No. 11 Tech takes 5-game winning streak to Orlando

Saturday, January 31

Orlando, Florida

11 a.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

UCF

No. 11 Tech takes 5-game winning streak to Orlando

January 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Press Conference Game Notes (PDF)Watch on ESPN2 Big 12 Standings

By: Wes Bloomquist

LUBBOCK – On a season-best five-game winning streak after earning its second top 10 win of the year, No. 11 Texas Tech returns to action this weekend with a road game against UCF at 11 a.m. (CST) on Saturday at Addition Financial Arena.

The Red Raiders (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) are coming off a week where they earned a 90-86 win over then-No. 6 Houston last Saturday after a 92-73 road win at Baylor on Tuesday night - matching a program record by making 17 3-pointers. For the week, Tech shot 29-for-56 (51.8%) on 3-pointers in the wins over Houston and Baylor – led by Donovan Atwell making 12-for-18 (66.7%) and Christian Anderson knocking down 9-of-17 (52.9%). Tech is currently second in the Big 12 standings behind No. 1 Arizona (21-0) which improved to 8-0 in conference play with a win over BYU on Monday night. The Knights (16-4, 5-3 Big 12), who trailed by as many as 12 points, improved to 11-2 at home with a 79-76 win over Arizona State on Tuesday night after earning a 95-86 win at Colorado last Saturday.

"They may be as good of a team in the country at home," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "They've been playing with a lot of confidence and have won a few games in a row. They're playing great, especially offensively. They have elite scoring talent on their team. Guys who have been great scorers all their lives. They are physical. That jumps out to me. They're the No. 1 defensive rebounding team in our league. We were until playing Houston. I just think they are physical and can score with a lot of guys who can put you on your heels. Our defense and rebounding is going to have to be great."

Tech, which scored 30 more points against Houston than the Cougars were averaging allowed this season, was led by JT Toppin who had 31 points and 12 rebounds while Atwell and Jaylen Petty each scored 18 points and combined for nine 3-pointers. Anderson, who made a career-high eight 3-pointers at Baylor, added 12 points and nine assists in the win over Houston. Toppin earned his third Big 12 Player of the Week honor of the season (all three coming in January) on Monday after his performances against Baylor and Houston – highlighted by his national-leading fifth game this season going over a 30-10 double-double and averaging 26.5 points and 8.0 rebounds for the week. Through seven Big 12 games, Toppin is currently averaging 24.0 points and 11.4 rebounds against conference opponents. Anderson leads the Big 12 with 7.5 assists per game which is third nationally while also averaging 19.8 points per game for the season. Tech has four players averaging in double figures this season: Toppin (22.1), Anderson (19.8), LeJuan Watts (12.8) and Atwell (12.2) while Petty is scoring 9.4 per game in his freshman season.

Over Tech's five-game winning streak, Toppin leads the team with 25.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while Anderson is at 20.2 points and 7.4 assists. Atwell is shooting 22-for-45 (48.9%) on 3-pointers while Anderson is 21-of-44 (47.7%) from deep in the wins over Colorado, Utah, BYU, Baylor and Houston. As a team, Tech is 64-for-147 (43.5%) on 3-pointers and has out-rebounded the opponents by a plus-7.8 margin and has averaged 17.6 assists per game.

Now with an 11-0 home record this season, McCasland takes his team back on the road for a matchup against UCF before hosting No. 14 Kansas on Monday, Feb. 2 at United Supermarkets Arena. Under McCasland, the Red Raiders went 8-2 on the road last season in Big 12 games to establish a new program record for road wins in Big 12 games. McCasland owns a 67-24 record through 91 games as the Red Raider head coach and is 278-113 as a NCAA head coach. Texas Tech moved up one spot in the AP Top 25 this week after its wins over Baylor and Houston to extend a program record of appearing in 21 straight releases of the national rankings.

Tech enters its game at UCF leading the Big 12 with 11.4 made 3-pointers per game and is second by shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc. The 11.4 3-pointers per game ranks 8th nationally while the team is 10th nationally with its percentage. The 17 3-pointers at Baylor matched a program record which was also hit in wins over Oklahoma State and Lindenwood this season. The Red Raiders matched the program record with 17 3-pointers at Baylor for the third time this season after going 17-for-27 (63.0%) from beyond the arc – setting a new Big 12 record by making 14 of those 17 3-pointers in the first half. The Red Raiders went into halftime in Waco shooting 14-for-19 (73.7%) on 3-pointers to jump out to a 55-36 lead. The Red Raiders are currently third in the Big 12 with a 56.2 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 84.2 points per game while limiting opponents to 73.8. The Red Raiders are currently 4-0 at home in Big 12 play with wins over Oklahoma State, Utah, BYU and Houston while being 2-1 on the road with wins at Colorado and Baylor. The team is now 3-4 this season against AP Top 25 teams and 2-1 against Big 12 teams that have been ranked. Tech has made 10 or more 3-pointers in 15 of 20 games this season after going 12-for-29 (41.4%) in the win over Houston. The team has shot over 40% from deep in 10 games with a season-high 63.0% against Baylor.

Through 20 games on its schedule, UCF is third in the Big 12 by shooting 38.0% on 3-pointers and is second with a plus-6.9 rebounding advantage over their opponents. Riley Kugel led UCF with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the win over the Sun Devils while Jordan Burks added 15 points and Jamichael Stillwell went for 14 points and nine rebounds. John Bol led UCF with 10 rebounds and added six points in the win over ASU. Kugel tops the Knights this season with 15.1 points per game which ranks 20th in the Big 12 while Themus Fulks scores 13.9 per game and Stillwell and Burks both enter the game against Tech averaging 12.5 points per game. Devan Cambridge, who was on the Texas Tech roster the past two seasons, is currently averaging 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Knights this year. Stillwell leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game and with five double-doubles this season while Fulks is second in the Big 12 with 7.2 assists per game. The team averages 8.7 made 3-pointers per game after going 7-for-22 in their win over Arizona State. UCF has home wins in Big 12 play over Kansas, Cincinnati and Arizona State and has one loss coming against Arizona on January 17. The non-conference home loss came against Vanderbilt on November 8. Texas Tech is the second opponent from the state of Texas this season for the Knights who earned an 86-74 win at Texas A&M on November 14 in College Station. UCF follows its game against Texas Tech by playing at Houston on Wednesday at the Fertitta Center.

SERIES HISTORY
UCF is 2-1 in the all-time series with all three matchups coming in the calendar year of 2024 after the Knights joined the Big 12. Tech won the first ever matchup with a 66-59 win on February 10, 2024 in Lubbock but would fall in Orlando by a 75-61 score two week later. Last season, the teams only met once and saw UCF take an 87-83 win on December 31, 2024 in the Big 12 opener. Toppin recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the game along with adding four blocks while Anderson had five assists but was limited to only two points. Toppin and Anderson are the only two players on the current roster to play against UCF at Tech. The Red Raiders are making their second trip to UCF's campus and are looking for their first win there.

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."

RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")

JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
Toppin was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the third time this season and fifth in his career after leading the Red Raiders with 31 points and 12 rebounds in the home win over Houston last Saturday... It was his conference-leading 13th double-double of the season and the 44th of his career... Toppin also leads the Big 12 with 10.9 rebounds per game, 4.53 offensive rebounds per game and leads the nation with 182 made field goals after going 12-for-24 from the field against Houston for his 31 points... Toppin was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week last week after leading Tech with 27 points and 13 rebounds in the win over BYU and then went off for 22 points at Baylor last Tuesday… 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 before his second double-double against Houston of the season… He now has 69 double-figure scoring performances and 31 games with 20-plus points in his career (11 this season and four in a row)… 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 Houston was the eighth time in his career and fifth 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… 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 road game at UCF having already produced 1,467 points, 843 rebounds and 148 blocked shots through 88 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 52 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 1,022 points and has 517 rebounds – averaging 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform… His 44 career double-doubles are only behind 48 from Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) and is ahead of Graham Ike (Gonzaga) who has 42… Through seven Big 12 games, Toppin is currently averaging 24.0 points and 11.4 rebounds in conference play.

Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Anderson leads the Big 12 and is third nationally with 7.5 assists per game along with being sixth in scoring with 19.8 points per game, fourth by shooting 43.9% on 3-pointers and fifth in 3-pointers per game (3.5)... 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 before providing 12 points and nine assists in the win over Houston… A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection this season, he 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… 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 18 double-figure scoring performances this season after having an 11-game streak end with seven points at Houston… He is currently on a five-game streak of double-figure scoring heading to Orlando... His previous game with only single-digit scoring this season came with eight points and 11 assists at Illinois… His 13 assists against Oklahoma State 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 38:29 minutes per game and has recorded five or more assists in 18-of-20 games this season… He has played all 40 minutes in six games this season, including against Wyoming, Duke, Arkansas, Colorado, BYU and the home game against Houston… Anderson is currently 69-for-157 on 3-pointers (43.9%) 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 road game at UCF with 767 points, 226 assists, 175 rebounds, 70 steals and is 140-for-344 (40.7%) on 3-pointers through 55 career games… Through seven Big 12 games, Anderson is averaging 18.1 points and 8.1 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 road win and then had five rebounds and three points against Houston in last week's games… Against Baylor, he entered the game with 996 career points and is now at 1,012 career points and is averaging 12.8 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 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists through 19 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 at UCF with 1,012 points, 507 rebounds, 254 assists, 10 games scoring 20-or-more points and 12 double-doubles through 85 games played in his career… Through seven Big 12 games, Watts is averaging 11.4 points and 7.9 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 at Baylor before providing 18 points against Houston where he was 5-for-8 on 3-pointers in the win... His production at Baylor was his second game scoring over 20 points this season while his five 3s against Houston was his 21st career game making five or more in a game... Atwell is currently fourth in the Big 12 with 3.5 made 3-pointers per game and is third by shooting 44.0% from deep… He is now averaging 12.2 points per game as a starter in all 20 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)… Through seven Big 12 games, he is averaging 14.4 points per conference game and is 30-for-64 (46.9%) on 3-pointers against conference opponents… Atwell, who has made 281 3-pointers in 114 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 55 games in his career… Atwell is currently 70-for-159 (44.0%) 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… 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 road game at UCF with 1,133 career points and is 281-for-696 (40.4%) on 3-pointers through 114 games in his career.

Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty scored 18 points after going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers in the home win over Houston and is now averaging 9.4 points and 2.0 made 3-pointers per game this season... Along with his 3-point sharpshooting, Petty is now 26-of-27 (96.3%) from the free-throw line this season after going 4-of-4 at the line against Houston on Saturday afternoon... Petty had matched a career-high with five assists and also added 10 points in the win over BYU… He matched a career high and led Texas Tech with 20 points at Houston in the first meeting against the Cougars after going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers… A true freshman, he now has nine double-figure scoring performances this season and two games with 20 points… A starter in the past eight games, Petty is 17-for-40 (42.5%) in Big 12 games on 3-pointers and 38-for-99 (38.4%) 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 road game at UCF with 987 career points and 160 made 3-pointers after providing seven points and two rebounds in the win at Baylor and then having two points and two rebounds against Houston last week… A starter in 12 games this season and a reserve in the opening seven Big 12 games, Bryan is averaging 4.6 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 987 points, 479 rebounds, 135 assists and 69 steals through 112 career games played.

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 18 games played, he is averaging 1.0 points and 1.3 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.

Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Moseley made his Texas Tech debut against Houston after missing the first 19 games of the season with a lower body injury he suffered in the summer… Moseley scored six points and had six rebounds against the Cougars, going 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and pulling down three offensive rebounds in 9:37 of playing time... 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.

Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye has missed the past nine 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.

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 limited minutes against Utah and Baylor… Akuentok did not play against Houston but was available... His return to the court 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.

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 278-113 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 67-24 overall (91 games – 73.6 win%), 32-13 in Big 12 games, 41-5 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.