Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 4 Houston
No. 10 Tech, No. 4 Houston set for ESPN Big Monday
February 23, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – College basketball fans love looking forward to March, but Texas Tech's final game in February has that same intense feel. Â
"This game is about an approach, mentality and willingness to stay in the middle of it," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "You can't ever get on the outside of these games. You have to be willing to put your nose right in the middle. Nobody does that better than Houston. If we want to be the program that everyone loves, then this game on Monday will be a great barometer for what our grit level is."
A Top 10 slugfest is on tap with No. 10 Texas Tech hosting No. 4 Houston at 8 p.m. on Monday at United Supermarkets Arena – the follow up to an 82-81 overtime win by the Red Raiders on February 1 at the Fertitta Center in the first matchup this season between the two teams. On the NCAA NET and Kenpom, Houston sits No. 3 and Tech is No. 7.
The 60th game in the all-time series between Texas Tech and Houston will be broadcast on ESPN Big Monday while the Texas Tech Sports Network radio call can be heard locally on Double T 97.3, and on the Varsity app. The Cougars (23-4, 15-1 Big 12) lead the all-time series 31-28 and will be playing in Lubbock for the first time in over 20 years with Tech earning a 62-48 win on January 1, 2003, in the last matchup at the USA. Tech's overtime victory earlier this month snapped a four-game losing streak to UH in the series and is the only conference loss on Houston's resume this season.
Houston is on a six-game winning streak following its loss to Tech to begin the month, travels in with an 8-0 road record this season and leads the nation by holding opponents to just 57.7 points per game. The Cougars are coming off a 68-59 win at home over Iowa State on Saturday with L.J. Cryer leading the way with 28 points after going 5-for-7 from 3-point range against the Cyclones. Milos Uzan added 19 points with three 3s and Emmanuel Sharp scored 11 in a game where UH went 10-for-17 from beyond the arc and limited Iowa State to 39.1 percent shooting from the field. The Cougars are atop the Big 12 standings and lead the conference by limiting their opponents to just 57.7 points per game and 38.3 percent shooting, owning a plus-4.7 turnover advantage and by them shooting 40.0 percent from 3-point range. Texas Tech and Kansas are the only two teams to score 80-plus against the Cougars with the Jayhawks falling 92-86 in double-overtime. Cryer leads Houston with 15.0 points per game and has made 80-of-191 (41.9 percent) of his 3-pointers, while Sharp is adding 12.0 points per game with 57 made 3s (42.5 percent). J'Wan Roberts leads UH with 6.3 rebounds go along with 11.3 points per game and Uzan gives the team four players in double-figure scoring with 10.7 points per game along with leading the team with 128 assists. UH averages 17.4 assists per game and is making 73.3 percent of its free throws.
The Red Raiders (21-6, 12-4 Big 12) come into the week leading the Big 12 with a 1.58 assist-to-turnover ratio and are second in the conference in field goal percentage (48.2%), effective field goal (56.3%), scoring margin (14.9), scoring offense (81.4), 3-point percentage (38.4%), and with 9.8 3-pointers made per game. Tech averages 17.0 assists per game which is the fifth most in the Big 12 and is now shooting 76.6 percent at the free-throw line which is third after going 12-for-15 against WVU. The team's defense limited WVU to only 51 points and is now fourth in the Big 12 with opponents scoring just 66.5 for the season. JT Toppin went off for 22 points in the 73-51 win over West Virginia on Saturday and is leading Tech with 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while Chance McMillian is adding 15.1 points per game and leads the team by shooting 45.4 percent from 3-point range (64-for-141). Darrion Williams is scoring 14.9 points per game and Christian Anderson went for a career-high 21 points and five 3-pointers against WVU to boost his season average to 10.0 points per game. In conference play, Anderson is now 34-for-78 (43.6 percent) and is averaging 10.6 points per conference game. Toppin is the reigning AP National Player of the Week, Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week and has provided 26.0 points and 11.8 rebounds in the last five games.
Tech's 82-81 overtime win at Houston saw Williams tie the game at 72 with a 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds, Federiko Federiko get a blocked shot at the regulation buzzer, McMillian make two free throws with 14 seconds remaining in overtime and Eemeli Yalaho forcing a turnover in the final second. McMillian led Tech with 23 points in the win while Elijah Hawkins added 17 points and four assists, Kerwin Walton made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points and Williams provided 13 points. Tech finished the overtime win going 12-for-30 on 3-pointers and was 24-for-34 at the free-throw line. LJ Cryer led Houston with 22 points, J'Wan Roberts had 18 points and seven rebounds and Milos Uzan finished with 10 points. The Cougars were limited to 5-for-14 from 3-point range and were 18-for-27 at the free-throw line in their only conference loss this season. The game had 11 lead changes and was tied 10 times before the Red Raiders sprinted to their locker room to celebrate with head coach Grant McCasland and Toppin who had both been ejected four minutes into the game after a flagrant two foul call.
- The Red Raiders have matched the best start to Big 12 play in program history with the 2019 and 2022 teams also being 12-4 through 16 games… The Red Raiders went 14-4 in 2019 to win their only Big 12 regular season championship and post their best conference record… This is the first season with a 20-game conference schedule
- Recorded program's highest scoring performance in a Big 12 game with 111 points against Arizona State… Only the second time ever in a Big 12 game with 100-plus points following a 102-75 win over Texas A&M (2/7/1998)… Currently averaging 81.4 points per game overall and 78.1 per Big 12 game… The 81.4 ppg. are the most since the 1994-95 team averaged 88.8 points per game throughout its season and the 78.1 per conference game is second for the program record with the 2001-02 team averaging 79.4 in 16 games… Tech averaged 74.4 points per Big 12 game last season and 71.9 in 2018-19 during its championship run
- At home, Texas Tech is currently 14-2 overall and 6-2 in Big 12 games… Tech has won six straight conference games and is now 13-4 at home under McCasland in Big 12 home games… The Red Raiders went 18-0 overall and 9-0 in Big 12 play at home during the 2021-22 season for their best home record in program history
- Tech has won 15 games by double figure margins, including going 7-0 in Big 12 games… The Red Raiders have limited nine opponents under 60 points this season, including seven in conference play… The 51 points by WVU on Saturday was the lowest for a Big 12 opponent this season… Tech is 9-1 when holding Big 12 teams under 70
- Tech currently has three players who have surpassed the 1,000-point scoring mark: McMillian (1,420), Elijah Hawkins (1,307), Williams (1,015)… Williams reached the milestone at TCU last Tuesday
- In career stats, Hawkins ranks third nationally with 6.42 assists per game and fourth with 751 total assists… He's also 24th with 210 total steals after having two against WVU to take his season to 41 total and 1.6 steals per game… Toppin is seventh among active players in rebounding with 9.1 rebounds per game and 30th with 23 double-doubles despite only being a sophomore
- The 38-point win at Oklahoma State was the largest margin of victory in a Big 12 road game in program history… The 38-point win on the road surpassed a 30-point win at Iowa State (2/22/2020) for the road record and was the second most in any Big 12 game with a 46-point win over TCU (2/10/2020) at home as the overall program record… Tech owns a plus-14.9 scoring margin throughout the season and plus-9.4 in Big 12 games… The Red Raiders have seven wins by double figures in Big 12 games this season and has held seven conference opponents under 60 points
- Tech is playing its 100th season and has now won 20-plus games 18 times… McCasland joins Bob Knight as the only two coaches 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 a NCAA coach, McCasland has now 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
- Tech's 111 points against Arizona State and 93 at Oklahoma State was the first time since the 2001-02 season with back-to-back games of 90-plus scoring games in Big 12 play
- Tech matched the program record with 16 3-pointers at Oklahoma State… It was the second time this season and fifth in program history (matched Big 12 program mark with 16 in a win over Kansas in 2019)… The Red Raiders have now made 10 or more 3s in 16 games this season and had a season-best six-game streak going before going 9-for-25 (36.0 percent) at TCU and then 9-for-22 against WVU in the past two games
- Toppin's career-high 41 points against ASU is the most by a Big 12 player this season and 10th most in the nation… He was the first Red Raider to go over 40 points since Jarrius Jackson scored 41 at Nebraska in 2006… His 41 points has only been topped by six other performances in Tech history… Dub Malaise owns the single-game scoring record with 50 points at Texas in 1966… Toppin was the first Red Raider since Keenan Evans (2018) with back-to-back 30-plus scoring games… According to ESPN Stats and Info, Toppin is the first player this season with consecutive games with 30 points and 10 rebounds and first since Oklahoma's Blake Griffin in 2010… For the week that earned him national and conference honors, Toppin averaged 36.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and shot 29-for-39 (74.4 percent)… Malaise maintains being the only Texas Tech player with three straight games of 30-plus with 43 at TCU, 40 against Texas A&M and the program record of 50 at Texas in 1966
- Tech is 2-1 in overtime games this season and improved to 9-11 in double-overtime games in program history… The Red Raiders earned an 82-81 overtime win at Houston after dropping an 85-84 overtime decision against Iowa State at home on January 11
- The Red Raiders are 6-2 on the road this season, matching 2018-19 (6-3 total) and 2006-07 (6-5 total) for the most road wins in the past 20 seasons… The 1995-96 team was 11-0 on the road for the program record
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 5 Houston (23-4, 15-1) at No. 9 Texas Tech (21-6, 12-4)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 8 p.m., Monday, February 23, 2025
TV: ESPN
TV CALL: Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst), Kris Budden (reporter)
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Grant McCasland is now 255-106 (70.6%) in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 44-17 overall (61 games – 72.1%), 23-11 in Big 12 games, 29-4 at home and 10-8 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 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup last summer in Buenos Aires and will compete in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup from June 28-July 6 this summer in Lausanne, Switzerland. Last season, McCasland led Tech to six wins over ranked opponents and is now 7-8 against AP Top 25 teams as the Red Raider head coach. McCasland's roster has 13 players on it this season, including two fifth-year seniors (McMillian, Kerwin Walton), two seniors (Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Yalaho) and three freshmen (Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner). McCasland is 1 of 15 on the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time that was announced last Friday.
Toppin is averaging 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game after going for 22 points and eight rebounds against WVU – falling two rebounds shy of extending a double-double streak that was at four. He recorded his fourth straight double-double last Tuesday with 14 points and 11 rebounds at TCU after a week where he had a career-high 41 points against Arizona State before posting 32 points and 12 rebounds in the 38-point road win at Oklahoma State. Against WVU, Toppin matched a career-high by making two 3-pointers and finished the game 9-for-16 from the field. Toppin now has 11 double-doubles this season and is currently third in the Big 12 in rebounding and scoring. Toppin was ejected four minutes into the game at Houston after being called for a flagrant two foul. He had already scored 17 points at halftime against OSU and finished the game shooting 12-for-17 and had 16 points in the second half against West Virginia. In his career-high performance against ASU, he had 18 points at halftime, 33 at the end of regulation and finished with 41 points and 15 rebounds for his ninth double-double. His 41 points were the most by any Big 12 player this season, the 10th most in the country and the 10th time he's led the Red Raiders in scoring. A sophomore from Dallas, Toppin now ranks second in the Big 12 with a 57.1 shooting percentage by shooting 161-for-282 from the field. His 21st career double-double also came with him grabbing seven offensive rebounds and going 17-for-22 from the field against ASU – a new Tech record with 17 makes in a Big 12 game (previous Jarrius Jackson – 15 in 2006 at Nebraska). The 17 makes were one off the record in all games from Dub Malaise (1966) and Jim Reed (1954) who both made 18 shots in a game. His 41 points were also the most for a Red Raider since Jackson had 41 points in that game and the most for a Texas Tech sophomore since Mike Singletary scored 43 points against Texas A&M in the 2009 Big 12 Tournament. Toppin's 41 points ranks as the seventh most in the record book. Toppin recorded his 20th career double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds (12 points/8 rebounds by halftime) in the loss at Arizona to start the streak of four straight double-doubles. The Naismith Hall of Fame nominated him as one of 10 power forwards in the nation for the Karl Malone Award and he now has scored 20 or more in 10 games this season and 13 in his career. Against Arizona, Toppin was 9-for-21 from the field and goes into the game against Houston with 10 games having made 8 or more baskets after shooting 9-for-16 in the win over the Mountaineers on Saturday. He has scored in double figures in 18 of 23 games played this season and has seven or more rebounds in 17 games. Toppin missed the final four non-conference games before returning to the court against UCF to record his fifth double-double of the season (17th career) where he finished with a season-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and matched a season-best with four blocked shots. He had missed the four straight games against Lamar, ORU, Texas A&M and DePaul with a lower body injury before returning to the starting lineup to begin conference play. In his last game played against Northern Colorado before the injury, he recorded his fourth double-double of the season and 16th of his career with 15 rebounds and 11 points in the win. Toppin was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after the trip to Brooklyn in a three-game week where he had two double-doubles and averaged 17.0 points and 11.7 rebounds. He capped the award-winning week with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots against Syracuse after recording his 15th career double-double by going for 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's. He was on a streak of three straight double-doubles after also going for 14 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Lubbock after dropping 24 points on Wyoming to go along with 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. His 12 offensive rebounds against Saint Joseph's were the second most in Texas Tech program history – only behind Will Flemons who had 15 against Houston on February 14, 1990. Against UAPB, he was 10-for-15 from the field for his second straight game with 10 makes. 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 as a freshman, 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 comes into the matchup against Houston with 13 career games of 20-plus point scoring performances, 41 double-figure scoring games and 843 total points through 59 career games played. His 23 career double-doubles leads Tech and his 11 this season are the second most in the conference. Â
McMillian missed the game against West Virginia with a lower body injury and is listed as day-to-day after he had matched a season-high with five 3-pointers at TCU and finished with 19 points in the loss. He had been a starter in all 26 games this season, including matching a season-high with 23 points at Houston where he made two 3-pointers and was 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. He is averaging 15.1 points per game and leads the Big 12 by shooting 45.4 percent from 3-point range this season after also going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and finishing with 10 points at Oklahoma State. He is currently 64-for-141 on 3-pointers, making 2.46 per game, and has made 11 straight free throws (65-of-74 for season). McMillian forced overtime against Arizona State with an offensive rebound and putback in the final second of regulation and finished with 14 points in the double-overtime win where he was 7-for-7 at the free-throw line and made one 3-pointer. At OSU, he went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. A scoring average of 15.1 points per game ranks 11th in the conference coming into matchup against WVU. He had a streak of six straight games scoring in double figures snapped at Arizona, finishing with eight points after going 1-for-6 on 3-pointers before his 14 against ASU to give him 21 games this season scoring in double figures. Against Baylor, he went 5-for-11 on 3-pointers and a team-high 19 points. McMillian had scored in double figures in six straight games for the second time this season, a streak that started with 14 points in the first matchup against Arizona. He's led Tech in scoring in five games this season and ranks 5th in the Big 12 with 2.46 3-pointers made per game and 5th with his 64 total 3-pointers. He has scored 20 or more points in eight games in his career after also having a three-game streak which was capped by 20 points against ORU where he went 8-for-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He made five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high/season-high 23 points in the loss against Texas A&M after he had led Tech with 22 points in the win over DePaul. He leads Tech by playing 34:01 minutes per game with a season-high 48:48 against Arizona State, 42:38 at Houston, and 42:32 against Iowa State where he had 18 points and eight rebounds in the overtime loss. Last season, 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 has made three or more 3s in 11 games this season and is currently 238-for-577 (41.2 percent) on 3-pointers in his career. He enters the 28th game of the year with 1,420 points, 231 assists, 97 steals, 472 rebounds and 71 double-figure scoring performances through 150 games played in his career.
Williams has scored 1,015 career points after going over the milestone with a team-high 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting at TCU before finishing with eight points and six rebounds in the win over WVU on Saturday. He is now averaging 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists this season, including going for 13 points in the overtime win at Houston. Williams scored a season-high 27 points in the win over Arizona State by going 10-for-18 from the field, 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line. He's now 13th in the Big 12 in scoring and 12th in assists. Williams made a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points at Arizona after also dropping 17 on Baylor in a home win. The USBWA has identified Williams as a candidate for the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 50 nationally). He was 5-for-11 on 3-pointers against the Wildcats and has now made 34 3s this season. He has 50 career games scoring in double figures and seven with 20 or more. A junior, in his second season at Texas Tech, Williams missed his only game this season in the first matchup against TCU with a lower body injury before playing 34 minutes at Houston where he nailed the game-tying 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. A starter in 59 games in his two seasons at Texas Tech, he had scored in double figures in 14 straight games after leading the Red Raiders with 16 points in the win at K-State following going for 15 points, six rebounds and two assists against Iowa State. Williams was 7-for-15 from the field against K-State with one 3-pointer and made his final basket with 17 seconds remaining to push the lead to four. At Utah, he had 19 points and nine assists which was his sixth game with 19 or more points this season and his fourth game with eight or more assists before scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting at BYU. He earned Big 12 Player of the Week after going off for a season-high 23 points in the win over Lamar along with providing nine assists against ORU in the two games leading into conference play. It was his second Big 12 Player of the Week honor in his career after winning it in the final week last season. His previous season-best 23 points against Lamar came with him matching a previous career-high by making four 3-pointers. He had produced 20-plus points in three straight games after going for 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win over DePaul along with scoring a team-high/season-high 21 points against Northern Colorado to go along with 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the 11th of his career. In Brooklyn, he earned Legends Classic All-Tournament honors after leading the Red Raiders with a season-high 20 points against Syracuse in a game where he also had six rebounds and three assists. 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. Williams is Tech's leading returner from last year's roster 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 Sacramento, 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 last season, 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 of his sophomore season came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. Williams comes into the second matchup against Houston with 1,015 points, 622 rebounds and 275 assists through 92 career games.
Hawkins dished out nine assists at TCU and had five against WVU and now leads the Big 12 with 6.5 assists per game and 163 total for the season. He had a season-high 12 assists at Arizona and then eight in the wins over Arizona State and Oklahoma State. At Houston, he finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists - going 4-for-7 on 3-pointers and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line. Hawkins now has 19 career games with 10 or more assists and has posted 114 assists and only 28 turnovers in Big 12 games this season. Along with his passing prowess, Hawkins scored 10 points with two 3-pointers and had a season-high seven rebounds in the win over West Virginia. He was 3-for-4 from 3-point range at Oklahoma State and provided 11 points, six assists and four rebounds. He is now averaging 9.2 points per game. In Tucson, he added 10 points to his 12 assists to record his fourth double-double of the season and the 14th of his career. He is currently second in the Big 12 with a 3.26 assist-to-turnover ratio – highlighted by his performance at Arizona where only committed one turnover in the 12-assist game. Hawkins now has 19 career double-figure assist games in his career and has 751 career assists which ranks fourth most among all active NCAA players. His 6.42 assist average is the third best in the nation for career percentages. A senior point guard, in his first season at Texas Tech, Hawkins dished out nine assists in the home win over Arizona in the first matchup following his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists at Kansas State. His 10 assists at K-State included the final possession where he found Williams who made a layup to extend the lead to four with 17 seconds remaining after he had put Tech up two with a layup of his own. Hawkins is now shooting 52-for-58 (89.7 percent) from the charity stripe and is 38-for-113 on 3-pointers this season. He had recorded his 17th career game with double-digit assists after contributing 10 assists with zero turnovers against Iowa State in an overtime game where he also had seven points. He scored a season-high 22 points with a career-best six 3-pointers at BYU after recording the 12th double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 assists in the win against Utah. Hawkins has scored in double figures in 12 of 25 games played this season. For his career, Hawkins is 172-for-470 (36.6 percent) on 3-pointers with a previous career-high five 3-pointers made last season against Coppin State. He had recorded his 11th career double-double and first of this season against UAPB after providing 11 assists, 10 points and five steals in his first start as a Red Raider. He 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 and has recorded three or more assists in every game he's played this season. 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 before transferring to Texas Tech to play his final season. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State last season and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win for his career-best. 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). He has a team-high 69 games with double-figure scoring performances in his career. Hawkins currently has 1,297 points, 746 assists and 208 steals through 116 games played in his career. At BYU, in his season-high scoring performance, Hawkins was 7-for-12 from the field and 6-for-9 on 3-pointers (career-high) to give him 22 points. He scored 13 of those 22 points in the second half where he was 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Hawkins comes into the matchup against Houston with 317 made free throws in his career and as the team's leader with 74 double-figure scoring performances. He has led Tech in assists 19 times this season.
Anderson recorded a career-high 21 points and five 3-pointers made in the win over West Virginia and has now scored in double figures in 12 games this season. He made his first career start in the game, played a career-high 38 minutes and is now averaging 10.0 points per game for the season and is 50-for-120 (41.7 percent) on 3-pointers. In Big 12 play, he's now averaging 10.6 points per conference game and has made a team-high 34 3-pointers in those 16 league games. A true freshman, Anderson has registered double-figure scoring performances 12 times this season (9 in Big 12 play) after also going for 16 points (4-for-8 from 3-point range) at Oklahoma State before a game at TCU where he had five points before his career-best performance against the Mountaineers. Against WVU, he scored 16 of his career-high 21 points in the second half and finished the game with four assists to go along with 5-of-8 shooting on 3-pointers. Anderson scored 10 points in the overtime win at Houston. He also produced 10 points, five assists (matched career-high) and three steals against Arizona State in the double-overtime win. One of his best Big 12 performances of the season came at Arizona where he scored 17 points after going 3-for-6 on 3-pointers and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. He led the Tech reserves against Houston in scoring after providing 10 points in the road win over the Cougars where he was 5-for-7 at the free-throw line and made one 3-pointer. He's currently 16th in the Big 12 with 1.40 steals per game this season. He had scored in double figures for the seventh time this season after going off for 18 points and matching a career-high with four 3-pointers at Cincinnati along with producing 10 points in the first matchup against Arizona where he was 2-for-4 on 3-pointers and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. Anderson has 14 games with two or more 3s this season. He also scored 18 points on 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range against Iowa State and followed it by contributing eight points and a career-high six rebounds in the road win at K-State. Anderson scored a previous career-high 20 points against Lamar after going 8-for-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range in the non-conference finale before leading Tech with five assists against UCF. He is now shooting 82-for-180 (45.6 percent) overall and 37-of-48 (77.1 percent) at the free-throw line. His 20 points against Lamar marked the third double-figure scoring performance of his season after he also recorded 11 points against ORU and a previous career-high 12 points against Northern Colorado where he was 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. Through 25 games played in his career (after missing the first two of the season with a lower body injury), he already has seven games with four assists and nine with three or more. He 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 against Wyoming shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21, 2024, 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. Anderson has made four or more 3-pointers in five games this season and comes into the second matchup against Houston with 251 total points, 56 total assists, 71 rebounds and 35 steals this season.
Walton scored 13 of Texas Tech's first 15 points in the second half against Arizona State and finished the game with 13 points on 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range but has not scored in the past two games. He was also 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in the second half at Houston in the overtime win and finished the game with 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range in the game. He is now 18th nationally in active 3-point percentage at 42.0 percent (203-for-483) and is currently 34-for-88 (38.6 percent) from beyond the arc this season. Through 27 games, all as a starter, he is averaging 4.6 points per game. Walton opened this season with a career-high seven 3-pointers and led the Red Raiders with 21 points in the season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman. He's made three or more 3-pointers in four games this season and two or more in nine games. His 21 points in the opener marked 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. A Minnesota native, Walton averaged 8.5 points per game last season 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. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 87 games with 60 starts at Texas Tech where he is 122-for-280 (43.6 percent) from 3-point range as a Red Raider. He comes into the second game against Houston with 844 points through 147 career games played.
Overton is coming off a game against West Virginia where he had 10 points and six rebounds to lead the reserves after he had provided 13 points and five rebounds at Oklahoma State in a game where he made three 3-pointers and also had three assists. He's now averaging 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds for the season. Overton, who did not play in the first game against Houston, had a season-high seven rebounds against Baylor and produced 14 points and five rebounds in the win over Cincinnati where he was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. A lead reserve, in his sophomore season, he posted 17 points against Lamar and Texas A&M and is the second leading scorer off the bench for the Red Raiders. In non-conference play, he scored a season-high 20 points against Northern Colorado and now has eight double-figure scoring performances. In his first season at Texas Tech, his 20-point production was the fourth time in his young career with 20 or more points. He also had six rebounds against Lamar to match a season-high and had six straight games with five or more rebounds going before having two against UCF. Overton also scored 19 points in a game against Northwestern State where he was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line after 10 points in his only appearance from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut against Bethune-Cookman. Overton 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 in Kansas before beginning his collegiate career. He has 605 points, 213 rebounds and 28 double-figure scoring performances through 61 games in his collegiate career. For his career, Overton has made 90 3-pointers and is 208-for-471 from the field.
Federiko had six rebounds and scored two points against West Virginia and is now averaging 5.7 points and 4.8 rebounds for the season. He also provided eight points and four rebounds (three offensive) in the win over Baylor after he had a huge block against Houston at the end of regulation to force overtime in a game where he finished with six rebounds (three offensive). Federiko has 59 offensive rebounds for the season – 2.36 per game which ranks 12th best in the Big 12. A senior from Finland, he also led Tech with eight rebounds (four offensive) in the home win over Oklahoma State. He had a season-high six offensive rebounds against ORU in non-conference play and five in the home win over Arizona. He provided nine points and led Tech with seven rebounds in the road win at K-State where he shot 4-for-5 from the field before going for eight rebounds and eight points (4-for-4 on free throws) against Arizona. He also led the Tech reserves with 14 points and added three rebounds in the road win at Utah where he shot 7-for-9 from the field. Federiko had a career night against Oral Roberts in non-conference play, going for a career-best 23 points and adding 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the third in his career. He missed the Lamar game with an upper body injury before returning for Big 12 play. He was 11-for-13 (84.6 percent) from the field against ORU and also finished the game with a career-high five assists and six offensive rebounds. It was his first game in double-figure scoring as a Red Raider and came in his third start of the season. Federiko provided seven points, six rebounds and a career-high four steals against Texas A&M. He began this season going 9-for-9 after making his only shot against Saint Joseph's before going 1-for-3 against Syracuse and 2-for-3 against Northern Colorado where he finished with five points and three assists. Against Texas A&M, Federiko was 3-for-3 from the field. He had previously scored a season-high eight points for the first time in the win over Wyoming where he was 4-for-4 from the field. The tallest Red Raider on the roster at 6-foot-11, 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 530 points, 478 rebounds, 122 blocks and 13 double-figure scoring performances through 92 games at the NCAA level.
Yalaho has missed the last four games with an upper body injury and is averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in eight games played this season. He came up with the defensive stop against Houston in overtime to force a traveling call in the final seconds to secure the win and finished the game with four points and four rebounds. A sophomore from Finland, he made his first career start and scored a career-high 13 points in the non-conference win over Lamar after going 5-for-8 from the field, including 2-of-2 on 3-pointers. Yalaho also had five rebounds against Lamar in his fifth game of the season. He was coming off a game where he provided three rebounds and two points in the win over ORU in 13 minutes of playing time. He made his season debut against Northern Colorado where he had two points, one rebound and a block in four minutes of play and also had two points and three rebounds against Texas A&M. Yalaho had missed the previous six games to start his sophomore season with a lower body injury. He entered this season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a previous 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. Yalaho has played in 25 career games.
Green has appeared in six games this season 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 one year of eligibility remaining after this season.
Francis has appeared in eight games this season and 13 in his career. He recorded his first field goal in his career with a layup against ORU for his first points of the season. 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 for the program during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.
Horner scored his first career points in the win over ORU and has now made seven appearances this season. He is a true 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.
Marial Akuentok officially signed with Texas Tech on January 10, 2025, and has enrolled at the University to join the program immediately… Akuentok is a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center/forward from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who played with the Canada National Team and won a bronze medal in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup last summer… He is a top 100 recruit who has reclassified from the 2025 class and joins the Red Raiders this semester but will redshirt.
McCasland statement regarding Devan Cambridge: "Devan is seeking a medical hardship waiver and is no longer with the team. We are thankful for his contributions to our basketball program."
TEAM NOTES: Texas Tech scored its most points in a Big 12 game in program history with 111 against Arizona State and extended a season-best six-game streak with 10 or more 3-pointers after matching a program record with 16 3-pointers at Oklahoma State… Tech had that streak end at TCU after finishing with nine 3-pointers in the loss and also had nine 3s against WVU… The 38-point margin at Oklahoma State was the largest road win margin in a Big 12 game in program history and the second largest ever in a Big 12 game… Tech also has a 28-point win at Utah on its resume this season… The Red Raiders improved to 2-1 in overtime games this season with OT wins over ASU and Houston after dropping an 85-84 decision at home to Iowa State… The 111 points are not only the most by a Red Raider team in Big 12 history, it was also only the second time over 100 in a Big 12 game ever – the only other time a 102-75 win over Texas A&M in 1998… The Red Raiders have now played in 20 double-overtime games in program history and are 9-11 in those games… The last double-overtime game in Lubbock was back on February 20, 1994 – a 128-125 double-overtime win over Texas... Tech's 16 3-pointers at Oklahoma State followed another 16 output in the season-opener against Bethune-Cookman which matched the program record that was most recently accomplished against Kansas back on February 23, 2019 - also against UNC-Asheville (2004) and New Mexico State (1996)… The Red Raiders finished last season with 11 games of 10 or more 3s and has already surpassed that this season, making 10 or more 3s in 16 games this season… Tech has shot over 45 percent from 3-point range in six games this season… A previous season-best stretch of three straight games with 10 or more 3s ended against UCF after Tech went just 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range in the Big 12 opener… The Red Raiders have shot over 50 percent from 3-point range in three games this season: Bethune (53.3), Wyoming (55.6) and Northern Colorado (56.5)… 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… Tech went 24-for-34 (70.6 percent) at the free-throw line at Houston for the fourth time under McCasland with 24 makes and had another performance against ASU where it went 23-for-32 (71.9%)… Tech is now shooting 76.6 percent at the line after going 12-for-15 against WVU while, in comparison, opponents are shooting 68.1 percent at the line in games against the Red Raiders… Tech's largest runs of the season have been 17-0 spurts, the first time to end the first half against Bethune-Cookman and then midway through the first half against ORU to build out a 22-point halftime lead… Tech had 13-0 runs in the second halves against Arizona and K-State – finishing off Arizona with a 13-0 run in the 16-point win in Lubbock… The 30 assists against UAPB marked the eighth time in program history with 30-plus assists and the most since a 32-assist performance against Tennessee State in 2019; Tech now has four games with 20 or more assists this season after having 26 assists on 34 makes against ORU and with 24 assists at Utah on 34 makes… The Red Raiders are averaging 17.0 assists per game after having 12 on 26 makes against WVU, 19 on 26 makes at TCU, 20 on 39 makes against Arizona State, and 23 on 30 makes at Oklahoma State in the past four games… Tech's 47-point non-conference win over Wyoming was its largest margin of victory since a 50-point victory over Jackson State on December 17, 2022… Texas Tech remained dominant in non-conference home games where it has now won 38 straight after the win over ORU to extend the streak into next season… The program has not lost a non-conference home game since falling to Kentucky in a 76-74 overtime decision on January 25, 2019… Tech owns a 14-2 home record and is 6-2 on the road this season.
RANKINGS
• Texas Tech has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for a program record eight straight seasons
• Tech is back in the top 10 for the first time since 2022, coming in at No. 9 in the AP Top 25 and No. 10 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll this week
• 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
COACHING STAFF
McCasland's staff includes assistant coaches Luke Barnwell, Matt Braeuer, Jeff Linder and Achoki Moikobu along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Chris Nottingham (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations) and Brian Pete (video coordinator). Linder joined the staff this season after being the head coach at Wyoming (2020-2024) and Northern Colorado (2016-2019) while Pete was at Vanderbilt last season. Braeuer, Moikobu and Wright are in their second season at Tech and all worked with McCasland at UNT.
PROGRAM NOTES
The Red Raiders have advanced to 20 overall NCAA Tournament appearances, including reaching the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, 2022 Sweet 16 and the 2024 First Round… This is the 100th season in program history and includes recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024... The program won the 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship with a 14-4 conference record.
RED RAIDERS IN THE PROS
Texas Tech has had 25 NBA Draft selections in program history… Recently in the NBA Draft, selections of Zhaire Smith (R1-P16), Jarrett Culver (R1-P6), and Jahmi'us Ramsey (R2-P43) were made… Tony Battie was selected at No. 5 in the 1997 NBA Draft for the top pick in Tech history... Mac McClung, who has signed a two-way with Orlando, represented the program by winning the 2023 and 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest… Former Red Raiders who are listed on NBA G-League rosters are Jarrett Culver (Osceola), De'Vion Harmon (Indiana), Mac McClung (Osceola), Kevin Obanor (905 Raptors), Jahmi'us Ramsey (Oklahoma City), Zhaire Smith (Cleveland) and Warren Washington (Sioux Falls)... Former players overseas includes: Adonis Arms (Guangdong Southern Tigers in Chinese Basketball Association), Brandone Francis (Selenge Bodons Sukhbaatar in Mongolian MBL), Keenan Evans (Olympiacos in Greek GBL), Bryson Williams (Aliaga Petkimspor Izmir in Turkish BSL), Marcus Santos-Silva (Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball in French Betclic ELITE ProA), Davion Warren (Guangzhou Loong Lions in Chinese CBA), Dejan Kravic (Estudiantes in Spanish Primera FEB), Joe Toussaint (Karhubasket in Finnish Korisliiga), Justin Gray (Itelyum Varese in Italian Serie A), Tariq Owens (Cremona in Italian Serie A), John Roberson (Al Ahly Cairo in Egyptian Superleague), Zach Smith (Pitesti in Romanian Liga Nationala), Michael Singletary (Fubon Braves in Taiwanese PLeague+), Joel Ntambwe (Abeilles in Central African D1), Kyler Edwards (JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France), Jeffrey Crockett (Keravnos in Cyprus), Toddrick Gotcher (Fomik Zamek in Poland), Davide Moretti (Umana Reyer Venezia in Italy Serie A), Robert Tuner (FOS Provence in French ProB), TJ Holyfield (Pass Lab Yamagata in Japanese B2), Matt Mooney (Adelaide 36ers in Australian NBL), Clarence Nadolny (Rouen in French ProB), Devon Thomas (U.M.F. Grindavik in Iceland), Chris Clarke (Obras in Argentina)... Former players who transferred to other college programs and are now on NBA rosters are: Terrence Shannon (Minnesota), Kevin McCullar (New York), Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland) *subject to change based on player movement throughout the year
VIDEOSÂ
EP1 - Toughest Team Wins | EP2 - Toughest Team Wins | EP3 - Toughest Team Wins | EP4 – Toughest Team Wins | Define YourselfÂ
FEATURE STORIES
Toughest Team Wins | Formative Conversation | Four Journeys to Big 12 Media Day | JT Toppin | Chance McMillian | Kerwin Walton | Elijah Hawkins – Cousy Award Watch List | JT Toppin – Malone Award Watch List | Darrion Williams | Grant McCaslandÂ
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