Texas Tech University Athletics
McCasland previews No. 11 BYU
January 16, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Grant McCasland stepped up to a row of cameras and microphones after practice on Friday to preview Saturday's matchup against No. 11 BYU. McCasland, who has his No. 15-ranked team at 3-1 in Big 12 play and 9-0 at home, discussed hosting a Cougar team that is on a 13-game winning streak and 4-0 in conference play. The press conference went about 15 minutes and gave insights into the team's success through four Big 12 games and broke down expectations of playing against nationally-ranked BYU. The full media session can be watched at this link and selected quotes from it are below. Tech and BYU are set to tip at 7 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena with the game being broadcast on ESPN.
Opening statement on hosting BYU: "What a great time to be at the USA with our Lady Raiders playing before us for a doubleheader. It's just rare that you get to have this much consecutive basketball in Lubbock. The timing of having the students back is tremendous. We're playing a fantastic BYU team who has proven to be one of the elite teams in college basketball. They have great talent and great plans. They're coached well and execute in a way that allows them to win. Tons of respect for them and we're excited to be back on our home court to compete."
On competing in the Big 12: "The Big 12 is a struggle. This league will test you. It's not about feeling where you're team is at, good or bad. The regular season every day approach and being mentally prepared no matter who you play. What this BYU team has done is find a way to win. My compliment to them is that competitively they find ways to win. I have a lot of respect for them. They're a bunch of competitors."
On Tech's defensive play in Big 12 play: "We have two things going on. The effort is where it needs to be. Early in the season, we were playing hard but taking ourselves out of plays and making mistakes that were tied to personnel. What we've finally merged is our effort and competitiveness is matched with an understanding of what's happening with the other team. Not just playing hard for the sake of competing. There's a communication, synergy, connectiveness to the way we approach the scouting reports and JT Toppin and Christian Anderson are really the anchors to what we're doing. They're helping coordinate it. We're having less breakdowns and more competitiveness and are more connected. The effort is matching the intelligence that we need to understand scheme and not just physicality or how hard you play. That's where we've made a big jump by putting the game plan into action. It's fun to see our guys grow in those areas."
On BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa: "One thing about AJ is that I love him. I mean this sincerely. What an awesome teammate. There are so many guys who have an expectation for who they're supposed to be because of their talent level, but AJ treats everyone like you feel apart of his team. He's an elite talent and one of the best players in college basketball and will be a long-term NBA player but you wouldn't know it by the way he interacts with people. He includes people. I just respect him as a competitor and person. He has a sense of the big moments and knows how to capitalize, but he doesn't have to be in the limelight all the time. He shares the ball and doesn't have to score to impact winning."
On BYU's strengths: "BYU is an elite offensive rebounding team. Statically, they're the best offensive rebounding team in the league and we're the best defensive rebounding team. That's going to be an important area of this game. Creating extra possessions for them is really important because they have such good offensive players that you don't want to give them extra possessions. Two, how do we play this game without fouling in key spots."
On the home crowd: "The students are why you do this. We have a lot going on here, but that's the coolest part. There as big a part of this as anyone. They're why we get to be here. It ties it all together. It becomes being a part of something bigger than yourself and is what makes being part of this university so special."
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4 | CBS Home Court
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