Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 6 Houston
No. 12 Tech, No. 6 Houston primed for fight
January 22, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – No. 12 Texas Tech is 10-0 at home and on a four-game winning streak. No. 6 Houston has won 16 straight road games and is currently on an 11-game winning streak. The surging teams, who have both been ranked in seven straight meetings between them, put each of their streaks on the line when they square off in a heavyweight fight for the second time this month at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena following the Cougars taking a 69-65 win in Houston back on January 6. The matchup will be featured on ESPN and follows ESPN College GameDay taking place live from 10-11 a.m. in Lubbock with arena doors opening at 9 a.m. for fans.
The Red Raiders (15-4, 5-1 Big 12) are coming off a game against Baylor where they matched a program record by making 17 3-pointers in a 92-73 win on Tuesday night while the Cougars (17-1, 5-0 Big 12) have not played since a 103-73 win over Arizona State on Sunday in Houston. Tech, which matched its program record with 17 3-pointers for the third time this season, was 17-for-27 (63.0%) from beyond the arc in the win over Baylor and set a new Big 12 record by making 14 of those 17 3-pointers in the first half. The Red Raiders went into halftime shooting 14-for-19 (73.7%) on 3-pointers to jump out to a 55-36 lead. With a 10-0 home record this season, Grant McCasland enters the game with a 40-5 home record and is 66-24 through 90 games as the Red Raider head coach. He is 277-113 as a NCAA head coach.
JT Toppin and Christian Anderson are the only two teammates in the nation who are both averaging over 20 points this season with Toppin at 21.6 points per game and Anderson scoring 20.2 per. Anderson led the Red Raiders with 26 points at Baylor after going 8-for-10 on 3-pointers to establish a new career high with those eight 3s while Donovan Atwell went 7-for-10 on 3-pointers and finished with 21 points. Toppin tops the Big 12 this season with 10.8 rebounds per game and 12 double-doubles while he is currently fourth in the Big 12 in scoring. He leads the nation with 170 made field goals and is third nationally with 4.44 offensive rebounds per game. Anderson leads the Big 12 and is fourth nationally with 7.4 assists per game and is sixth in the Big 12 with his 20.2 points per game. Along with getting 20-plus per game from Toppin and Anderson, the Red Raiders have LeJuan Watts providing 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while Donovan Atwell is at 11.9 points per game after scoring 21 at Baylor. Jaylen Petty, who averages 8.9 points per game in his freshman season, led Tech with 20 points in the first matchup against Houston after going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers while Toppin recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Atwell made a season-high seven 3-pointers in Waco, finishing the game 7-for-10 from beyond the arc. For the season, Anderson is now 68-for-150 (45.3%) on 3s while Atwell is 65-of-151 (43.0%). Their percentages have Anderson second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally and Atwell is fifth in the conference and 20th nationally.
Tech enters its second matchup against Houston leading the Big 12 with 11.4 made 3-pointers per game and is second by shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc. The 11.4 3-pointers per game ranks seventh nationally while the team is 11th nationally with its percentage. The 17 3-pointers matched a program record which was also hit in wins over Oklahoma State and Lindenwood this season. The Red Raiders are currently third in the Big 12 with a 56.3 effective field goal percentage and fifth with its 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio. Tech has now scored 90-plus points in five games this season and is averaging 83.9 points per game while limiting opponents to 73.1. The Red Raiders are currently 3-0 at home in Big 12 play with wins over Oklahoma State, Utah and BYU. The team is 2-4 this season against AP Top 25 teams and 1-1 against Big 12 teams that have been ranked. Tech has made 10 or more 3-pointers in 14 of 19 games this season and has made 13.0 per conference game (42.6%).
Houston is second nationally and leads the Big 12 by limiting teams to only 60.1 points per game and with only 8.7 turnovers per game. The Cougars also lead the Big 12 with a 1.86 assist-to-turnover ratio, 14.2 offensive rebounds per game and a 6.9 turnover margin advantage. Three players are averaging in double-figure scoring with Emanuel Sharp leading the Cougars with 15.9 points per game while Kingston Flemings is scoring 15.6 and Milos Uzan scores 11.6 per game. Flemings led Houston with 23 points in the win over Tech while Sharp had 17 points. Joseph Tugler and Chris Cenac each recorded double-doubles against the Red Raiders with Cenac having 11 rebounds and 11 points while Tugler had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cenac leads UH with 7.6 rebounds per game this season while Tugler is at 5.9 rebounds per game. Along with his scoring, Flemings is fifth in the Big 12 with 5.4 assists per game and fourth with 2.0 steals per game in his freshman season.
Texas Tech - "Toughest Team Wins"
Grant McCasland: "Our saying 'Toughest Team Wins' means a lot to us. We're going to win because we are competitive in everything we do. We believe in each other and are going to give our hearts to each other. In the toughest of times, I always believe we are going to win."
SERIES HISTORY
Tech and Houston are meeting for the seventh straight time with both teams being ranked and for the 62nd time overall. The Cougars own a 33-28 all-time advantage in the series that began in 1961 – a 69-67 win by Tech on March 18, 1961 in Lawrence, Kansas. The two teams split last season with the road team winning each time. Houston earned a 78-73 win in Lubbock on February 24, 2025 after Tech had won an 82-81 overtime decision on the road on February 1, 2025. The Red Raiders are 15-9 all-time at home against the Cougars in the series.
ESPN College GameDay
ESPN's College GameDay Covered by State Farm will take place in Lubbock on Saturday before the game against Houston. The show is making its first on-campus production of the season and will air from 10-11 a.m. on the court at the USA. Fans are encouraged to attend with doors opening at 9 a.m. – an hour before the show which is hosted by Rece Davis who is joined by Jay Bilas, Andraya Carter, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams. ESPN College Basketball GameDay is returning to Lubbock for the first time since 2018.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 6 Houston (17-1, 5-0) at No. 12 Texas Tech (15-4, 5-1)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 5:30 p.m., Saturday, January 24, 2026
TV: ESPN
TV CALL: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Stormy Buonantony
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton and Chris Level
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
Toppin was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after leading Tech with 27 points and 13 rebounds in the win over BYU last Saturday before having 22 points at Baylor on Tuesday night… Toppin, who had career-high seven straight double-doubles going entering the game at Baylor, had only four rebounds against the Bears to see the streak end… He is currently leading the Big 12 with 10.8 rebounds per game (6th nationally) and is fourth in the Big 12 with 21.6 points per game (13th nationally)… Toppin leads the nation with 170 made field goals this season and is second amongst all active players in the nation with 43 career double-doubles after also going for 31 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Utah… He now has 68 double-figure scoring performances and 30 games with 20-plus points in his career (10 this season)…  Along with his scoring and rebounding against Utah, Toppin recorded a career-high seven assists, made three 3-pointers for a career high and matched a career-best with five blocked for the third time this season and the seventh in his career… Against Utah, Toppin became the first DI player to put up at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in a game since Georgetown's Mike Sweetney on March 1, 2003. Toppin then put up 27 points and 12 rebounds against BYU, making him the second player to start Big 12 play with five straight double-doubles by Kevin Durant… Against BYU, Toppin was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers for the second straight game… His double-double with 30-plus points against Utah was the seventh time in his career and fourth this season… Added to the Wooden Award Midseason Watchlist, Toppin has also produced 16 points/13 rebounds at Colorado, 18 points/11 rebounds at Houston, 23 points/14 rebounds in the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, 14 points/11 rebounds in the win over Winthrop and 19 points/10 rebounds in the win over Duke for his current streak of seven straight double-doubles… Toppin leads the Big 12 this season with 12 double-doubles and also tops the conference (4th nationally) with 4.44 offensive rebounds per game… The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America also produced a double-double against Sam Houston, Illinois, New Orleans, Arkansas and LSU in non-conference play… In the Bahamas, Toppin earned Baha Mar Championship All-Tournament honors after he had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the loss to No. 1 Purdue along with producing 21 points and 9 rebounds in the win over Wake Forest where he was 10-for-19 from the field against the Demon Deacons… Toppin was named to the Big 12 Starting Five for the first time this season after he produced a season-high 35 points and 11 rebounds at No. 14 Illinois… Toppin missed the season opener with a lower body injury but showed no signs of alarm in his debut, going off for 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals in his junior season debut against Sam Houston… He returned for his junior season from a Consensus Second Team All-America season as a sophomore and has a slew of preseason honors leading into this season… He was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Associated Press Preseason All-American and is on the Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List… A Dallas, Texas native, he was coming off a season where he recorded 19 double-doubles and averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game – each the team's leader… He set a career-high with 41 points in an overtime win over Arizona State and had a career-best 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's… Toppin recorded three games with 30-plus points including going for 32 points and 12 rebounds at Oklahoma State and producing 30 points and 14 rebounds in the home finale against Colorado… He also had seven double-doubles with 25-plus point performances… Toppin ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding while having the seventh most double-doubles in the nation… A sophomore from Dallas, Toppin scored 20 or more points in 17 games last season, passing Jarrett Culver (2018-19) who had 13 games of 20 or more as a sophomore during the run to the 2019 Final Four… His 18.2 points per game were also the most for the program since Culver averaged 18.5 in the 2018-19 season with the program record being 24.5 from Greg Lowery in the 1971-72 season where he posted 19 games of 20-plus scoring… His 19 double-doubles were only behind Tony Battie's 20 during the 1996-97 season in the Tech record book and was the 7th most nationally during the season… Toppin comes into the second matchup against Houston having already produced 1,436 points, 831 rebounds and 148 blocked shots through 87 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 51 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 991 points and has 505 rebounds – averaging 19.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform… His 43 career double-doubles are only behind 48 from Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) and is ahead of Graham Ike (Gonzaga) who has 42… Through six Big 12 games, Toppin is currently averaging 22.9 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in conference play.
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Anderson made a career-high eight 3-pointers (8-for-10) and led the Red Raiders with 26 points and six assists in the win at Baylor… A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection this season, he leads the Big 12 with 7.4 assists per game, is sixth in scoring with 20.2 points per game and second in 3-point percentage (45.3%) and fourth in 3-point makes per (3.58)… Anderson now has nine games this season scoring over 20 points (13 in his career) and has made five or more 3-pointers in six games this season… He recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 assists against Utah and followed with 22 points and seven assists against BYU last Saturday in Lubbock… Anderson matched a previous career-high with six made 3-pointers against the Utes, going 6-for-11 (54.5%)… Anderson, who scored a career-high 34 points in the season opener, is tied with Toppin for the team lead with 17 double-figure scoring performances this season after having an 11-game streak end with seven points at Houston… His previous game with only single-digit scoring this season came with eight points and 11 assists at Illinois… His 13 assists matched a program record in Big 12 games and was only one behind the all-time single-game record of 14 by Stan Bonewitz in 1996 against Fresno State… Anderson was named to the Big 12 Starting Five for the fourth time this season after a 29-point performance against Winthrop in the non-conference finale… He was the Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season after leading the Red Raiders with 27 points and five assists in the win over Duke… Against the Blue Devils, he scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half and finished the game shooting 5-for-9 on 3-pointers and then scored 25 points in the first half against Winthrop… In non-conference play, he also produced 26 points and 11 assists against Arkansas along with 27 points and 10 assists in the win over LSU… Anderson, who has made the Big 12 Starting Five four times this season, also leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by playing 38:25 minutes per game and has recorded five or more assists in 17-of-19 games this season… He has played all 40 minutes in five games this season, including against Wyoming, Duke, Arkansas, Colorado and BYU… Anderson is currently 68-for-150 on 3-pointers (45.3%) this season… An Atlanta, Georgia native, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and to the Big 12 Starting Five on November 11 after averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the first week of the season – along with only having three turnovers… He recorded his first career double-double and established new career highs with 34 points and 11 assists in the win over Lindenwood in the season opener and followed it with 18 points and seven assists in the win over Sam Houston… He is the first player in program history to have a double-double with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists… Entering the season, Anderson was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and is on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List… He is coming off a freshman season where he averaged 10.6 points and 2.2 assists per game – earning All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors before helping Germany to the silver medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup during the summer in Switzerland… A 6-foot-3 point guard, Anderson scored a previous career-high 22 points in the Sweet 16 win over Arkansas last season and matched the team lead by making 71 3-pointers… He led the Red Raiders with 46 made 3-pointers in Big 12 play and finished the season shooting 38.0 percent from distance… During the summer with Germany, Anderson averaged 17.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds, including scoring 18 points and having nine assists against the USA in the championship game… He finished his freshman season with four games of scoring 20 or more points and had a career-high six assists in the win at Kansas… Anderson comes into the second matchup against Houston with 755 points, 217 assists, 171 rebounds, 70 steals and is 139-for-337 (41.2%) on 3-pointers through 54 career games… Through six Big 12 games, Anderson is averaging 19.2 points and 8.0 assists per game.
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Watts reached the 1,000-point career milestone at Baylor after providing 13 points and seven rebounds in the win… He entered the game with 996 career points and is now at 1,009 career points and is averaging 13.4 points per game in his first season at Texas Tech… Last Saturday, Watts put up 20 points and eight rebounds in the win over BYU for his fourth game this season and 10th in his career with 20-plus points… At Colorado, he recorded his second double-double of the season after going for 11 points and 11 rebounds along with adding six assists… A double-figure scorer in 52 career games, he scored 19 points in the win against Oklahoma State while also producing nine rebounds and two assists before having six rebounds, three assists and five points at Houston… Named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Watts is now averaging 13.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists through 18 games played this season... A redshirt junior in his first season at Tech, he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and Lute Olson National Player of the Week honors after providing 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals against Duke following a career-high 36 points after going 12-for-13 from the field with three 3-pointers in the win over Northern Colorado… According to ESPN Insights, the shooting performance against Northern Colorado makes Watts the first player in Big 12 history to score over 35 points while shooting over 90% (he was 12-for-12 from the field before missing a 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining in the game)… Along with his field goal percentage, Watts went 9-of-11 at the free-throw line to smash his previous career-high of 24 points last season against San Francisco while he was playing for Washington State as a sophomore… He recorded his first double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over LSU… He knocked on the door of his first double-double of the season with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over Milwaukee and just missed his second with nine rebounds against OSU… Watts, who now has 12 double-figure scoring performances this season, scored a previous season-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field (2-2 on 3s) at No. 14 Illinois… He made his Tech debut in the second game of the season against Sam Houston and finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of play after missing the opener with a lower body injury… Watts entered the season as the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year along with being selected for the Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List… A Fresno, California native, he is in his fourth year in college after playing last season at Washington State and spending two seasons at Eastern Washington where he redshirted as a true freshman… At Washington State last season, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game… He had 10 double-doubles and also recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Santa Clara… He scored a previous career-high 24 points in a game against San Francisco and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds against Idaho last season… Watts comes into the matchup against Houston with 1,009 points, 502 rebounds, 253 assists, 10 games scoring 20-or-more points and 12 double-doubles through 84 games played in his career… Through six Big 12 games, Watts is averaging 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in conference play.
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Atwell made a season-high seven 3-pointers (7-for-10) and finished with 21 points in the win over Baylor… It was his second game scoring over 20 points this season, his 20th career game making five or more and was only one 3-pointer away from his career high… Atwell is currently fifth in the Big 12 with 3.4 made 3-pointers per game and is fifth by shooting 43.0% from deep… He is now averaging 11.9 points per game as a starter in all 19 games… Atwell led Tech with 17 points at Colorado after going 5-for-13 on 3-pointers and was coming off games against Utah where he scored 12 points (4-for-9 on 3-pointers) and BYU where he had five points with one 3 before going off in Waco… Through six Big 12 games, he is averaging 13.8 points per conference game and is 25-for-56 (44.6%) on 3-pointers against conference opponents… Atwell, who has made 276 3-pointers in 113 career games, was 5-for-10 on 3-pointers against Oklahoma State and finished the game with 15 points before scoring 13 points at Houston with three 3-pointers… Atwell has recorded 54 games in his career in double-figure scoring and is now averaging 11.4 points per game this season… Atwell is currently 65-for-151 (43.0%) from beyond the arc overall… He reached the 1,000-point career milestone in the game against Arkansas where he finished with six points on 2-for-5 shooting on 3-pointers… A starter in all 19 games this season, he is also adding 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game after a season-high three steals against Winthrop… Atwell, who played in his 100th career game against Purdue, started the season with two straight games with six 3-pointers before a game against Milwaukee where he was 5-for-9 from deep and finished with 17 points… Atwell made six 3-pointers against Sam Houston and Lindenwood – just two back of his career-high… Atwell went 6-for-13 on 3-pointers and also added four rebounds and two steals in the opener against Lindenwood and was 6-for-11 on 3-pointers in the second game of the season against Sam Houston… He joined the Red Raiders for his senior season after playing the past three at UNC Greensboro and was coming off a junior season where he averaged 13.3 points per game and was 96-for-241 (39.8 percent) on 3-pointers… His 96 3-pointers were the 43rd most in the nation… He scored a career-high 28 points last season at Chattanooga by going 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and has two games in his career with eight made 3-pointers… Atwell averaged scoring in double figures the past two seasons, including going for 11.4 points per game as a sophomore in the 2023-24 season where he was 93-for-220 (42.3 percent) on 3-point attempts… His career-high for 3-pointers made is eight, knocking down eight 3s against Kansas City and Eastern Kentucky during the 2023-24 season while at UNC Greensboro… A Huntersville, North Carolina native, he comes into the second matchup against Houston with 1,115 career points and is 276-for-688 (40.1%) on 3-pointers through 113 games in his career.
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty matched a career-high with five assists and also added 10 points in the win over BYU and is now averaging 8.9 points and 2.1 assists for the season after having three points and three assists at Baylor… He matched a career high and led Texas Tech with 20 points at Houston after going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers against the Cougars… Against Colorado, Petty also had eight points and two assists… A true freshman, he now has eight double-figure scoring performances this season and two games with 20 points… A starter in the past seven games, Petty is 13-for-34 (38.2%) in Big 12 games on 3-pointers and 34-for-93 (36.6%) for the season… Along with making five 3-pointers at Houston, he was also 3-of-3 at the free-throw line in Houston and against BYU and is now 22-of-23 (95.7%) at the free-throw line for the season… Petty made his first career start and scored a career-high 20 points for the first time in the win over Winthrop after making two 3-pointers and going 6-of-7 at the free-throw line… A reserve in his first 11 appearances of the season, he started for the first time against Winthrop in the non-conference finale and then against versus Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener where he finished with four 3-pointers in a game where he scored 12 points to mark his sixth double-figure scoring performance of his freshman season… A Seattle, Washington native, Petty recorded a previous career-high with 14 points in the win over Northern Colorado after going 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line before contributing five points in the win over Duke… He had matched his previous career-high for the third time this season with 11 points in the win over LSU after going 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and was coming off a game against Arkansas where he had eight points and six rebounds… His 11 points in the win over LSU was his third game with 11 points this season after also posting 11 against Milwaukee and Wake Forest… Against No. 1 Purdue, he led Tech with four assists and also had five points and three rebounds in 34 minutes of play as a reserve… He made a strong collegiate debut by going for nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and having only one turnover against Lindenwood in the opener after playing 34 minutes off the bench… Petty earned Washington Gatorade Player of the Year honors last season after averaging 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game at Rainier Beach High School… A four-star recruit, he led his team to a state championship and had a triple-double in a game where he produced 61 points, 15 assists and 15 steals… Petty was a McDonald's All-American nominee, adidas All-America, NBPA Topp 100 selection, a two-time Donovan Mitchell camp participant, an Allen Iverson Showcase selection and the Iverson Class 24K Showcase MVP.
Tyeree Bryan: "Team player. Competitor. Hard worker."
Bryan comes into the second matchup against Houston with 985 career points and 160 made 3-pointers after providing seven points and two rebounds in the win at Baylor… A starter in 12 games this season and a reserve in the opening six Big 12 games, Bryan is averaging 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game with nine points against Oklahoma State for his conference high this season… The game against Oklahoma State was his first to play as a reserve this season and was his second game where he made three 3-pointers… He was 2-for-5 on 3-pointers in the game against Arkansas and has now made 15-of-52 on 3-point attempts this season… In the Bahamas, he recorded his 52nd career game scoring in double figures after going for 13 points against Wake Forest with a season-best three 3-pointers… Along with scoring 13 against Wake Forest, he also had seven rebounds, two steals and made a season-high three 3-pointers… Bryan hit his season-high 13 points for the first time on 5-for-10 shooting in the win over Milwaukee in Tech's last home game after having a previous high of 12 against Sam Houston… An Orlando, Florida native, Bryan is in his first season at Texas Tech after playing the past two at Santa Clara and beginning his career with one season at Charleston Southern and one at River State College… He was coming off a season at Santa Clara where he averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 66-for-154 (42.9 percent) on 3-pointers… Bryan scored a career-high 35 points against Gonzaga last season after going 7-for-12 from deep… He made four or more 3-pointers in seven games last season and is now 160-for-399 (40.1 percent) on 3-pointers in his career… Bryan has 985 points, 477 rebounds, 135 assists and 69 steals through 111 career games played.
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye has missed the past eight games with a lower body injury after he left the game against Northern Colorado where he scored four points and had two rebounds in seven minutes of action… He also had missed the game against Arkansas due to being in concussion protocol after he had started the past four games… He is currently averaging 5.6 pints, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in seven games played this season… Against LSU, Bamgboye provided 6 points and 3 rebounds in the win… He recorded his second four-block game of the season and scored a season-high 13 points in the win over New Orleans before having two blocks and five rebounds against Wyoming in the past two home games… Bamgboye made his first start as a Red Raider in the loss against No. 1 Purdue and finished with five points, two rebounds and one blocked shot after he had contributed six points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in the win over Wake Forest… A 6-foot-11 sophomore, he made his Texas Tech debut with four blocked shots and four points in the win over Milwaukee… He had missed the first three games this season with a lower body injury… He transferred to Texas Tech after playing his freshman season at VCU where he ranked second among all freshmen in the nation with 75 blocks and was tied for 17th overall with 2.14 blocks per game... A London native, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in a season where he earned Atlantic 10 Conference All-Defensive Team and All-Rookie honors… He appeared in 35 games with 24 starts, including scoring a career-high 17 points and having a career-best seven blocks against UMass… Bamgboye has played in 42 career games and currently has 87 blocked shots, 173 points and 140 rebounds.
Leon Horner: "Vocal. High intensity. Coachable."
Horner contributed five points and four rebounds in the win over Oklahoma State after scoring six points in the previous two games against Winthrop and Duke… A sophomore in his second season at Tech, he is currently averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15 games played as a reserve… Against Winthrop, Horner matched a career-high with five rebounds after also having five rebounds against Purdue earlier this season… A Dallas native, he also had three rebounds in the win over LSU after playing against Wyoming where he had four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action… Horner provided a career-high three assists and scored two points in the win over New Orleans after he had five points and five rebounds in the loss against No. 1 Purdue… Horner scored a career-high 10 points after making 2-of-3 shots from beyond the arc in the season opener against Lindenwood along with grabbing 6 rebounds but missed the games against Sam Houston and No. 14 Illinois with a lower body injury… Horner has played in 21 career games after he returned for his second season at Texas Tech following playing nine games last season as a true freshman… A Dallas, Texas native, he scored his first career points in a win over Oral Roberts and had one rebound in five games… Horner played at Dynamic Prep and a was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior where he averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Nolan Groves: "Hardworking. Coachable. Team player."
Groves established a new Texas Tech freshman record in his college debut by grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Lindenwood and scored 7 points in the first two games of the season… Through 17 games played, he is averaging 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game… He did not score against Duke, but played 13 minutes and had a team-best plus-13 while on the court playing strong defense… Against Winthrop, Groves had three rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes of playing time… In the Bahamas, Groves came off the bench and scored four points against No. 1 Purdue with one 3-pointer and a free throw… Against Lindenwood, he had 6 offensive rebounds and 10 on the defensive side of the court to go along with scoring 7 points, dishing out 3 assists and coming away with 2 steals in 27 minutes of action from the starting lineup… Groves entered his freshman season after earning Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Orono High School… He finished his senior season averaging 34.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game… A Long Lake, Minnesota native, Groves scored 40 or more points in nine games and had a 57-point performance during his senior year of high school.
Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."
Akuentok returned to the court against Colorado after missing seven games due to a lower body injury and also played two minutes against Utah… His return at Colorado was his fifth appearance this season and first since playing limited minutes against Purdue in the Bahamas on November 21… Akuentok played five minutes at Baylor as a reserve… He started and made his college debut in the win over Lindenwood – going for 8 rebounds, 7 points and having one blocked shot – before playing in a reserve role against Sam Houston, Illinois and Purdue… Through seven games played, Akuentok is averaging 1.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game… He was 3-for-5 from the field in 17 minutes of action against Lindenwood and scored the first points of the season for the Red Raiders with a 3-pointer… Akuentok returned for his second season at Texas Tech after redshirting last year… He joined the program in January and experienced the journey to the Elite Eight… Akuentok is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was a top 100 recruit who reclassified… He played at Fort Erie International Academy and was named the co-player of the year and defensive player of the year… He also competed for the U18 Canada National Team and helped lead them to the bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup.
Jack Francis: "Humble. Resilient. Coachable."
Francis is the longest tenured Red Raider, having joined the program as a practice player in the 2022-23 season… He has appeared in 26 games in his career, including playing in eight games this year after making 11 appearances last season… An Austin, Texas native, Francis played at Anderson High School where he scored over 1,000 points in his career… At Tech, he scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston and also scored last season against Oral Roberts… Texas Tech is now 25-1 in games he has appeared in after he played in the final minute at Baylor.
Jazz Henderson: "Vocal. Confident. Energetic."
Henderson made his college debut and scored two points in seven minutes of playing time against Lindenwood and contributed two rebounds in the win over Sam Houston… He appeared in his fifth career game against Oklahoma State but has missed the past five games due to a lower body injury… Henderson is in his second season with the Texas Tech basketball program after redshirting due to injury last season… A Dallas, Texas native, he was a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family High School where he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior.
Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Moseley has not played this season after suffering a lower body injury in the summer… He returned to his home state of Texas after playing his freshman season at Villanova where he played in 30 games as a reserve… A Round Rock, Texas native, he was the 2023-24 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 22.8 points and 8.9 rebounds for Stony Point High School… At Villanova, Moseley scored a career-high 10 points against Lafayette and had a career-best seven rebounds against Temple… He finished his freshman season averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
LaTrell Hoover: "Energetic. Coachable. Hardworking."
The final addition to this year's roster, Hoover signed with the Red Raiders on September 8 and immediately joined the program to begin practicing… McCasland said he plans to redshirt Hoover this season… Hoover is listed at 7-foot tall, making him the tallest player on the roster… A San Antonio, Texas native, Hoover played at Samuel Clements High School where he averaged 11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior – earning all-district second team honors.
McCasland is now 277-113 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 66-24 overall (90 games – 73.3 win%), 31-13 in Big 12 games, 40-5 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games and 14-10 in true road… 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 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup over the summer in Switzerland after winning the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires… McCasland was a 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalist presented by AXIA Time… His record through two complete seasons at Tech is the best start for a head coach in program history… McCasland joined Bob Knight as the only two coaches in program history 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 an NCAA coach, McCasland has 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… He is in his 10th season as an NCAA Division I coach.
PROGRAM: The Red Raiders finished last season with a 28-9 overall record, including being second in the Big 12 standings with a 15-5 conference record. Tech matched the program record with a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program's third Elite 8. As a program in recent seasons, Tech has advanced to the Elite Eight (2018), NCAA Final (2019), Sweet 16 (2022), and Elite Eight (2025).
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4
FEATURES: Watts | Toppin (The Athletic) | Anderson – FIBA U19
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Texas Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.Â
