds in the win over Wyoming and recording his third double-double of the season with 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against New Orleans… Toppin, who now has 23 career games with 20-plus points scoring, is the only player in the nation currently averaging over 20 points and 11 rebounds per game and is second nationally with 5.0 offensive rebounds – including a season-best nine offensive rebounds against New Orleans… In the Bahamas, Toppin earned Baha Mar Championship All-Tournament honors after he had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the loss to No. 1 Purdue along with producing 21 points and 9 rebounds in the win over Wake Forest where he was 10-for-19 from the field against the Demon Deacons… Toppin was named to the Big 12 Starting Five after he produced 35 points and 11 rebounds at No. 14 Illinois… The 35/11 double-double at Illinois was his fifth double-double of his career with 30-or-more points and double-digit rebounds… He now has 57 double-figure scoring performances in his career… 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… He 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 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 comes into the matchup against Arkansas having already produced 1,213 points, 728 rebounds and 126 blocked shots through 77 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 41 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 768 points and has 402 rebounds – averaging 18.7 points and 9.8 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform.
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Anderson recorded his seventh career game with 20-or-more points and his second career double-double with 27 points and 10 assists in the win over LSU… Anderson, who earned Big 12 Starting Five honors on Monday, was 5-for-9 on 3-pointers in his 27-point performance and is now averaging 19.1 points, 7.2 assists and 3.1 made 3-pointers per game… He is second in the Big 12 and is 5th nationally with 7.2 assists per game along with ranking 6th in the Big 12 in scoring and steals (2.0 per)… He has now scored in double figures in a team-high eight games this season and in 26 games in his career after also producing a team-best 23 points against New Orleans in a game he set a new career-high with six 3-pointers before adding 15 points and five assists against Wyoming… Anderson, who also leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by playing 37:46 minutes per game, has recorded five or more assists in 8-of-9 games this season with 11 assists in two games… Anderson is currently 28-for-65 on 3-pointers this season… An Atlanta, Georgia native, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and to the Big 12 Starting Five on November 11 after averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the first week of the season – 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 season opener and followed it with 18 points and seven assists in the win over Sam Houston… He is the first player in program history to have a double-double with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists… 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… A 6-foot-3 point guard, 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 comes into the matchup against Arkansas with 544 points, 142 assists, 135 rebounds and 59 steals through 44 career games.
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Watts recorded his first double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over LSU… Named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Watts is now averaging 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists through eight games played this season... He was coming off a pair of games where he had 19 points against Wyoming and contributed 12 points and eight rebounds in the win over New Orleans at home… He knocked on the door of his first double-double of the season by having 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over Milwaukee… Watts, who now has 46 double-figure scoring performances in his career with six this season, scored a season-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field (2-2 on 3s) at No. 14 Illinois… He 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 after missing the opener with a lower body injury… Watts is in his first season at Texas Tech and entered 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 in 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 10 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 comes into the matchup against Arkansas with 864 points, 434 rebounds, 220 assists, seven games scoring 20-or-more points and 11 double-doubles through 74 career games played in his career.
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Atwell is only three points away from 1,000 in his career and is fourth in the Big 12 with 3.44 made 3-pointers per game… Against LSU, Atwell went 3-for-8 on 3-pointers and finished the game with nine points, four rebounds and one steal from the starting lineup… He is now 31-for-71 (43.7 percent) on 3-pointers, including two games with making six… He is now averaging 12.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game… Atwell, who played in his 100th career game against Purdue, started the season with two straight games with six 3-pointers before a game against Milwaukee where he was 5-for-9 from deep and finished with 17 points… Atwell made six 3-pointers against Sam Houston and Lindenwood… He comes into matchup against Arkansas with 17 career games with five or more 3-pointers… Atwell went 6-for-13 on 3-pointers and also added four rebounds and two steals in the opener against Lindenwood and was 6-for-11 on 3-pointers in the second game of the season against Sam Houston… 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… 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… He comes into the matchup against Arkansas with 997 career points and is 242-for-608 (39.8 percent) on 3-pointers through 103 games in his career.
Tyeree Bryan: "Team player. Competitor. Hard worker."
Bryan is averaging 6.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game from the starting lineup in every game this season… In the Bahamas, he recorded his 52nd career game scoring in double figures after going for 13 points against Wake Forest with a season-best three 3-pointers… Along with scoring 13 against Wake Forest, he also had seven rebounds, two steals and made a season-high three 3-pointers… Bryan hit his season-high 13 points for the first time on 5-for-10 shooting in the win over Milwaukee in Tech's last home game after having a previous high of 12 against Sam Houston… An Orlando, Florida native, Bryan has started all six games this season… 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… 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… 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 153-for-378 (40.5 percent) on 3-pointers in his career… Bryan has 954 points, 458 rebounds, 127 assists and 67 steals through 102 career games played.
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty matched his career-high with 11 points in the win over LSU after going 3-for-4 on 3-pointers… It was his third game with 11 points after also posting 11 against Milwaukee and Wake Forest… A true freshman from Seattle, he missed his first game of the season in Tech's win over Wyoming with an upper body injury… He matched his career-high with 11 points in the win over Wake Forest in the Bahamas after going 3-for-6 on 3-pointers following scoring 11 points with three 3-pointers in the win over Milwaukee… Against No. 1 Purdue, he led Tech with four assists and also had five points and three rebounds in 34 minutes of play as a reserve… Through eight games played in his freshman season, Petty is averaging 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists… He made a strong collegiate debut by going for nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and having only one turnover against Lindenwood in the opener after playing 34 minutes off the bench and finishing 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.
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye has started the past four games and is currently averaging 5.8 pints, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game… Against LSU, Bamgboye provided six points and three rebounds in the win… He recorded his second four-block game of the season and scored a season-high 13 points in the win over New Orleans before having two blocks and five rebounds against Wyoming in the past two home games… Bamgboye made his first start as a Red Raider in the loss against No. 1 Purdue and finished with five points, two rebounds and one blocked shot after he had contributed six points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in the win over Wake Forest… A 6-foot-11 sophomore, he made his Texas Tech debut with four blocked shots and four points in the win over Milwaukee… He had missed the first three games this season with a lower body injury… 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… Bamgboye will be playing in his 42nd career game when the Red Raiders take on Arkansas and currently has 87 blocked shots, 169 points and 138 rebounds.
Leon Horner: "Vocal. High intensity. Coachable."
Horner is in his second season at Tech and is currently averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds through six games played this season… He had three rebounds in the win over LSU after playing against Wyoming where he had four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action… Horner provided a career-high three assists and scored two points in the win over New Orleans after he had five points and five rebounds in the loss against No. 1 Purdue… A sophomore, he 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 games against Sam Houston and No. 14 Illinois with a lower body injury… Horner has played in 14 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.
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, Illinois and Purdue… Through four games played, Akuentok is averaging 2.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game… 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.
Nolan Groves: "Hardworking. Coachable. Team player."
Groves established a new Texas Tech freshman record in his college debut by grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Lindenwood and scored seven points in the first two games of the season… In the Bahamas, Groves came off the bench and scored four points against No. 1 Purdue with one 3-pointer and a free throw… Through nine games played, he is averaging 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game… 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 during his senior year of high school.
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.
Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Moseley has missed the first nine 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.
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 21 games in his career, including playing in five games this year after making 11 appearances 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 20-1 in games he has appeared in.
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 269-111 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 58-22 overall (80 games), 26-12 in Big 12 games, 33-5 at home and 12-9 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 54-21 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 an NCAA Division I coach.
The Red Raiders finished last season with a 28-9 overall record, including being second in the Big 12 standings with a 15-5 conference record. Tech matched the program record with a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program's third Elite 8.Â
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4
FEATURES: Watts | Toppin (The Athletic) | Anderson – FIBA U19
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