Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders rise to No. 13 in AP Top 25
February 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A six-game winning streak has taken Texas Tech from unranked two weeks ago up to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll which were both announced on Monday. The Red Raiders knocked off Houston on Saturday to move to 5-0 on the road, prompting a nine-spot leap in the AP Top 25 from last week's ranking. Â
The Red Raiders (17-4, 8-2 Big 12) are off to the program's best 10-game start in Big 12 history and also come in at No. 8 in the NCAA NET and No. 9 on the Kenpom ratings. Along with polls and rankings, they were also named the team of the week by Andy Katz and Dick Vitale after ending a 33-game home winning streak and 13-game overall streak by the Cougars.
Auburn (20-1) remains the top-ranked team in the nation and is followed by Duke (19-2), Alabama (19-3), Tennessee (18-4) and Houston (17-4) to round out the AP Top 5. The Big 12 is also represented by No. 8 Iowa State (17-4), No. 16 Kansas (15-6) and No. 20 Arizona (15-6) in this week's rankings. Texas Tech hosts Baylor at 8 p.m. on Tuesday in its next matchup and will play at Arizona on Saturday. The Bears (14-7, 6-4 Big 12) are receiving votes in the poll after an 81-70 win over Kansas on Saturday. Â Â
The Red Raiders rose in the national polls after Chance McMillian matched a season-high with 23 points in the win at Houston, including hitting the game-winning free throws with 14 seconds remaining in overtime while Elijah Hawkins added 17 points with four 3-pointers and Kerwin Walton scored 14 points after going 4-for-6 from deep. Darrion Williams, who had missed the previous win against TCU with injury, returned and provided 13 points, three assists, three steals and matched a career-high with three blocks. He forced overtime with a 3-pointer off an assist from Hawkins with 26 seconds remaining in regulation. The Red Raiders played the final 41 minutes of the game without JT Toppin and head coach Grant McCasland who were both ejected after a flagrant two foul was called on Toppin who was leading the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots entering the game. Toppin and McCasland do not face any further punishment.
Tech went 12-for-30 on 3-pointers in the win against Houston and now has made 10 or more 3-pointers in 12 of 21 games this season. The Red Raiders will come into their matchup against Baylor (14-7, 6-4 Big 12) leading the Big 12 by shooting 48.8 percent from the field and are second in the conference by shooting 38.2 percent from 3-point range (9.4 per game) and with a 1.54 assist-to-turnover ratio. Tech is third in the Big 12 by scoring 81.4 points per game and at 76.0 percent at the free-throw line after going 24-for-34 at the line against Houston, including making 3-of-4 in the overtime session. The Red Raiders are now 1-1 in overtime games this season, 1-2 against ranked opponents and have knocked off an AP Top 10 team for the 11th straight season. The six-game winning streak in Big 12 play is the longest for the program since the 2019 team went on a nine-game streak to end conference play and earn the Big 12 regular season championship.
A trio of Red Raiders are scoring in double figures this season with McMillian (15.4), Toppin (15.3) and Williams (14.6) while Christian Anderson (9.4), Hawkins (9.4) and Kevin Overton (9.2) are knocking at that door. McMillian is currently sixth in the Big 12 in scoring while Toppin is fourth in rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per game and is now ninth in scoring. Williams is 15th in the Big 12 in scoring and ninth in assists. Hawkins leads the Big 12 and is 20th nationally with 6.0 assists per game and is third in the conference with a 2.85 assist-to-turnover ratio. Toppin (55.6%), McMillian (54.5%) and Williams (45.3%) are all in the top 10 in field goal percentage, led by Toppin who is second in the conference.
RANKINGS
• Tech entered the AP Top 25 last week 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'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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