Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 7 Houston
No. 14 Tech, No. 7 Houston to tussle on Tuesday
January 04, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – For the sixth straight time, Texas Tech and Houston are set to clash with both teams being nationally ranked. The first of two matchups this month between the No. 14-ranked Red Raiders and No. 7 Cougars is set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Fertitta Center in Houston after the Red Raiders (11-3, 1-0 Big 12) opened conference play with a 102-80 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in Lubbock while the Cougars (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) began their conference slate with a 67-60 road win at Cincinnati. Tech and Houston split their games last season with the Red Raiders taking an 82-81 overtime road win on Feb. 1, 2025 before the Cougars claimed a 69-61 win in Lubbock on Feb. 24, 2025. The two teams are set to meet again in Lubbock on Saturday, January 24 at United Supermarkets Arena. Â
Tech is coming off a game against OSU where it matched the program/season record by making 17 3-pointers and scored its second most points in a conference game. The 102 points scored were the most this season for the Red Raiders who had scored 101 in a non-conference win over Northern Colorado. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 by making 11.1 3-pointers per game and have made 10-or-more in 10 games this season. The team is currently shooting 155-for-407 (38.1%) on 3-pointers for the season which ranks fourth in the conference and 25th nationally. The Red Raiders were 17-for-37 (45.9%) from beyond the arc in the 22-point win over OSU and had six players make at least one 3-pointer. The 17 made 3-pointers matched the 17 makes in the season opener against Lindenwood which established a new program record. Tech is currently on a four-game winning streak while Houston has won seven straight since a 76-73 loss to Tennessee back on November 25 in Las Vegas.
Houston has won the past two Big 12 titles and topped the Big 12 Preseason Poll. The Cougars are 7-0 on their home court this season and currently lead the conference by limiting opponents to only 60.0 points per game and also by limiting their turnovers to only 9.1 per game. The team is scoring 77.9 points per game and is making 9.1 3-pointers per game with a 34.6 percentage. Kingston Flemings leads the league with 32 steals while also adding 15.6 points and 5.0 assists per game in his freshman season while Emanuel Sharp leads UH with 15.9 points per game. Sharp is currently 10th in the Big 12 by shooting 39.4% on 3-pointers and is seventh with 2.8 3-pointers made per game. Chris Cenac leads the Cougars with 7.4 rebounds per game and Joseph Tugler is at 5.1 rebounds and 7.9 points per game this season. Milos Uzan is adding 11.6 points and 4.4 assists per game. Houston has ranked wins over Auburn and Arkansas this season.
JT Toppin and Christian Anderson are proving to be one of the most dynamic combinations in the nation and come into the game against Houston as the only teammates in the nation who are both averaging over 20 points per game. Toppin, who earned his first Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Monday, leads the Red Raiders and is fourth in the Big 12 with 21.2 points per game while Anderson is scoring 20.5 points per game which ranks sixth in the conference. Toppin secured his eighth double-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds against Oklahoma State while Anderson recorded his fourth career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 13 assists in the win. Anderson, who is a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week winner, leads the Big 12 with 7.5 assists per game after his fifth game this season with double-digit assists. Over the past five games, Anderson is averaging 23.0 points and 8.0 assists per game with three 20-plus scoring performances.
The high-scoring win over OSU came with all five starters scoring in double figures, including LeJuan Watts going for 19 points and nine rebounds to just miss his second double-double of the season while Donovan Atwell made five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and Jaylen Petty scored 12 points with a career-best four 3-pointers made. Watts is now averaging 14.1 points per game and Atwell is at 11.3 to give the Red Raiders four player averaging in double figures through 14 games played this season. Over the past five games, the Red Raiders are shooting 59-for-144 (41.0%) as a team on 3-pointers and are scoring 91.6 points per game.
Texas Tech is currently 1-1 against AP Top 10 opponents this season after earning an 82-81 win over No. 3 Duke on December 20 at Madison Square Garden after falling to then-No. 1 Purdue at the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas back in November. The Red Raiders are 1-3 against AP Top 25 teams and 0-1 in true road games this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston is 32-28 all-time against Texas Tech in a series that began in 1961 with the Red Raiders earning a 69-67 win in Lawrence, Kansas. The series is tied 5-5 over the past 10 meetings. The two programs have met 24 times in Houston with the Cougars owning a 18-6 advantage on their home court. In last season's overtime win at Houston, Anderson scored 10 points while Toppin was limited to only four minutes after being ejected on a flagrant foul call. In the home loss, Toppin recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Anderson had 10 points again. No other current Red Raider played in either game against the Cougars last season. This will be the sixth straight matchup where both programs are ranked.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 15 Texas Tech (11-3, 1-0) at No. 8 Houston (13-1, 1-0)
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: Fertitta Center
Tip: 8 p.m., Tuesday, January 6, 2026
TV: FS1
TV CALL: Jason Benetti and Bill Raftery
Westwood One Radio: Ryan Radtke and PJ Carlesimo
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton and Chris Level
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
Toppin has recorded three straight double-doubles entering the game against Houston and is third amongst all active players in the nation with 39 career double-doubles after going for 23 points and 14 rebounds in the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Winthrop and 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Duke… Nationally, Toppin ranks 17th in scoring with 21.2 points per game while ranking 9th in rebounding with 10.8 rebounds per game… Toppin leads the Big 12 this season with eight double-doubles and also tops the conference (3rd nationally) with 4.69 offensive rebounds per game after having five more in the win over OSU and with 119 field goals made… Toppin, who has a double-double in five of Tech's last six games, earned Big 12 Starting Five honors on December 15 after notching his 36th career double-double and sixth career double-double with over 30 points after going for 30 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks against Arkansas in Dallas… The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America also produced a double-double with 15 rebounds and 11 points in the win over 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 35 points and 11 rebounds at No. 14 Illinois… The 35/11 double-double at Illinois was his fifth double-double of his career with 30-or-more points and double-digit rebounds… He now has 62 double-figure scoring performances and 26 games with 20-plus points… 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 matchup against Houston having already produced 1,322 points, 777 rebounds and 136 blocked shots through 82 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 46 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 877 points and has 451 rebounds – averaging 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform… His 39 career double-doubles are only behind 48 from Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) and Graham Ike (Gonzaga) who has 40… Toppin's 23 points against Oklahoma State marked his eighth time this season scoring over 20 and the 27th time in his career.
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Anderson established a new career-high with 13 assists in the win over Oklahoma State and also scored 19 points to secure the fourth double-double of his season and career… He comes into the 50th game of his career leading the Big 12 and is fourth nationally with 7.5 assists per game and also ranks sixth in the conference with 20.5 points per game… Anderson, who scored a career-high 34 points in the season opener, leads Tech with 13 double-figure scoring performances this season and is currently on an 11-game streak… His only game in 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 last Tuesday 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 in last week's conference release 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 has four career double-doubles with all of them coming this season and now has five games with double-figure assist totals… Anderson, who has made the Big 12 Starting Five four times this season, also leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by playing 38:04 minutes per game and has recorded five or more assists in 13-of-14 games this season… He has played all 40 minutes in three games this season, including against Duke and Arkansas… Anderson is currently 47-for-108 on 3-pointers this season, shooting 43.5% from deep – ranking fifth in the Big 12 in percentage and fourth with made 3s per game (3.36)… 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 Houston with 659 points, 182 assists, 157 rebounds and 66 steals through 49 career games.
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Watts posted his 49th career game scoring in double figures by going for 19 points in the win against Oklahoma State while also producing nine rebounds and two assists… He was 6-for-7 at the free-throw line against the Cowboys and is currently 10th in the Big 12 by shooting 83.1% at the line for the season… Named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Watts is now averaging 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists through 13 games played this season...  A 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 49 double-figure scoring performances in his career with nine 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 is in his first season at Texas Tech and 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 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 951 points, 461 rebounds, 239 assists, nine games scoring 20-or-more points and 11 double-doubles through 79 games played in his career.
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Atwell was 5-for-10 on 3-pointers against Oklahoma State and finished the game with 15 points… It was his team-leading fourth game this season with five made 3-pointers and the 18th time in his career… Atwell had recorded his 50th career game scoring in double figures after going for 14 points with four 3-pointers made in the win over Winthrop and is now averaging 11.3 points and 3.21 made 3-pointers per game this season… Atwell is currently fifth in the Big 12 in made 3-pointers per game and is sixth in the conference by making 42.9% of his shots from deep (45-for-105)… 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 and produced his fifth double-figure scoring performance of the season after scoring 10 points against Northern Colorado… A starter in all 14 games this season, he is also adding 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 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 matchup against Houston with 1,047 career points and is 256-for-642 (39.9 percent) on 3-pointers through 108 games in his career.
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty made his first career start and scored a career-high 20 points in the win over Winthrop after making two 3-pointers and going 6-of-7 at the free-throw line… He started again against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener and established another career-high, this time with four 3-pointers in a game where he finished with 12 points to mark his sixth double-figure scoring performance of his freshman season… Petty is now averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 25-for-67 (37.3%) on 3-pointers and 16-of-17 (94.1%) at the free-throw line… 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 matchup at Houston with 971 career points and 158 made 3-pointers after scoring nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc in the win over Oklahoma State… A starter in 12 games this season, Bryan is averaging 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game but missed his first game of the season with a lower body injury against Winthrop after playing limited minutes against Duke… The game against Oklahoma State was his first to play as a reserve this season… He was 2-for-5 on 3-pointers in the game against Arkansas and has now made 14 3-pointers 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 158-for-391 (40.4 percent) on 3-pointers in his career… Bryan has 971 points, 466 rebounds, 133 assists and 68 steals through 106 career games played.
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye has missed the past three 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 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 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds… 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 19 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.
Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."
Akuentok has not played since the game against Purdue due to a lower body injury… 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 four games played, Akuentok is averaging 2.3 points and 3.0 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.
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… 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… Through 13 games played, he is averaging 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game… 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.
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… He 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.
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 24 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 23-1 in games he has appeared in.
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 273-112 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 62-23 overall (85 games), 27-12 in Big 12 games, 38-5 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games and 12-9 in true road and neutral site games… 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.
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.Â
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
