Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 7 Iowa State
No. 16 Tech, No. 7 Iowa State clash at Big 12 Tournament
March 11, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY – The path to a championship begins for Texas Tech against Iowa State at the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament with a quarterfinal matchup at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center. The Red Raiders (22-9) earned a double-bye in the tournament after finishing in a tie for third in the conference standings with a 12-6 conference record and are the tournament's fourth seed while the Cyclones (26-6, 12-6 Big 12) are the fifth seed and advanced with a 91-42 win over Arizona State on Wednesday in the second round. Both teams are nationally ranked with Iowa State at No. 7 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 while the Red Raiders are ranked No. 16 nationally.
"This is the best time of the year, not even close, being in March playing postseason basketball is a blessing," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "The Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City is remarkable. It's a great opportunity for our team to take advantage of. The opportunity to compete in what I think is the best college basketball tournament outside of the NCAA Tournament is something I'm really looking forward to."
The Red Raiders are 1-0 against Iowa State this season after earning an 82-73 road win on February 28 at Hilton Coliseum – solidifying the tiebreak in the tournament's seeding with the head-to-head win. Tech had six players score in double figures in the win, led by Donovan Atwell going for 18 points after making 6-of-10 3-pointers and Christian Anderson adding 14 points and seven assists. Jaylen Petty scored 12 and had nine rebounds and Luke Bamgboye matched his season-high with 13 points while also having two blocked shots. Tech, which jumped out to a 45-29 halftime lead, pulled the upset over the then-No. 4 Cyclones after going 14-for-29 (48.3%) on 3-pointers in the game while also owning a 35-29 rebounding advantage. Anderson, who was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, leads the Red Raiders with 19.2 points and 7.8 assists per game (Big 12 leader) while Atwell leads the Big 12 with 121 made 3-pointers and is scoring 13.6 points per game this season. LeJuan Watts is adding 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while freshman Jaylen Petty is scoring 9.5 points per game. Tech has made 360 3-pointers this season which is the second most in program history after making 14 more last Saturday against BYU. The Red Raiders will be playing their sixth game without JT Toppin who suffered a season-ending injury at Arizona State on February 17. An All-Big 12 First Team selection and four-time Big 12 Player of the Week, he leads the Big 12 with 16 double-doubles and 10.8 rebounds per game while ranking third with 21.8 points per game.
Tech and Iowa State have met three time in the Big 12 Tournament with the Red Raiders having a 2-1 record going into this Thursday's matchup. The programs last met in Kansas City during the 2022 Big 12 Tournament with Tech advancing with a 72-41 victory. Overall, Iowa State owns a 24-23 advantage in the all-time series over Texas Tech.
Texas Tech has made the semifinals of the tournament the past two seasons and is making its 29th appearance in the annual postseason tournament. The Red Raiders are 18-28 all-time in the Big 12 Tournament, including a 2-2 record under McCasland. Tech has never won the tournament and is 0-2 in the finals, most recently falling 74-65 to Kansas in the 2022 Big 12 Tournament Championship game. Last season, Tech knocked off Baylor with a 76-74 win in the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Arizona with an 86-80 loss in the semifinals. The Red Raiders went on to advance to the program's third NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. With a win, Tech would advance to the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday against either top-seeded Arizona or Cincinnati. The Big 12 Tournament championship game is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday.
"Our heart going forward is how great can we be at the fundamentals," McCasland said. "That way every game you step on the floor you give yourself a chance."
Tech, which has been ranked throughout the season for the first time in its history and in 27 straight Associated Press Top 25 releases dating back to last year, has set a program record with its four wins over a top 10 opponent and three top 5 victories – passing the previous mark from 2006-07 of three top 10 wins. The Red Raiders are now 4-2 against top 10 opponents, 3-1 against top 5 opponents and 5-5 against ranked opponents throughout the season. Tech has a neutral-court win over then-No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden, a home win over then-No. 6 Houston and road victories over then-No. 1 Arizona and then-No. 4 Iowa State. As a program, Tech now has 28 wins over top 10 opponents in the regular season. The team started the season 0-2 against top 10 teams with a loss against then-No. 1 Purdue in the Bahamas and taking a loss at then-No. 7 Houston in the first matchup against the Cougars. Tech started the season at No. 10 in the AP Preseason Top 25 for its highest ranking coming into a season and returned to No. 10 this week.
Atwell is now second in the nation and has set a new Texas Tech single-season record with 121 3-pointers this season while Anderson also passed the previous program record and comes into the tournament with 103 made 3-pointers this season. Atwell and Anderson have both broken the previous mark of 94 set by Cory Carr in the 1996-97 season. Atwell made 81 3-pointers in conference games to break a record previously held by Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) who owned the record of 79 against conference opponents during the 2015-16 season. Anderson continues to lead the Big 12 with 7.8 assists per game, ranking third nationally, and has set a new Texas Tech single-season record 233 assists for the season – passing Elijah Hawkins who set the single-season record last year with 226 assists. He is now scoring 19.2 points per game, ranking fifth in the Big 12, while Atwell is scoring 13.6 points per game. Lethal from deep, Atwell is third nationally by making 45.8% of his 3-point shots and Anderson is third in the Big 12 and 15th nationally at 42.7%. Both rank in the top 10 nationally in 3-point makes per game with Atwell second in the nation with 3.90 per after making and Anderson is 11th nationally with 3.43 made 3s per game.Â
Anderson, who is on the Wooden Award and Naismith National Player of the Year late-season watch list, now has 948 points and 310 assists through 65 career games at Texas Tech. He has eight double-doubles this season after going off for 31 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and providing seven assists in a win over Cincinnati. Anderson has eight games this season in double-figure assists, including a career-high 13 assists earlier this season in a home win over Oklahoma State. He is currently 174-of-428 (40.7%) on 3-pointers in his career.Â
Tech leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally with 11.6 made 3-pointers per game and leads the conference with a 56.6 effective field goal percentage. The Red Raiders are coming off a game at BYU where they were 16-for-35 (45.7%) on 3-pointers (made 12 by halftime) and have now shot 40% or higher from beyond the arc in 17 games this season with a high of 63.0% against Baylor (17-of-27). The 100 points against Kansas State to start the three-game winning streak was the third time overall this season and second time in Big 12 play that Tech has scored over 100 with a season-high 102 against Oklahoma State. Tech ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio and is sixth an average of 16.0 assists per game. The team averages 81.3 points per game and has limited opponents to 72.5 points throughout the regular season. The Red Raiders have now made 10 or more in 25-of-31 games this season, including setting a new program record with 17 in games against Baylor, Oklahoma State and Lindenwood. The Red Raiders established new program records on 3-pointers in the past two seasons under McCasland by making 371 last season (37 games) and 289 the year before (34 games). As a team, Tech is 360-for-909 (39.6%) on 3-pointers through the regular season, which is the second most made in a season in program history.
Grant McCasland will be coaching in his 103rd game as Tech's head coach on Thursday and enters the game with a 284-118 record in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 73-29 overall (102 games – 71.6 win%), 38-18 in Big 12 games, 44-7 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games and 17-13 in true road.
Tech goes into its first matchup with an 8-8 all-time record in the quarterfinals of the tournament, including three straight wins to advance.
Among program highlights in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas Tech's Mike Singletary remains atop the record book by scoring 43 points against Texas A&M on March 11, 2009, Kasib Powell has the only triple-double in tournament history by posting 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Texas on March 14, 2003 and Andre Emmett and Jarrius Jackson both had five 20-plus point performances which is the most. Jackson is the tournament's all-time leading scorer with 175 points while Emmett is third with 164.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
JT TOPPIN: All-Big 12 First Team; The Sporting News All-American (2nd Team); Field of 68 All-American (1st Team); Associated Press All-Big 12 First Team; Wooden Award Ballot
CHRISTIAN ANDERSON: All-Big 12 First Team; Big 12 Most Improved Player; The Sporting News All-American (3rd Team); Field of 68 All-American (3rd Team); Associated Press All-Big 12 First Team; Wooden Award Ballot
DONOVAN ATWELL: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; All-Big 12 Newcomer Team
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")Â
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."Â
Averaged 19.2 points, 7.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds – made 103 3-pointers (42.7%), recorded eight double-doubles in 30 regular season games… Career: 948 points, 310 assists, 174 made 3s (40.7%) in 65 games at Texas Tech… In Big 12 play, averaged 18.1 points, 8.29 assists (141 total) in 17 games played… Earned All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 Most Improved Player… The Sporting News All-American Third Team… Three-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection, Two-time Oscar Robertson Award National Player of the Week… Named to the Wooden Award Ballot; Naismith National Player of the Year Late-Season Watchlist… Established new Tech single-season program record with 233 assists, 7.76 assists per game (passed 226 by Elijah Hawkins last season)… Coming off 23 points, nine assists, 6-for-12 on 3s at BYU… Leads Big 12 in total assists, assists per game – ranks third nationally… Leads Big 12 (second nationally) by playing 38:37 minutes per game – played all 40 minutes in 12 games (all 45 in overtime win at No. 1 Arizona)… Recorded 141 assists against Big 12 opponents – second most in conference history (Trae Young, 145 in 2017-18)… Finished regular season shooting 103-for-241 (42.7%) on 3-pointers; shot 59-for-140 (42.1%) against conference opponents from beyond the arc… Ranks third in Big 12 with 3.43 made 3s per game and 42.7% shooting on 3s, fourth with 103 total 3s made, fifth in scoring (19.2 per)… Approaching the top 10 in Big 12 total assists record list (No. 10 is 252 from KU's Aaron Miles in 2001-02; record is 299 by OSU's Doug Gottlieb in 1998-99)… Second in program history with 103 made 3-pointers (broke previous record, behind only Atwell)… Set career high by going 8-for-10 on 3-pointers at Baylor (scored 26 points); made six 3s at BYU – now has five games this season with six or more 3s… Leads Tech with 28 double-figure scoring performances this season (46 in career), has 15 straight double-figure scoring performance going leading into the postseason… Has eight games with double-figure assists and six or more assists in 14 straight games, recorded six or more assists in 24 of 30 games played… Eight double-doubles this season – seven with assists, one with rebounds (career-high 11 rebounds against Cincinnati)… Along with his eight double-doubles, Anderson has four games this season with nine assists, including in the past two games against TCU and BYU… Scored season/career-high 34 points in opener against Lindenwood on 11-for-23 shooting, including three 3s and also going 9-of-11 at free-throw line… Scored 31 points in win over Cincinnati for scoring-high against Big 12 opponents… Recorded career-high 13 assists in a home win over Oklahoma State – scored 19 points in the game… Has scored 20-plus points in 12 games this season (16 in career); Scored 20-plus in six Big 12 games this season… Has scored 30-plus in two games this season (34 vs. Lindenwood; 31 vs. Cincinnati)… Has made five or more 3s in eight games this season (10 in career)… Entering the season, Anderson was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and is on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List… Was 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 freshman-season high of 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 to earn all-tournament honors… Sophomore guard from Atlanta, Georgia… Pursuing a Bachelor of Science, Applied Personal Finance.
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."Â
Averaging 13.6 points, 3.90 made 3s, 3.3 rebounds in 31 games played… All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team… Program record 121 made 3-pointers this season (previous record Cory Carr – 94 in 1996-97)… Established new Big 12 record with 81 3-pointers during conference play (previous record Buddy Hield, 80 – 2015-16)… Currently second in Big 12 history for total 3-pointers made – behind 147 from Hield, passed A.J. Abrams who had 120 for Texas in 2006-07… Has scored in double figures 23 times this season (67 in career)… Senior guard from Huntersville, North Carolina… Has scored 20-plus in four games this season (10 in career)… Has made five or more 3s in 12 games this season (26 times in career)… Coming off 23 points on 6-for-13 shooting on 3s at BYU… 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 last season were the 43rd most in the nation… 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… Has recorded 1,312 points and made 332-of-801 (41.4%) of his 3-point attempts through 125 career games… Only Red Raider to start all 31 games this season… Will graduate from Texas Tech in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science, Applied Personal Finance.
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."Â
Averaging 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 30 games played (3 double-doubles)… Career: 1,114 points, 564 rebounds, 278 assists in 96 games… Has scored in double figures in 15 games this season (55 in career)… Has scored 20-plus points in four games this season (10 in career)… Coming off seven points, seven rebounds at BYU (had 20 points and eight rebounds in the first matchup against BYU this season)… In recent games, Watts had 19 points and six rebounds against Kansas State and then posted 13 points and five rebounds in the win over Cincinnati… Watts recorded his third double-double of the season and led Tech with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Kansas… A redshirt junior in his first season at Tech, Watts reached the 1,000-point career milestone at Baylor after providing 13 points and seven rebounds in the road win… In the first matchup at Colorado, he recorded his second double-double of the season after going for 11 points and 11 rebounds along with adding six assists.. Named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, 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… Recorded his first double-double as a Red Raider and the 11th of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over LSU… Watts scored a previous season-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field (2-2 on 3s) at No. 14 Illinois.. 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… 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 and had 10 double-doubles and also recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Santa Clara
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."Â
Averaging 9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 30 games (19 starts)… Petty has scored in double figures in 16 games this season after going for 14 points at BYU after scoring 17 points against TCU in a game where he matched his career-high with five 3-pointers (5-of-7)… Was coming off 12 points (3-for-5 on 3s) at Iowa State along with grabbing nine rebounds to match his career high… Against Kansas, he also had a career-high seven assists to go along with 11 points and is now averaging 2.1 assists per game… Scored 18 points after going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers in the home win over Houston and had a career-best nine rebounds at Colorado before matching the production in Ames, Iowa… Is shooting 62-for-164 (37.8%) on 3-pointers… Petty 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 Seattle native, he now has two games with 20 points and averaged 10.3 points per game against Big 12 opponents and shot 41-for-105 (39.0%) in Big 12 games on 3-pointers… 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… 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… 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… 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… 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… Was a McDonald's All-American nominee, adidas All-America, NBPA Top 100 selection, a two-time Donovan Mitchell camp participant, an Allen Iverson Showcase selection and the Iverson Class 24K Showcase MVP… Through 30 collegiate games played, Petty has 285 points, 116 rebounds, 63 assists and 17 steals.
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."Â
Averaging 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks in 18 games played… A starter in the past five games with Toppin out, Bamgboye matched a season-high with 13 points in the win over Iowa State after he went for 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots against K-State… Now has six game this season with three or more blocks… Matched a season-high with six rebounds at Arizona State and playing in the win over Arizona where he provided three rebounds, one steal and one point in 13 minutes as a reserve… A sophomore in his first season at Tech, Bamgboye played in his first Big 12 game at UCF and provided two points and two blocks before playing 8:39 minutes against Kansas… Had missed the previous 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.. 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… 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… 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 53 career games and currently has 106 blocked shots, 222 points and 173 rebounds.Â
Tyeree Bryan: "Team player. Competitor. Hard worker."Â
Averaging 3.8 points, 2.7 rebounds in 30 games played (13 starts)… Career: 1,013 points, 166 made 3-pointers in 123 games played… Bryan reached the 1,000-point milestone in his career after knocking down a 3-pointer and finishing with three points and four rebounds in the win over Kansas State and had 10 points after going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc at Iowa State… Bryan's 10 points against the Cyclones was his fourth double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 53rd of his career… A senior in his first season at Tech, Bryan now has 1,013 points and has made 166 3-pointers through 122 games in his career… Starter in 13 games this season and a reserve throughout Big 12 play, Bryan had nine points against Oklahoma State for his previous conference-high this season before Iowa State… 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… 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… Made four or more 3-pointers in seven games last season… Is currently 22-for-75 on 3-pointers this season with six games of two or more… Graduated in August 2025, Bachelor of Arts, Communication from Santa Clara University.
Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."Â
Averaging 4.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 blocks in 11 games played… Moseley matched a career-high with 10 points and set a new career-best with nine rebounds in the win at Iowa State where he also had three blocked shots… Moseley made his Texas Tech debut in the home win over Houston after missing the first 19 games of the season with a lower body injury he suffered in the summer… Against Cincinnati, he had six points, four rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots for the first time… Scored six points and had six rebounds against Houston in his debut, going 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and pulling down three offensive rebounds in 9:37 of playing time… Against K-State, he had five rebounds, four points and one blocked shot after he scored four points and had one assists at Arizona State in his sixth appearance of the season… 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… Finished his freshman season averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game… Moseley has played in 41 games in his collegiate career and currently has 107 points, 108 rebounds and 13 blocked shots.
Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."Â
Averaging 1.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.3 blocks in 12 games played… Akuentok had four rebounds, a block and two points in 16 minutes against Kansas State before providing three points and three rebounds in the win over Cincinnati… A redshirt freshman, he returned to the court at Colorado on January 10 after missing seven games due to a lower body injury and also played limited minutes against Utah and Baylor… 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… 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… 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… Joined the program in January and experienced the journey to the Elite Eight… Is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was a top 100 recruit who reclassified… Played at Fort Erie International Academy and was named the co-player of the year and defensive player of the year…Competed for the U18 Canada National Team and helped lead them to the bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup.Â
Leon Horner: "Vocal. High intensity. Coachable."Â
Averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 21 games played as a reserve… Horner played a career-high 26 minutes in the win over Arizona and finished with five points and five rebounds before having four points at Arizona State in 10 minutes of action… Horner, who has played 21 games as a reserve this season, made a 3-pointer in the first half against Arizona and was 2-for-3 from the field… He also 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… Horner is sophomore from Dallas in his second season at Texas Tech… 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 was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior where he averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.Â
Nolan Groves: "Hardworking. Coachable. Team player."Â
Averaging 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 20 games played as a reserve…Groves established a new Texas Tech freshman record in his college debut by grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Lindenwood and scored seven points in the first two games of the season… A true freshman from Long Lake, Minnesota… 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.
Jazz Henderson: "Vocal. Confident. Energetic."Â
Henderson made his sixth appearance of his career and made his first 3-pointer against Kansas, hitting a 3 to give Tech a 53-45 lead with 10:38 on the clock… A red-shirt freshman, Henderson finished the game with three points and one assists in a career-high 7:47 minutes of playing time… Henderson scored one point in the win over Kansas State – his ninth career appearance… He 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 had missed the previous five games due to a lower body injury before playing against Kansas… 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.Â
Jack Francis: "Humble. Resilient. Coachable."Â
Francis is the longest tenured Red Raider, having joined the program as a practice player in the 2022-23 season… He has appeared in 28 games in his career, including playing in 12 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 27-1 in games he has appeared in after he played in the final minute against Kansas State… Will graduate from Texas Tech University in May 2026. Bachelor of Business Administration.
LaTrell Hoover: "Energetic. Coachable. Hardworking."Â
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.Â
McCasland is now 284-118 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 73-29 overall (102 games – 71.6 win%), 38-18 in Big 12 games, 44-7 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games and 17-13 in true road… McCasland, who has led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons (2025 Elite Eight, 2024 First Round), was also 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.Â
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."Â
An All-Big 12 First Team, Wooden Award Top 20 and Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Late-Season selection and four-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season, Toppin suffered a season-ending injury after tearing the ACL in his right knee at Arizona State on February 17… At the time of his injury, Toppin was leading the nation with 234 made field goals and was in the top 10 nationally in scoring (21.8), rebounding (10.8) and double-doubles (16)… Toppin went off for 31 points and 13 rebounds at No. 1 Arizona to secure his ninth career game with a 30-plus point double-double and had 20 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, four assists and two steals against Arizona State before suffering his injury… Toppin's season ended with him leading the Big 12 with his 10.8 rebounds per game, 16 double-doubles, and 4.20 offensive rebounds per game while ranking third in scoring… Toppin, who had seven offensive rebounds against Arizona and three against ASU, was fifth nationally in the offensive rebounding category… Toppin ranked sixth in the nation in rebounds and ninth in scoring… Toppin recorded a double-double in 9-of-13 conference games played and averaged 22.6 points and 11.1 rebounds against Big 12 opponents… 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... Toppin was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week after leading Tech with 27 points and 13 rebounds in the win over BYU and then went off for 22 points at Baylor… 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 has 75 double-figure scoring performances and 35 games with 20-plus points in his career (15 this season)… 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 for his only missed game before the season-ending injury, 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 had 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 was 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 during the 2024-25 campaign… 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 has produced 1,593 points, 907 rebounds and 159 blocked shots through 94 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 58 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 1,148 points and has 581 rebounds – averaging 19.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform… At the time of his injury, Toppin ranked second among all active players with 47 career double-doubles and by averaging 9.6 rebounds throughout his career… His 47 double-doubles were only behind Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) who had 51… Toppin is the 43rd player at Tech to reach the 1,000-point milestone in games played as a Red Raider… Pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, Communication Studies.
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).Â
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4Â
FEATURES: Watts | Toppin (The Athletic) | Anderson – FIBA U19Â
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
