PREVIEW: Tech, No. 11 Baylor set for High Noon Showdown

LUBBOCK, Texas – The restoration project of its season continues this weekend for Texas Tech which travels to Waco for a matchup against No. 11 Baylor at noon on Saturday inside the Ferrell Center. CBS will televise the game with Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery on the call.

The Red Raiders (12-10, 1-8 Big 12) are on a two-game winning streak following a 23-point comeback that resulted in an 80-77 overtime win over No. 13 Iowa State on Monday after a 76-68 victory at LSU last Saturday in Baton Rouge. The wins snapped an eight-game losing streak. Nine games remain on the regular-season schedule for Tech to fight back into an opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight time. On the other side, Baylor (16-6, 5-4 Big 12) had been on a six-game winning streak before taking a 76-71 loss to No. 10 Texas in Austin on Monday night. The Bears won the first matchup, 81-74, against Tech in Lubbock on January 17 after the Red Raiders had swept the series last season.

"We've won two in a row now and our guys are confident," Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. "I'm proud of the way they finished our last game and we're ready to build on that. We know how good Baylor is. We were fortunate enough to beat them there last year, but it is a very tough place to play. They shoot the ball really well there so we'll have to find ways to try to disrupt their offense."

Kevin Obanor leads Tech with 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, while De'Vion Harmon is at 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and 12.5 points per game. Obanor went for 24 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Iowa State, a performance that gave him the 37th double-double of his career and pushed him over the 2K/1K milestone. A fifth-year senior from Houston, Obanor comes into the second matchup against Baylor this season with 2,022 points and 1,033 rebounds in his career. He has scored over 20 points in three straight games after also having 22 points in the win at LSU and providing 20 points and eight rebounds against West Virginia. Harmon added 16 points and five assists in the win over the Cyclone after going for 14 points and eight assists at LSU. Jaylon Tyson added 11 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists against ISU, while Lamar Washington added eight points and two steals to lead the reserves. Tech played against ISU without starting point guard Pop Isaacs (ankle) and senior Fardaws Aimaq (foot) who are both recovering from injuries. Both are listed as day-to-day and could be available this weekend.

Tyson had a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds in the first matchup against Baylor, while Kerwin Walton hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points. Tech finished the game with 12 3-pointers, the most it's had in Big 12 play this season. Isaacs scored 14 points in that game with three 3-pointers, while Aimaq had 12 points and nine rebounds. Walton played that game against Baylor as a reserve, but has started the past two against LSU and ISU with Isaacs out due to his injury. A junior who transferred from North Carolina, Walton scored a season-high 17 points with five 3-pointers at LSU and comes into the second matchup against Baylor with 103 3-pointers in his career.

"We'll need to stick to the game plan and make shots," Walton said. "The most important thing is that we have to play hard. With energy, effort and toughness. I think that is big for us. We have to consistently play hard whether we are shooting the ball well or not. We wouldn't have beat LSU or Iowa State if we didn't play hard."

Baylor was picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason poll and is currently 10-2 on its home court. The Bears are led by freshman Keyonte George who is averaging 17.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, senior Adams Flagler (15.3 ppg.) and junior LJ Cryer (14.7 ppg.). George led BU with 27 points in the first matchup against Tech where he made five 3-pointers. Cryer scored 18 points against the Red Raiders with four 3-pointers, while Jalen Bridges added 14 points and five rebounds. Bridges is a transfer from WVU and currently leads BU with 5.8 rebounds per game. In Lubbock, Baylor made 11 3-pointers – one of nine games so far this season with double-digit makes from beyond the arc.

The Bears are currently averaging 76.7 points in Big 12 games and are second nationally in Kenpom.com's offensive efficiency rating.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Texas Tech leads the overall series by an 82-63 margin going into the second matchup this season. Tech swept the series last year, including earning a 65-62 win in Waco against the Bears who were ranked No. 1 in the nation at that time. The Bears had swept the previous two years for a four-game winning streak. The Red Raiders are 30-38 all-time in Waco, including falling 58-37 on December 8, 1949, in their first road game there.

RED RAIDER STORYLINES
• Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program where he is now 39-20 overall, 13-14 in Big 12 games and 27-4 at home… A 1979 Tech graduate, Adams led the Red Raiders to a 27-10 overall record, 12-6 conference mark, to the Big 12 Championship final and the NCAA Sweet 16 in his first season as the head coach… He was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year… His 27 wins last season were the most by a first-year Tech head coach… Adams is 2-1 against Baylor as a head coach
• Tech trailed No. 13 Iowa State 39-22 at halftime and by as many as 23 points in the second half… The comeback is the largest in program history surpassing a 21-point comeback against Texas A&M in the 2009 Big 12 Championship tournament… The Aggies led that game 48-29 at halftime and were up 50-29 after a pair of early free throws in the second half… The Tech record book previously did not have this comeback accounted for and had a 17-point comeback at Nevada in 1997 as the biggest comeback… This season, Tech had overcame an 11-point deficit against Nicholls for its previous largest comeback this season
• Kevin Obanor joined Tech Hall of Fame member Rick Bullock as the only players in program history to reach the 2,000 point, 1,000 rebound milestone… Bullock played all four seasons at Texas Tech and scored 2,118 points and had 1,057 during his career from 1972-76… Bullock averaged 19.8 points and 9.9 rebounds in 107 career games
• Tech is currently 1-7 against ranked opponents this season after its win over No. 13 Iowa State on Monday… The team has losses to No. 10 Creighton in Maui before falling at No. 18 TCU, vs. No. 3 Kansas, at No. 14 Iowa State, at No. 10 Texas, No. 21 Baylor and at No. 13 Kansas State in the opening rounds of Big 12 play
• Tech is 9-4 at home, 1-4 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-court games this season
• Tech is 1-1 in overtime games this season with its 80-77 win over Iowa State after taking a 68-63 overtime loss against Oklahoma… Both overtime games have been at home
• Tech had lost eight straight Big 12 games for the first time since 2012 before topping No. 13 Iowa State… Tech was coming off a season where it did not lose back-to-back games under Adams… Five of the eight Big 12 losses have come by seven points or less… The longest losing streak for Tech to begin a Big 12 season is going 0-11 to start the 2012 conference schedule… That team went 1-17 in Big 12 play with its win coming against Iowa State who was ranked No. 9 at the time
• Tech is 0-3 when leading at halftime in Big 12 games after seeing a 33-28 advantage slip away at KSU… The Red Raiders were up 11 at halftime at TCU and led by nine at halftime at Texas… All three halftime leads that were lost were on the road
• Tech trailed at Iowa State by a 39-20 margin at halftime and lost 84-50… Both were the largest margins this season… Creighton had won by 11 for Tech's only double-digit loss this season
• Tech returned only one starter (Kevin Obanor) and three lettermen (Daniel Batcho, KJ Allen and Obanor) from last year's team while welcoming in five transfers (D'Maurian Williams, Fardaws Aimaq, Jaylon Tyson, De'Vion Harmon, Kerwin Walton) and five true freshmen (Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, Elijah Fisher, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams)… The Red Raiders lost nine contributing players from last year's Sweet 16 team with four exhausting eligibility, four transferring and Clarence Nadolny turning pro overseas
• Tech has three players who have scored over 1,000 points in their careers with Obanor (2,022), Harmon (1,202) and Aimaq (1,086)
• Tech was 12-6 in Big 12 play last season, including going 9-0 in home games… The Red Raiders advanced to the Big 12 Championship Finals where they lost to Kansas
• Tech had its season-best six-game winning streak end with the loss at TCU in its Big 12 opener on New Year's Eve in Fort Worth… It started the season with three straight wins before falling against Creighton in Maui
• Tech had a 29-game home winning streak end with its first Big 12 home game this season after going 8-0 at home in non-conference play… The last home loss before falling to No. 3 Kansas on January 3 and then Oklahoma came back on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia in an 82-71 defeat… Tech's program record remains at 35 straight home victories… That streak started with four wins at the end of the 1993-94 season before a pair of 13-0 runs (1994-95 and 1995-96) and then five home wins to start the 1996-97 season
• Tech came into Big 12 play having scored over 100 points in three straight games… The program had not scored 100+ points in three straight games since the 1965-66 season… Tech had not scored over 100 points in two straight games since 1996 in a 111-101 win over Fresno State and a 122-105 loss to New Mexico State… The Red Raiders are now 70-4 all-time when scoring over 100 points… The 111 points against HCU were just outside the top-10 scoring performances in program history… The most points scored in a game is 128 against Texas in 2004
• The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last year… Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020… Tech is currently 62nd overall in Kenpom and 61st defensively and 73rd offensively
• Tech finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arena… Tech outscored opponents 79.7 to 58.8 per game with opponents shooting 39.1 percent… 16 of the 18 home wins were by double-digits with the only ones not by 10 or more being victories over Kansas (75-67, +8) and Kansas State (73-68, +5)
• Tech is hitting 46.3 percent of its shots this season; opponents are being limited to 41.6 percent… The Red Raiders limited Louisville to only 22.4 percent shooting and also held Northwestern State to only 28.4 in their best defensive efforts of the season… In nine Big 12 games, Tech is shooting just 40.2 percent and opponents are at 44.6 percent
• Tech made 14 3-pointers against South Carolina which was the most since they hit a program-best 16 against Kansas in 2019… Tech made 13 3s against Jackson State for a previous season-high… Tech had its worst 3-point shooting performance of the season against OU by going just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc in the overtime loss
• Tech forced a season-high 30 turnovers from Jackson State and scored 47 points off those turnovers… Tech had 19 steals in the game led by Obanor who had four while Isaacs, Washington and Williams had three steals each… The program record for steals in a game is 24 against Nicholls in 2002… The 19 matched the second-most ever for a Red Raider team
• The 50-point win over Jackson State was the 14th time in program history a Tech team has won by 50 or more
• Tech has won six games by 20 or more points this season, including the 50-point win over JSU, topping HSU by 44, winning by 39 over SC State and a 34-point win over Louisville in Maui… The Red Raiders have held five opponents under 60 points, two under 50 and one under 40 with Louisville scoring only 38 points
• As a program, Tech advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time – a new Tech record… The Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 Championship Final, 2021 Second Round and 2022 Sweet 16… Tech has an 11-4 record over the past four tournaments… The program has made the Sweet 16 in three of the past four tournaments
• Corey Williams returned as an assistant coach for his second season at Tech while Steve Green and Al Pinkins joined the staff as assistant coaches during the offseason… Pinkins returned to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18… He was the interim head coach at Florida in the 2022 NIT… Green was at South Plains College for the past 23 seasons where he was a national champion… Adams has built a staff that also includes: Rick Cooper (chief of staff), Taylor Sinclair (director of operations), Sean Sutton (advisor), Darryl Dora (player personnel), Matt Scherbenske (director of recruiting), George Neilson (director of scouting), Darby Rich (strength & conditioning), John Bloom (assistant strength & conditioning), Luke Adams (player development), Cooper Anderson (coordinator of operations), Jamaal Scott (academics) and Briana Whitaker (executive associate)
• The Red Raiders had a sell-out (15,098) for their 2022-23 season-opener against Northwestern State after they finished 11th nationally in average attendance last season with 13,973 fans per game and 251,515 total... Tech is averaging 13,020 fans through its 13 homes this season after having 14,385 against Kansas, 14,082 with Oklahoma in town and 14,152 versus Baylor… Tech is currently 20th nationally in average attendance and third within the Big 12

ROSTER REPORT
• Kevin Obanor leads Texas Tech into the matchup at Baylor with 2,022 points and 1,033 rebounds through 145 games in his career after recording the 37^th double-double of his career with 24 points and 13 rebounds in the overtime win over Iowa State… He scored 22 points at LSU and had 20 points and eight rebounds against WVU last Wednesday for a three-game stretch with 20 or more points in each… A fifth-year senior, Obanor reached the 2K points, 1K rebounds milestone in the win over the Cyclones to join Virginia's Jayden Gardner and LSU's KJ Williams as the only other active players currently with over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds… He has now started all 59 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is leading the team with 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season… Obanor is now averaging 13.9 points and 7.1 rebounds through nine Big 12 games… He was 11-for-15 from the free-throw line against Iowa State and has now made 451 free throws in his career at an 81.7 percentage… Obanor scored a season-high 26 points against Kansas where he was 8-for-14 from the field and 4-of-8 on 3-pointers against the Jayhawks in 37 minutes of play… A Houston native, he has scored in double figures in 17 of 22 games this season, 106 in his career and is shooting 116-for-233 (49.8 percent) from the field this season… Obanor had scored a previous season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Eastern Washington for his first double-double of the season and went for 24 points with a season-best five 3-pointers against South Carolina State... It was his first double-double of the season and the 36th in his career... He now has 716 points as a Red Raider... He finished last season with double-doubles in each of the three NCAA Tournament games against Montana State (10 points/11 rebounds), Notre Dame (15/15) and Duke (10/10)… Obanor started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last season… Obanor earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season and was on the All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention list along with the Julius Erving Award Watch List to start this year… Last season, he scored a season-high 23 points and also had 13 rebounds in the home win over Baylor before going for 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16… While at ORU, Obanor scored 39 points against Omaha in a game where he hit six 3-pointers for his career-high… Six of his 37 career double-doubles have come in the NCAA Tournament with three during ORU's Sweet 16 run before last season… Obanor has scored 20 or more points eight times this season and in 33 games in his career.
• De'Vion Harmon leads Tech with 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals this season to go along with 12.5 points after going for 16 points in the overtime win over Iowa State after contributing 14 points and eight assists in the win over LSU… He also scored 14 points against WVU last Wednesday and has currently reached double figures in 17 games this season and in 67 during his career… He matched his career-high with 23 points against Oklahoma with 21 of those points coming in the second half and followed the performance with a team-high 14 points, four assists, five steals and five rebounds at Iowa State… Against Oklahoma, Harmon was 9-for-15 from the field in the game and also hit five free throws before going 6-for-13 from the field in Ames, Iowa… A senior in his first season at Tech with another year of eligibility, he has played in 113 career games, scoring 1,202 points to go along with 267 assists and 149 steals… Harmon averaged 10.8 points per game and had 71 assists last season at Oregon last season after averaging 12.9 points per game at Oklahoma as a sophomore… Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanford… His career-high 23 points came in his first game as a freshman at Oklahoma against UTSA on November 5, 2019, and then again as a sophomore for the Sooners against Oklahoma State on February 27, 2021… Harmon is averaging 12.7 points in Big 12 games with 23 assists.
• Jaylon Tyson is coming off a game against Iowa State with 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high four assists… It was the third game this season where he missed a double-double by one rebound… Tyson has two double-doubles this season, going for a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds against Baylor at home following 12 points and 14 rebounds at Texas… A sophomore from Plano, Texas, Tyson was coming off a game at LSU with seven rebounds and four points to take his season averages to 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds heading into the matchup in Waco… His 14 rebounds against the Longhorns were a career-best and the first time he had double-digit rebounds after having nine rebounds in games this season against Georgetown and Kansas… Tyson, who transferred from Texas last season, led Tech with nine rebounds against Kansas and added 10 points, three steals and three assists in the game… He was just one rebound shy of his first career double-double in games against Georgetown and Kansas before getting it against the Longhorns… Tyson has scored in double figures in 10 games this season and has had five or more rebounds in 14 of 21 games played… He had scored a career-high 18 points against Georgetown where he was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers… A starter in 21 games, Tyson transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raiders… Tyson is currently 26-for-72 (36.1 percent) on 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in 16 of 21 games played… The game at LSU was the first that he did not take a 3-point attempt… Against Northwestern State, in his first game at Tech, Tyson made his first collegiate start and was 3-for-4 from the field, including going 2-for-3 on 3-pointers to finish with eight points… His 3-pointer on Tech's second possession of the season-opener was the first basket this season for the Red Raiders… He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with freshman season-high 11 points coming against Houston Christian last season.
• Daniel Batcho leads Tech with 1.9 blocks per game to go along with scoring 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season… A 6-foot-11 sophomore from Paris, France, Batcho was on a streak of 12 straight games with at least one blocked shot after having two more at LSU but not recording one against Iowa State… He would add eight points and seven rebounds for the Red Raiders in the win over LSU… Batcho had three rebounds against Iowa State but did not score for only the second game this season that he's played in… He has 17 blocked shots through eight Big 12 games played after having conference-best five at TCU and then three more against KU and now has 35 blocks for the season and 52 in his career… Prior to conference play, he had a 12/10 performance against Jackson State which was his third double-double of the season and the fourth game with 10 or more rebounds this season… Batcho recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and his second career double-double with 15 points against Georgetown before having 14 points and nine rebounds against Nicholls… Batcho, who has led Tech in scoring in three games and in rebounding in eight, had scored in double figures in five straight games for the first time in his career coming into Big 12 action… He scored a career-high 21 points against Ohio State where he was 7 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line in Maui… His six blocks against Louisiana Tech are tied for the third most in program history with Tariq Owens owning the single-game record with eight in a win over Memphis in 2018 and Will Flemons second with seven against Texas A&M in 1990… A reserve in 33 games last season at Tech, he came into this season with a career-high 11 rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee last season at Madison Square Garden in the 2021 Jimmy V Classic… Batcho has 52 blocks, 210 rebounds and 238 points through 52 games in his career.
• Pop Isaacs was sidelined with an ankle injury with 15:24 remaining against WVU last Wednesday after landing on a 3-point shot attempt… A starter in 19 of 22 games, he did not play the past two games against LSU or Iowa State and is listed as day-to-day… He leads Tech with 13.9 points per game within Big 12 games after going for 13 points with three 3-pointers at KSU but having only two against WVU on 1-for-4 shooting before exiting the game… Isaacs had scored in double figures in seven straight games and in 12 this season before having that streak end… He led Tech with 23 points at Texas after going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers before providing 14 points and five assists against Baylor… His five 3s at UT was his third game with five 3-pointers in a game while his three 3s against BU and KSU last week takes him to nine games with three or more… He's scored double figures in each of the six of seven conference games he's played in… A freshman from Las Vegas, he missed the game against OU due to being in concussion protocol but returned to contribute 10 points, three assists and three steals at Iowa State in 32 minutes of play… Isaacs led Tech with 17 points at TCU after matching a career-high with five 3-pointers before going off for 18 points with four 3-pointers against Kansas… He has started Big 12 play by going 21-for-64 (32.8 percent) on 3-pointers… For the season, Isaacs is averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals… He scored a career-high 24 points and five 3-pointers in the win over Nicholls… His 24 points were the most by a Red Raider in a game this season before Obanor went for his 25 against EWU… He has made at least one 3-pointer in 16 of 19 games played.
• Kerwin Walton has started the past two games after playing a reserve role throughout the season… He had five points with one 3-pointer against Iowa State after he went off for a season-high 17 points with five 3-pointers at LSU last Saturday in Baton Rouge… Walton is now 22-for-47 (46.8 percent) on 3-pointers this season with 12 coming in the past five games… At LSU, Walton was 5-for-6 on 3-pointers to match his career-high… He had scored a season-high with 12 points against Baylor after going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers… He was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and finished with six points at Iowa State in the first meeting between the two teams… He is averaging 4.4 points through 20 games played as a Red Raider… Walton led the Tech bench with nine points and four rebounds against Northwestern State in the season-opener and had five points against TSU and LA Tech… Walton played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summer… He has made 103 3-pointers through 80 games in his career with the first game he had with five 3-pointers made coming against Louisville in his freshman season… Walton is 103-for-250 (41.2 percent) from beyond the arc for his career, including making a UNC freshman 3-point percentage record with 58 3-pointers where he started 20 games during his first season in Chapel Hill… Walton, a Hopkins, Minnesota native, averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman for the Tar Heels (starter in 20 of 29 games) with a career-high 19 points coming in that game against Louisville… He experienced the Final Four last season as a member of UNC which finished as the national runner-up…. He is currently 22-for-47 (46.8 percent) on 3-pointers this season.
• Elijah Fisher had a career-high nine rebounds at LSU with three coming on the offensive end before contributing three rebounds and three points against Iowa State… At LSU, he would add five points and two steals in 22 minutes of play in the win in Baton Rouge… For the season, he scored a best of eight points after going 3-for-4 from the field against Jackson State before scoring five points in each of the wins over SC State and HCU… He is now averaging 3.1 points per game with a previous season-best seven points coming against Texas Southern in the second game of the season… A reserve in 18 games, he is 21-for-47 (44.7 percent) from the field this season… Before his nine rebounds at LSU, his previous career-high in rebounding was three in games against Jackson State, South Carolina State and Oklahoma… His first-year resume also includes scoring three points and having two rebounds in the loss to Ohio State… A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior season… Fisher was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked No. 15 by ESPN for the 2023 class… He reclassified to play this season and enrolled at Tech a year early.
• Fardaws Aimaq has missed the last three games and is listed as day-to-day going into Saturday's game at Baylor… Aimaq is averaging 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds through three games played after going for six points and six rebounds at KSU… He now has 1,086 points, 938 rebounds and 99 blocked shots in his career… Aimaq made his Texas Tech debut at Texas where he went for 12 points and five rebounds in 28:58 of time on the court before going for 12 points and nine rebounds in his home debut last Tuesday against Baylor… A 6-foot-11 senior, he came into this season as an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and was also on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List for the top center in college basketball. … Listed as a forward from Vancouver, Aimaq had been sidelined with a foot injury he suffered before in September… He would go 5-for-12 from the field and was 1-of-3 from beyond the arc in Austin and was 5-for-8 with one 3-pointer against Baylor… His 41 double-doubles are tied for fourth nationally among active players… He earned the 2020-21 WAC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore after leading the nation with 15.0 rebounds to go along with 13.9 points per game and was coming off a junior season where he went for 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game… He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasons… During his career, he's averaged 10.9 rebounds through 86 games which is the third best career mark nationally.
• KJ Allen scored nine points and had five rebounds against TCU in 20 minutes of play for his top Big 12 performance… He was 4-for-5 from the field and also came away with one steal against the Horned Frogs… Allen went off for a career-high 15 points in the win over Jackson State by shooting 7-for-10 from the field before scoring six against Houston Christian… A junior from Los Angeles, Allen had a season-high seven rebounds and scored five points in the win over EWU in 18 minutes off the bench… In his second season at Tech, Allen is currently averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this season… He had a previous season-high five rebounds against Creighton in the first game in Maui… Allen played in 19 games as a reserve last season for the Red Raiders with a season-high six points coming in games against Kansas State and Omaha… Allen was featured on the Netflix documentary Last Chance U while playing at East Los Angeles College where he averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and was Adams' first signee.
• Robert Jennings had six points and a rebound in the win over Iowa State on Monday night in 12:46 on the floor… He had led the Tech reserves with seven points and two rebounds last Wednesday against WVU… He made his fourth start of his career against OU in a game where he contributed eight points (matched career-high) and three rebounds in a career-best 23 minutes of play before contributing three rebounds… Jennings produced a career-high six rebounds as a reserve in the final non-conference game against SC State…He was coming off matching his career-highs with eight points and five rebounds against Houston Christian… A freshman from Desoto, he established his career-high with eight points against Louisville in Maui after he went 3-for-5 from the field and also hit two free throws in 15 minutes of work… He's currently averaging 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
• Lamar Washington led the Tech bench with eight points on Monday against Iowa State after going 3-for-5 from the field and making two free throws… A steal and dunk with six minutes remaining cut the Cyclone lead to six… He had two steals in the game which was the sixth time this season with two or more steals… Washington made his first career start against Oklahoma in a game where he contributed six points and six rebounds in 36 minutes of play… Washington established a career-high with 12 points and five assists in the non-conference win over Nicholls after going 12-for-17 from the free-throw line… A key reserve in his freshman season, he is currently averaging 3.3 points, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.9 rebounds per game… Washington was averaging 7.8 points and 3.0 assists in the past five games coming into conference play… He matched his season-best with three steals against Houston Christian and also scored seven points… A freshman from Portland, Oregon, his career-best 12 points against Nicholls was the first time he scored in double figures and came with him going 0-for-1 from the field shooting… Washington was the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year while playing at Jefferson High School as a junior before playing at Compass Prep in Arizona last season as a senior... He produced 2,135 points, 705 rebounds and 823 assists during his high school career.
• D'Maurian Williams scored five points at LSU with one 3-pointer before contributing four points and a steal against Iowa State… Williams made a tough inside shot against Iowa State with 1:12 remaining to cut it to a 69-66 game… He made five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 17 points in the non-conference win over Jackson State with all 17 coming in the second half… A junior from Arizona, Williams made his first start at Tech against Nicholls in place of Tyson who was injured… He played against JSU as a reserve, going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers after coming into the game with only three made 3-pointers through eight games played… Williams scored a previous season-high 10 points against Louisville after hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-5 at the free-throw line… He is currently averaging 3.6 points this season… Williams now has 796 points, 143 assists, 67 steals and 242 rebounds through 75 games in his career… He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasons…Williams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut)… He averaged in double-figures both seasons at Gardner-Webb, going for 10.8 points per game as a freshman before averaging 14.5 points per game last season as a sophomore.
• CJ Williams scored his first career points against Louisville with a pair of free throws and his first bucket with a layup against South Carolina State… A freshman guard, he has played in six games this season after making his debut in the opener against Northwestern State… He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams

RANKINGS
• Tech was at No. 21 in the nation this season before it fell out of the AP Top 25 in the 11/28 rankings after losses in Maui… The Red Raiders have remained unranked since
• Tech is now 1-7 this season against ranked opponents with losses against vs. No. 10 Creighton, at No. 18 TCU, No. 3 Kansas, at No. 14 Iowa State, at No. 10 Texas, No. 21 Baylor, at No. 13 Kansas State (rankings as of game played)
• Tech had moved up two spots in the AP Poll (11/21) for the second straight week and was at No. 21 entering the Maui Invitational
• The Red Raiders were No. 23 in the first release of the season (11/14) after a No. 25 preseason ranking
• Tech entered the season at No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll
• Tech has now earned a preseason ranking three times in program history
• Tech was 3-2 against Top-10 teams last year in the regular season… The Red Raiders dropped a 69-55 game to No. 5 Gonzaga last December in Phoenix before earning wins over Baylor which was at No. 1 (65-62 in Waco) and No. 7 (83-73 in Lubbock) at the time of the victories and also a 75-67 home win over Kansas when it was No. 6
• Tech has beat a top-10 opponent in eight straight seasons, a top-5 opponent in seven straight and has 27 wins over top-10 teams in program history
• Tech went 7-5 last season against Top 25 opponents, including a 57-52 overtime win over No. 13 Tennessee on December 7 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden… The Red Raiders were 1-1 against Top 25 teams in their non-conference schedule with the loss to Gonzaga following the win over the Vols
• The Red Raiders opened the 2019-20 season at No. 13 after reaching the Final Four for their highest preseason ranking and were No. 14 to begin the 2020-21 season
• Tech was unranked to begin last season before entering the polls at No. 25 following an overtime win over Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic
• It took Tech five weeks before it earned the ranking last season but remained ranked for the rest of the season
• Tech was as high as No. 9 during February and finished the season at No. 14
• Tech's highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)… The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final

DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech has outscored 16 of 22 opponents in the paint and by a 734-536 combined margin… (TTU 34 - ISU 34; TTU 26 – LSU 24; TTU 34 – WVU 10; TTU 30 – KSU 20; BU 28 – TTU 18; TTU 28 – UT 16; ISU 36 - TTU 24; TTU 38 – OU 32; TTU 30 – KU 30; TCU 44 – TTU 22; TTU 48 – SCST 36; TTU 56 – HCU 24; TTU 42 – JSU 18; TTU 40 – EWU 18; NIC 30 – TTU 26; TTU 38 – GU 16; TTU 34-OSU 28; TTU 70-LOU 38; TTU 38-CU 30; TTU 26-LT 24; TTU 42 – TSU 30; TTU 28 – NWST 8)… The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage.

TECH IN THE BIG 12-SEC CHALLENGE
Texas Tech improved to 7-3 all-time in the Big 12-SEC Challenge with its win over LSU on Saturday.
01/28/2023: Texas Tech 76, LSU 68; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
01/29/2022: Texas Tech 75, Mississippi State 50; Lubbock, Texas
01/30/2021: Texas Tech 76, LSU 71; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
01/25/2020: Kentucky 76, Texas Tech 74 (OT); Lubbock, Texas
01/26/2019: Texas Tech 67, Arkansas 64; Lubbock, Texas
01/27/2018: Texas Tech 70, South Carolina 63; Columbia, South Carolina
01/28/2017: Texas Tech 77, LSU 64; Lubbock, Texas
01/30/2016: Arkansas 75, Texas Tech 68 (OT); Fayetteville, Arkansas
12/03/2014: Texas Tech 46, Auburn 44; Lubbock, Texas
11/14/2013: Alabama 76, Texas Tech 64; Tuscaloosa, Alabama

LEGACY
Texas Tech spent the first and second day of October in Stanton, Texas at its annual team retreat working to continue building strong bonds for the season. The Red Raiders were at the Circle 6 Camp for two days with a theme of legacy that was designed to connect the past with the current team. Adams, shown holding up boxing gloves, talked with the current team about past players who helped build the program and also about how each of the current players owes it to themselves and the program to work hard every day to continue building the legacy that many have worked to build. The team opened up to each other through discussion and also had fun with multiple team-building activities.

RED RAIDERS IN THE NBA / G-LEAGUE
Adonis Arms: Grand Rapids Gold
Jarrett Culver: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Mac McClung: Delaware Blue Coats
Norense Odiase: Greensboro Swarm
Jahmi'us Ramsey: Oklahoma City Blue
Davion Warren: College Park Skyhawks
Bryson Williams: Ontario Clippers

TEXAS TECH FEATURE LINKS
Define Yourself – Video Series
Obanor – Feature (December 2022)
Harmon - Feature
Aimaq - Feature
Pop Isaacs - Feature
Tyson - Feature
Obanor – Feature (March 2022)
Big 12 Media Day – Four Journeys
Formative Conversation – Players
Formative Conversation - Coaches

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Fardaws Aimaq

KJ Allen

Daniel Batcho

Elijah Fisher

De'Vion Harmon

Pop Isaacs

Robert Jennings

Clarence Nadolny

Kevin Obanor

Jaylon Tyson

Kerwin Walton

Lamar Washington

CJ Williams

D'Maurian Williams