Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders rise to No. 9 nationally
February 17, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – The rise from unranked to national prominence continues for Texas Tech which is now ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 10 in the USA TODAY Coaches Polls which were announced on Monday. Along with national polls, Tech is now at No. 7 in the NCAA NET and Kenpom after winning nine of its last 10 games.
Texas Tech was unranked throughout the season until entering the chat for the first time at No. 22 on January 27. The Red Raiders rose to No. 13 the next week, moved up to No. 12 last week and are now a top-10 team for the first time since they were also ranked No. 9 during the 2022 season.
Auburn (23-2) remains at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 followed by Florida (22-3), Duke (22-3), Alabama (21-4) and Houston (21-4) to round out the top 5. The Cougars will make a trip to Lubbock next Monday for the second Texas Tech-Houston matchup of the season after the Red Raiders earned an 82-81 overtime road win on February 1. The Big 12 is also represented by No. 8 Iowa State (20-5), No. 19 Arizona (17-8) and No. 23 Kansas (17-8).
The Red Raiders (20-5, 11-3 Big 12) travel to Fort Worth for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday leading the Big 12 by scoring 82.4 points per game, shooting 48.2 percent from the field and with a 1.59 assist-to-turnover ratio. The team is second in the conference by shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range, with a 56.3 effective field goal percentage and a 15.4 scoring margin of victory. Texas Tech had 23 assists on 30 makes at Oklahoma State on the road and is now third in the Big 12 with 17.0 assists per game and also third by shooting 76.7 at the free-throw line after going 17-for-19 at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday afternoon.
JT Toppin leads the Red Raiders with 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while Chance McMillian is at 15.0 points per game and leads the Big 12 by shooting 44.0 percent on 3-pointers. Elijah Hawkins leads the conference with 6.4 assists per game and Darrion Williams provides 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Through 14 conference games, Tech is averaging 79.4 points per conference game with five players averaging double figures in-conference: Toppin (16.6), McMillian (13.9), Williams (13.6), Hawkins (11.0) and Christian Anderson (10.3). Toppin is on a streak of three straight double-doubles, including going off for 41 points and 15 rebounds in the 111-106 double-overtime win over Arizona State last Wednesday and then producing 32 points and 12 rebounds at Oklahoma State.
RANKINGS
• Texas Tech has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for a program record eight straight seasons
• Last week (Feb. 10), the Red Raiders were at No. 12 in the AP Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches poll along with being at No. 9 in the NCAA NET and Kenpom
• Tech was at No. 13 in the AP Top 25 and No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll on Monday, February 3 for its highest ranking under McCasland
• Tech entered the AP Top 25 three weeks ago at No. 22 in the AP Top 25 and was at No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll… The team was also at No. 11 in Kenpom.com and in the NCAA NET rankings on Monday, January 27
•  Tech moved from unranked to No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll (Nov. 18)... A loss to Saint Joseph's bumped Tech from the USA TODAY Coaches Poll… The Red Raiders 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 2023-24 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 was as high as No. 9 in 2022
• 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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