Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders headed to Wichita for NCAA Tournament
March 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – No. 9 Texas Tech is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 21st time in program history and will open the 2025 NCAA Tournament against UNC Wilmington at 9:10 p.m. on Thursday at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
The Red Raiders (25-8) are the third seed in the West Region while the Seahawks (27-7) are the 14th seed after winning the Coastal Athletic Association Championship. The winner will face either Missouri or Drake in the second round of the regional.
Grant McCasland has led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons and will be in the national tournament for the third time in his career as a head coach. The team has nine players who have experienced the NCAA Tournament with a combined 21 games. NCAA Tournament Experience: Kerwin Walton (2021, 2022 – *North Carolina; 2024 – Texas Tech); Chance McMillian (2021, 2023 – *Grand Canyon; 2024 – Texas Tech); Darrion Williams (2023 – *Nevada; 2024 – Texas Tech), Jack Francis (2024 - Texas Tech), Eemeli Yalaho (2024 – Texas Tech), JT Toppin (2024 – *New Mexico), Kevin Overton (2024 – *Drake), Elijah Hawkins (2023 - *Howard), Federiko Federiko (2023 - *Pitt).
As a program, Texas Tech has played in 20 NCAA Tournaments and is 19-21 all-time. The Red Raiders were a No. 6 seed last season, falling 80-67 to NC State in the first round in Pittsburgh. Tech advanced to the 2019 NCAA Final Four where it fell 85-77 in overtime to Virginia in the championship game. The Red Raiders have reached national prominence in recent years, making the NCAA Elite Eight in 2018, the final Monday night in 2019 and the 2022 Sweet 16. The program has matched its highest national seed at No. 3 – also coming in 1996, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
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