
Tech, Syracuse to meet in Legends Classic
November 22, 2024 | Men's Basketball
BROOKLYN, New York – It's bounce back time in Brooklyn for the Texas Tech men's basketball team which will play Syracuse at 6 p.m. (CST) tonight in the third-place game of the UKG Legends Classic at the Barclays Center.Â
The Red Raiders (4-1) took their only loss of the season against Saint Joseph's on Thursday night with a last-second shot from Darrion Williams rimming out in a 78-77 defeat. JT Toppin recorded his third straight double-double with 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds while Williams provided 18 points, six rebounds and three assists and Chance McMillian scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with 17 points.Â
"Our guys were competitive late, we just dug ourselves too big of a hole over the course of the game," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said after Thursday's game. "It was a great team we played against in a great event. We have a long way to go with our team but I believe in them. We are going to find a way to get there. There are a lot of hurt guys in our locker room and it's a short turnaround when we play Syracuse in a couple hours. Part of this is how you respond when things go negative. We have the right group to respond."
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The Orange (3-1) are coming off a 70-66 loss to Texas on Thursday for their first defeat of the season after wins over Youngstown State, Colgate and Le Moyne. JJ Starling leads Syracuse with 20.0 points per game after going for 16 points and four assists against the Longhorns, while Eddie Lampkin is averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Lampkin, who played at TCU and Colorado before joining Syracuse, had 14 points, five rebounds and six assists against Texas while Chris Bell added 11 points and Donnie Freeman scored 11. Bell comes into tonight's game scoring 13.5 per and Freeman is at 11.0 points and 7.5 per. The Orange are scoring 82.5 points per game while teams have put up 79.8 through four games. Â
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Syracuse (3-1) vs. Texas Tech (4-1)
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Venue: Barclays Center
Tip: 7 p.m. (EST), Friday, November 22, 2024
TV: ESPNU
TV CALL: Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Jay Williams (analyst)
LOCAL RADIO - Texas Tech Sports Network: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Clark Lammert (analyst)
Tech is at No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and just outside the AP Top 25 (most votes of unranked) but currently find themselves at No. 18 on the Kenpom.com grid and second in the nation with a 66.8 effective field-goal percentage. The team is also second the Big 12 and is seventh nationally by shooting 54.7 percent from the field and fifth in the Big 12 with 20.8 assists per game after having 30 on Monday against UAPB and 14 against St. Joseph's.Â
The Red Raiders are currently averaging 90.2 points per game which ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 19th nationally and are limiting opponents to only 63.4. The team is currently shooting 169-for-309 (54.7 percent) from the field and is 50-for-122 (41.0 percent) on 3-pointers despite struggling by going 4-for-20 from 3-point range against St. Joseph's. Five players are averaging in double figures through five games with Toppin (20.8), Williams (15.2), McMillian (14.8), Walton (10.4) and Overton (10.2). From 3-point range, Walton is 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) and McMillian is 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) while inside, Toppin is shooting 43-for-61 (70.5 percent) from the field which has him fourth in the Big 12 and inside the top-25 nationally. Tech has made 10 or more 3-pointers in three of its first five games, including going off for 16 in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman to match a program record before knocking down 14 more on Monday against UAPB.
Texas Tech and Syracuse will be meeting for the third time with the series tied 1-1. The programs last met in 2005 with the Orange earning an 81-46 win in a Coaches vs. Cancer semifinal game in New York.Â
Grant McCasland is now 238-101 in his career after the loss to St. Joseph's is now 27-12 overall, 4-4 in neutral-court games and 19-2 at home leading the Red Raiders. McCasland's roster has 14 players on it this season, including three fifth-year seniors (Devan Cambridge, McMillian, Walton), two seniors (Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Eemeli Yalaho) and three freshmen (Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner).Â
Toppin is coming off his 15th career double-double after going for 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's to take his season averages to 20.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He has a streak of three straight double-doubles after also going for 14 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday night in Lubbock after dropping 24 points on Wyoming to go along with 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. Against UAPB, he was 10-for-15 from the field for his second straight game with 10 makes. He's currently 43-for-61 (70.5 percent) from the field which is the 24th best in the nation. Toppin continues showing why he is on the Karl Malone Award Watch List and was one of the top gets out of the transfer portal by recording 25 points and seven rebounds in his second game of the season against Northwestern State after going for 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in his debut. He was 10-for-11 from the field against Northwestern State after an 8-for-12 shooting performance against Bethune-Cookman. Toppin transferred to Tech after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year last season following a freshman season at New Mexico where he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. He also provided 68 blocked shots, 38 steals and recorded 12 double-doubles which was tied for the 38th most in the nation. A Dallas native, Toppin returned to his home state after a freshman season where he recorded 23 double-figure scoring performances in 35 games. His first career double-double came with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UT Arlington and was highlighted by him going for a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against Toledo. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game, he had a career-best five blocks in games against San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV. He also had 25 points and 13 rebounds at Air Force and 21 points at Boise State. His 12th double-double of the season came with him going off for 13 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State in the MWC tournament. Toppin finished his first collegiate season going 193-for-310 (62.3 percent) from the field with 11 3-pointers. He was ranked No. 12 in ESPN's transfer rankings and was the third-best transfer still available when he signed on May 28. Toppin comes into the matchup against Syracuse with six games of 20-plus point scoring performances and 28 double-figure scoring games through 41 career games.Â
Williams provided 18 points, six rebounds and three assists against Saint Joseph's after 19 points against UAPB on Monday and is now averaging 15.2 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He recorded a career-high 11 assists and nearly became the third Red Raider in history to have a triple-double after adding eight points and eight rebounds in the win over Northwestern State. He started his junior season off with 17 points, six rebounds and a career-high eight assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman and is currently third in the Big 12 with his assist average. He's now at 704 points and 514 rebounds through 71 career games. Williams is Tech's leading returner with 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and nine double-doubles after a sophomore season where he earned All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team honors. He made 33 starts last season, scoring in double-figures in 19, including a program-best performance where he went 12-for-12 from the field and scored 30 points in a 79-50 home win over No. 6 Kansas. A Sacramento, California native who played his freshman season at Nevada, he finished his first season at Tech shooting 131-for-265 (49.4 percent) from the field and 44-for-96 (45.8 percent) on 3-pointers along with providing 82 assists, 38 steals and 11 blocked shots. In Big 12 play, Williams averaged 13.1 points per game and was 23-for-44 on 3-pointers which is the second best in program history for percentage at a 52.3 percent. He established a career-high with 14 rebounds in a non-conference win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and had his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Baylor in the regular-season finale. His 19th double-figure scoring performance came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. Williams now has 34 games scoring in double figures in his career with four this season.
McMillian scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with 17 points in the loss against Saint Joseph's by going 7-for-10 from the field with two 3-pointers. He's now averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He arrived in Brooklyn after going for 11 points with three 3-pointers and matching his career-high with six assists against UAPB following 16 points on a 4-for-4 display from 3-point range against Wyoming. He's now 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) on 3s for the season which has him fourth in the Big 12 and in the top-35 nationally. He also drilled four 3-pointers and went off for 17 points, five assists and five rebounds against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener. Against Wyoming, he shot 6-for-7 from the field and also added three assists and three steals to his stat line. He enters his sixth game of his second season at Texas Tech with 1,1101 points, 203 assists, 84 steals, 379 rebounds and 53 double-figure scoring performances. McMillian averaged 10.8 points per game and was 65-for-168 (38.7 percent) on 3-pointers in his first season as a Red Raider where he recorded 18 double-figure scoring performances that included a career-high 27 points at Oklahoma where he went 6-for-8 on 3-pointers. A California native, he scored 17 points in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win over BYU and had 15 points against Houston in the semifinals. McMillian was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice during the season, the first time against going off for 24 points at Butler where he went 8-for-10 on 3-pointers. He finished the year 40-for-44 at the free-throw line, including going 26-for-28 in conference play. McMillian has a 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio to start the season which currently ranks fifth in the Big 12.Â
Hawkins is the NCAA active leader with 6.39 assists per game in his career and is fifth with 607 total assists in his career. He recorded his 11th career double-double against UAPB after providing 11 assists, 10 points and five steals in his first start as a Red Raider and is coming off a game against St. Joseph's where he had three assists, two steals and four points. He made his Texas Tech debut by going for a team-high five assists and adding seven points in just under 13 minutes of play against Wyoming. Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List after he transferred to Texas Tech as a senior where he already has produced 1,098 points, 607 assists and 178 steals through 95 games in his career. Hawkins missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury. A Washington, D.C. native, Hawkins was second nationally last season with 7.5 assists per game at Minnesota where he also averaged 9.5 points and had six double-doubles as an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win. For his career, Hawkins is 135-for-359 (37.6 percent) on 3-pointers and has made 265 free throws. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Howard before playing one at Minnesota. Last season, he had eight games with double-figure assists, including dishing out 15 assists and scoring 11 points in a win over Butler in the NIT and also having double-doubles against Nebraska (12p/11a), Maine (12p/10a), Northwestern (13p/10a) at home, Illinois (12a/10p) and at Northwestern (14p/10a). Hawkins now has 63 games with double-figure scoring performances.
Walton is fifth nationally in active 3-point percentage at 42.8 percent and is currently averaging 10.4 points per game with 15 3-pointers made this season. He opened this season with a career-high seven 3-pointers and led the Red Raiders with 21 points in the season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman. He's made three or more 3-pointers in three games this season after going 1-for-2 against St. Joseph's – finishing with eight points. His 21 points in the opener was his second career game with 20 or more points in his career only being surpassed by his career-best 22-point performance last season against Omaha. The seven 3-pointers were the most for a Red Raider since McMillian made eight last season at Butler and two off from Alan Voskuil's program record of nine against Kansas back on March 4, 2009. Walton is now 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) on 3-pointers this season. He is the longest tenured Red Raider in his third season in the program and fifth as a collegiate player who now has 764 points and 183 made 3-pointers in his career. A Minnesota native, Walton is coming off a senior season where he averaged 8.5 points per game and finished 65-for-136 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc. His percentage was second nationally and second in program history. He scored a career-high 22 points in a non-conference win over Omaha where he was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and 8-for-9 from the field. In Big 12 play, Walton started all 18 games last season with a pair of 18-point scoring performances in road games at Houston and UCF. He finished the season with 11 double-figure scoring performances with 12 points against BYU in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win in Kansas City. He had eight games with three or more 3s, with a 3-for-4 outing against NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Round being the final one. Walton is now 176-for-414 (43.2 percent) in his career beyond the arc. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 65 games with 38 starts at Tech where he is 103-for-223 (46.2 percent) on 3s as a Red Raider.Â
Overton is currently averaging 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game after going for 17 points and three assists against UAPB earlier this week but going scoreless against Saint Joseph's. He has recorded three double-figure scoring performances to begin his sophomore season after also providing 19 points in a game against Northwestern State where he was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line but is coming off being held to five points against Wyoming. He also scored 10 points from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut against Bethune-Cookman with one 3-pointer. Overton joined the Texas Tech program this season after a freshman year at Drake where he provided 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a starter in 35 games (29.9 minutes per game). An Oklahoma City native, he scored in double figures in 19 games with a career-high 23 points coming against Murray State in his freshman season. Overton finished his first collegiate season shooting 62-for-179 on 3-pointers and contributed 21 steals. He scored 20 or more points in three games with 22 against Oakland and 21 against Saint Louis before his 23-point performance against Murray State where he was 8-for-11 from the field with five 3-pointers. Overton played one prep season at Sunrise Christian before beginning his collegiate career. He has 445 points, 129 rebounds and 22 double-figure scoring performances through 40 games in his collegiate career.
Cambridge reached the 1,000-point milestone by scoring 10 points in the win over Wyoming after going 4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. Against UAPB, he also had 10 points and is now at 1,013 career points. Cambridge went scoreless in nine minutes against Saint Joseph's and is averaging 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. He made his return from an injury-shortened season by contributing seven rebounds and five points against Bethune-Cookman in just over 21 minutes of time on the court. A starter in the first eight games last season, Cambridge suffered a lower body injury that forced him out the remainder of the season. He was averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season at Texas Tech before the injury, including a season-best 17 points in a win over Michigan in the Bahamas and going for 16 points at Butler. His injury occurred at home against Omaha where he had nine points in 18 minutes. Cambridge began his career by playing three seasons at Auburn before playing the 2022-23 season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 36 games played (35 starts). A Tennessee native, he is now 372-for-840 (44.3 percent) from the field for his career. His 140 games played are the third most in the nation among active players with Dajuan Harris of Kansas at 145 for the most.Â
Anderson led Tech with four assists and provided five points in the loss to Saint Joseph's after eight points, four assists and three steals against UAPB where he was 2-for-4 from 3-point range in his second game of the season. He made his collegiate debut against Wyoming where he scored nine points and contributed four assists and three steals in over 25 minutes of play as a reserve. Anderson missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury but made his presence felt early with a 3-pointer for his first points and finished the night shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21 as a four-star recruit following one season at Oak Hill Academy where he averaged 19.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. Originally a Michigan signee, Anderson opened his recruitment and joined the Red Raiders who he practiced with in June before going overseas in July to lead Germany to the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket Championship this season. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.0 assists per game in the tournament, including going off for 31 points and five assists in the finals against Serbia. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Anderson played at The Lovett School where he averaged 23.7 points in his high school career with 2,038 points. As a junior at The Lovett School, before Oak Hill, Anderson averaged 26.1 points and 4.1 assists with three games of 40 or more points. He played a team-high 28:44 minutes on Monday against UAPB and is currently averaging 7.3 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game to begin his freshman season.Â
Federiko hasn't missed a shot all season, going 9-for-9 after making his only shot against Saint Joseph's in a game he finished with three points. He is providing depth and size for the Red Raiders where he is currently averaging 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks through four games played. He scored a season-high eight points in the win over Wyoming where he was 4-for-4 from the field. He had a career-high three steals in the win over Northwestern State to lead the Red Raiders who had seven steals in the game. He is a senior in his first and final season at Texas Tech following two years at Pitt. A Finland native, Federiko is coming off a season where he averaged 4.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and had 43 blocked shots as a starter in 26 games. He had a career-high 22 points against North Florida last season and finished with eight games in double-figure scoring as a sophomore and two last season. In 2022-23, he went for 13 points and eight points at Florida State and produced his only double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart. Last season, he had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against North Carolina A&T. As a sophomore, Federiko recorded 18 games with two or more blocks, including having four blocks in games against Miami, Vanderbilt and North Carolina before having six games with three or more blocks last season. Federiko was a NJCAA All-America as a freshman at Northern Oklahoma. He now has 401 points, 369 rebounds and 103 blocks through 71 games at the NCAA level.
Yalaho has missed all five games to start the season with a lower body injury. He enters his sophomore season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a career-high 10 points against Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. A Finland native, Yalaho was 16-for-33 from the field and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He had a career-best six rebounds at UCF where he also had eight points. Against Houston in Kansas City, Yalaho scored in double figures for the first time in his career after he also provided seven points and three rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Baylor. Over the summer, Yalaho returned to Finland where he participated in workouts with his national team.
Green played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener but did not play against Northwestern State after he joined the Texas Tech program as a walk-on in September. He played the previous two seasons at Air Force. A Midlothian native, Green returned to his home state having played in 36 career games and produced 46 blocked shots. As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, Green started 12 games and played in 24 at Air Force where he averaged 6.5 points and had 34 blocks. Last season, he played in 12 games where he averaged 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and had 12 blocked shots. His career-best came with 17 points and 12 rebounds against USC Update on November 21, 2022. Green is a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
Francis played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener, making his seventh appearance on the court as a Red Raider. He is a walk-on who played in five games last season for the Red Raiders. He scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston in a non-conference win and had two rebounds against Kansas and Oklahoma State in Big 12 play. An Austin native, Francis was a practice player during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.
Horner made his collegiate debut on Tuesday night with two minutes of playing time. He is a freshman who joined the Texas Tech program after playing at Dynamic Prep and Frisco Memorial. As a senior at Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee and helped the program to the Texas Christian Athletic League 6A State Championship. He earned T-CAL All-State Second Team honors. At Frisco Memorial, Horner was a three-time all-district selection who had 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons.
Henderson will be out of action for an extended period as he recovers from a lower body injury. He joined the program as a walk-on this season after being a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family in high school. A Dallas native, he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior after going for 10 points and 7 assists as a junior.
TEAM NOTES: Tech's 16 3-pointers in the opener against Bethune-Cookman matched the program record that was most recently accomplished against Kansas back on February 23, 2019, and also against UNC-Asheville (2004) and New Mexico State (1996)… The Red Raiders finished last season with 11 games of 10 or more 3s, including a season-high 15 against Sam Houston and then making 14 at TCU in Big 12 play...Texas Tech was second in the Big 12 last season by shooting 35.9 percent on 3-pointers and third with 8.5 made per game… Last season, Tech led the Big 12 at the free-throw line shooting 78.0 percent and are coming off a season opener where it went 6-for-10… The Red Raiders dominated the glass with a 44-21 rebounding advantage against Northwestern State in the second game of the season with Toppin having eight rebounds and Cambridge grabbing seven… The 94 points were the most in a season opener since a 101-58 win over Northwestern State in the 2020-21 season and Monday's 98 points was the sixth time over 90 under McCasland… Tech's largest runs of the season have been a 17-0 run to end the first half against Bethune-Cookman and a 14-0 spurt to take a 26-point halftime lead against Wyoming… Tech started the 1929-30 season with 12 wins and the 2018-19 season with 10 straight victories for the best starts in program history… The program hasn't started 5-0 since the 2021-22 season where it began 6-0 before its first loss and has been 5-0 only 14 times through 99 seasons… The 30 assists marked the eighth time in program history with 30-plus assists and the most since a 32-assist performance against Tennessee State in 2019… Tech's 47-point win over Wyoming was its largest margin of victory since a 50-point victory over Jackson State on December 17, 2022.
RANKINGS
• Tech moved from unranked to No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll but is just outside of the AP Top 25... The team is 26th in the AP Poll with the most votes not in the poll... Tech is currently No. 9 in KenPom... The Red Raiders started the 2024-25 season unranked in the preseason polls after being at No. 22 in both national polls going into the NCAA Tournament last season; The Red Raiders were at No. 25 in the final 2023-24 USA TODAY Coaches Poll and received votes in the final AP Poll
• Texas Tech was picked 7th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and did not have a player selected in the 2024 preseason awards
• Last season, Tech was at No. 15 (Jan. 29) for its highest ranking of the season; Tech came into the 2023-24 season unranked in the AP Preseason Poll and remained unranked in the Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Dec. 25, Jan. 1, and Jan. 8 polls; The team received votes for the first time last season with 62 in the January 8 poll after the win over the Longhorns in Austin to begin conference play
• The No. 15 national ranking was the highest since the program was No. 12 in the AP Top 25 at the end of the 2022 season
• 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
COACHING STAFF
McCasland's staff includes assistant coaches Luke Barnwell, Matt Braeuer, Jeff Linder and Achoki Moikobu along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Chris Nottingham (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations) and Brian Pete (video coordinator). Linder joins the staff this season after being the head coach at Wyoming (2020-2024) and Northern Colorado (2016-2019) while Pete was at Vanderbilt last season. Braeuer, Moikobu and Wright are in their second season at Tech and all worked with McCasland at UNT.
PROGRAM NOTES
The Red Raiders have advanced to 20 overall NCAA Tournament appearances, including reaching the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, 2022 Sweet 16 and the 2024 First Round… This is the 100th season in program history and includes recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024... The program won the 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship
RED RAIDERS IN THE PROS
Texas Tech has had 25 NBA Draft selections in program history… Recently in the NBA Draft, selections of Zhaire Smith (R1-P16), Jarrett Culver (R1-P6), and Jahmi'us Ramsey (R2-P43) were made… Tony Battie was selected at No. 5 in the 1997 NBA Draft for the top pick in Tech history... Mac McClung, who has signed a two-way with Orlando, represented the program by winning the 2023 and 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest… Former Red Raiders who are listed on NBA G-League rosters are Adonis Arms (Birmingham), Jarrett Culver (Osceola), De'Vion Harmon (Indiana), Mac McClung (Osceola), Kevin Obanor (905 Raptors), Jahmi'us Ramsey (Oklahoma City), Zhaire Smith (Cleveland) and Warren Washington (Sioux Falls)... Former players overseas includes: Brandone Francis (Selenge Bodons Sukhbaatar in Mongolian MBL), Keenan Evans (Olympiacos in Greek GBL), Bryson Williams (Aliaga Petkimspor Izmir in Turkish BSL), Marcus Santos-Silva (Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball in French Betclic ELITE ProA), Davion Warren (Guangzhou Loong Lions in Chinese CBA), Dejan Kravic (Estudiantes in Spanish Primera FEB), Joe Toussaint (Karhubasket in Finnish Korisliiga), Justin Gray (Itelyum Varese in Italian Serie A), Tariq Owens (Cremona in Italian Serie A), John Roberson (Al Ahly Cairo in Egyptian Superleague), Zach Smith (Pitesti in Romanian Liga Nationala), Michael Singletary (Fubon Braves in Taiwanese PLeague+), Joel Ntambwe (Abeilles in Central African D1), Kyler Edwards (JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France), Jeffrey Crockett (Keravnos in Cyprus), Toddrick Gotcher (Fomik Zamek in Poland), Davide Moretti (Umana Reyer Venezia in Italy Serie A), Robert Tuner (FOS Provence in French ProB), TJ Holyfield (Pass Lab Yamagata in Japanese B2), Matt Mooney (Adelaide 36ers in Australian NBL), Clarence Nadolny (Rouen in French ProB), Devon Thomas (U.M.F. Grindavik in Iceland), Chris Clarke (Obras in Argentina)... Former players who transferred to other college programs and are now on NBA rosters are: Terrence Shannon (Minnesota), Kevin McCullar (New York), Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland) *subject to change based on player movement throughout the year
VIDEOSÂ
EP1 - Toughest Team Wins | EP2 - Toughest Team Wins | EP3 - Toughest Team Wins | EP4 – Toughest Team Wins | Define YourselfÂ
FEATURE STORIES
Formative Conversation | Four Journeys to Big 12 Media Day | Chance McMillian | Kerwin Walton | Elijah Hawkins – Cousy Award Watch List | JT Toppin – Malone Award Watch List | Darrion Williams | Grant McCaslandÂ
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
The Red Raiders (4-1) took their only loss of the season against Saint Joseph's on Thursday night with a last-second shot from Darrion Williams rimming out in a 78-77 defeat. JT Toppin recorded his third straight double-double with 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds while Williams provided 18 points, six rebounds and three assists and Chance McMillian scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with 17 points.Â
"Our guys were competitive late, we just dug ourselves too big of a hole over the course of the game," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said after Thursday's game. "It was a great team we played against in a great event. We have a long way to go with our team but I believe in them. We are going to find a way to get there. There are a lot of hurt guys in our locker room and it's a short turnaround when we play Syracuse in a couple hours. Part of this is how you respond when things go negative. We have the right group to respond."
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The Orange (3-1) are coming off a 70-66 loss to Texas on Thursday for their first defeat of the season after wins over Youngstown State, Colgate and Le Moyne. JJ Starling leads Syracuse with 20.0 points per game after going for 16 points and four assists against the Longhorns, while Eddie Lampkin is averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Lampkin, who played at TCU and Colorado before joining Syracuse, had 14 points, five rebounds and six assists against Texas while Chris Bell added 11 points and Donnie Freeman scored 11. Bell comes into tonight's game scoring 13.5 per and Freeman is at 11.0 points and 7.5 per. The Orange are scoring 82.5 points per game while teams have put up 79.8 through four games. Â
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Syracuse (3-1) vs. Texas Tech (4-1)
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Venue: Barclays Center
Tip: 7 p.m. (EST), Friday, November 22, 2024
TV: ESPNU
TV CALL: Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Jay Williams (analyst)
LOCAL RADIO - Texas Tech Sports Network: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Clark Lammert (analyst)
Tech is at No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and just outside the AP Top 25 (most votes of unranked) but currently find themselves at No. 18 on the Kenpom.com grid and second in the nation with a 66.8 effective field-goal percentage. The team is also second the Big 12 and is seventh nationally by shooting 54.7 percent from the field and fifth in the Big 12 with 20.8 assists per game after having 30 on Monday against UAPB and 14 against St. Joseph's.Â
The Red Raiders are currently averaging 90.2 points per game which ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 19th nationally and are limiting opponents to only 63.4. The team is currently shooting 169-for-309 (54.7 percent) from the field and is 50-for-122 (41.0 percent) on 3-pointers despite struggling by going 4-for-20 from 3-point range against St. Joseph's. Five players are averaging in double figures through five games with Toppin (20.8), Williams (15.2), McMillian (14.8), Walton (10.4) and Overton (10.2). From 3-point range, Walton is 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) and McMillian is 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) while inside, Toppin is shooting 43-for-61 (70.5 percent) from the field which has him fourth in the Big 12 and inside the top-25 nationally. Tech has made 10 or more 3-pointers in three of its first five games, including going off for 16 in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman to match a program record before knocking down 14 more on Monday against UAPB.
Texas Tech and Syracuse will be meeting for the third time with the series tied 1-1. The programs last met in 2005 with the Orange earning an 81-46 win in a Coaches vs. Cancer semifinal game in New York.Â
Grant McCasland is now 238-101 in his career after the loss to St. Joseph's is now 27-12 overall, 4-4 in neutral-court games and 19-2 at home leading the Red Raiders. McCasland's roster has 14 players on it this season, including three fifth-year seniors (Devan Cambridge, McMillian, Walton), two seniors (Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Eemeli Yalaho) and three freshmen (Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner).Â
Toppin is coming off his 15th career double-double after going for 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's to take his season averages to 20.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He has a streak of three straight double-doubles after also going for 14 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday night in Lubbock after dropping 24 points on Wyoming to go along with 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. Against UAPB, he was 10-for-15 from the field for his second straight game with 10 makes. He's currently 43-for-61 (70.5 percent) from the field which is the 24th best in the nation. Toppin continues showing why he is on the Karl Malone Award Watch List and was one of the top gets out of the transfer portal by recording 25 points and seven rebounds in his second game of the season against Northwestern State after going for 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in his debut. He was 10-for-11 from the field against Northwestern State after an 8-for-12 shooting performance against Bethune-Cookman. Toppin transferred to Tech after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year last season following a freshman season at New Mexico where he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. He also provided 68 blocked shots, 38 steals and recorded 12 double-doubles which was tied for the 38th most in the nation. A Dallas native, Toppin returned to his home state after a freshman season where he recorded 23 double-figure scoring performances in 35 games. His first career double-double came with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UT Arlington and was highlighted by him going for a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against Toledo. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game, he had a career-best five blocks in games against San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV. He also had 25 points and 13 rebounds at Air Force and 21 points at Boise State. His 12th double-double of the season came with him going off for 13 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State in the MWC tournament. Toppin finished his first collegiate season going 193-for-310 (62.3 percent) from the field with 11 3-pointers. He was ranked No. 12 in ESPN's transfer rankings and was the third-best transfer still available when he signed on May 28. Toppin comes into the matchup against Syracuse with six games of 20-plus point scoring performances and 28 double-figure scoring games through 41 career games.Â
Williams provided 18 points, six rebounds and three assists against Saint Joseph's after 19 points against UAPB on Monday and is now averaging 15.2 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He recorded a career-high 11 assists and nearly became the third Red Raider in history to have a triple-double after adding eight points and eight rebounds in the win over Northwestern State. He started his junior season off with 17 points, six rebounds and a career-high eight assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman and is currently third in the Big 12 with his assist average. He's now at 704 points and 514 rebounds through 71 career games. Williams is Tech's leading returner with 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and nine double-doubles after a sophomore season where he earned All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team honors. He made 33 starts last season, scoring in double-figures in 19, including a program-best performance where he went 12-for-12 from the field and scored 30 points in a 79-50 home win over No. 6 Kansas. A Sacramento, California native who played his freshman season at Nevada, he finished his first season at Tech shooting 131-for-265 (49.4 percent) from the field and 44-for-96 (45.8 percent) on 3-pointers along with providing 82 assists, 38 steals and 11 blocked shots. In Big 12 play, Williams averaged 13.1 points per game and was 23-for-44 on 3-pointers which is the second best in program history for percentage at a 52.3 percent. He established a career-high with 14 rebounds in a non-conference win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and had his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Baylor in the regular-season finale. His 19th double-figure scoring performance came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. Williams now has 34 games scoring in double figures in his career with four this season.
McMillian scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with 17 points in the loss against Saint Joseph's by going 7-for-10 from the field with two 3-pointers. He's now averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He arrived in Brooklyn after going for 11 points with three 3-pointers and matching his career-high with six assists against UAPB following 16 points on a 4-for-4 display from 3-point range against Wyoming. He's now 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) on 3s for the season which has him fourth in the Big 12 and in the top-35 nationally. He also drilled four 3-pointers and went off for 17 points, five assists and five rebounds against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener. Against Wyoming, he shot 6-for-7 from the field and also added three assists and three steals to his stat line. He enters his sixth game of his second season at Texas Tech with 1,1101 points, 203 assists, 84 steals, 379 rebounds and 53 double-figure scoring performances. McMillian averaged 10.8 points per game and was 65-for-168 (38.7 percent) on 3-pointers in his first season as a Red Raider where he recorded 18 double-figure scoring performances that included a career-high 27 points at Oklahoma where he went 6-for-8 on 3-pointers. A California native, he scored 17 points in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win over BYU and had 15 points against Houston in the semifinals. McMillian was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice during the season, the first time against going off for 24 points at Butler where he went 8-for-10 on 3-pointers. He finished the year 40-for-44 at the free-throw line, including going 26-for-28 in conference play. McMillian has a 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio to start the season which currently ranks fifth in the Big 12.Â
Hawkins is the NCAA active leader with 6.39 assists per game in his career and is fifth with 607 total assists in his career. He recorded his 11th career double-double against UAPB after providing 11 assists, 10 points and five steals in his first start as a Red Raider and is coming off a game against St. Joseph's where he had three assists, two steals and four points. He made his Texas Tech debut by going for a team-high five assists and adding seven points in just under 13 minutes of play against Wyoming. Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List after he transferred to Texas Tech as a senior where he already has produced 1,098 points, 607 assists and 178 steals through 95 games in his career. Hawkins missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury. A Washington, D.C. native, Hawkins was second nationally last season with 7.5 assists per game at Minnesota where he also averaged 9.5 points and had six double-doubles as an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win. For his career, Hawkins is 135-for-359 (37.6 percent) on 3-pointers and has made 265 free throws. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Howard before playing one at Minnesota. Last season, he had eight games with double-figure assists, including dishing out 15 assists and scoring 11 points in a win over Butler in the NIT and also having double-doubles against Nebraska (12p/11a), Maine (12p/10a), Northwestern (13p/10a) at home, Illinois (12a/10p) and at Northwestern (14p/10a). Hawkins now has 63 games with double-figure scoring performances.
Walton is fifth nationally in active 3-point percentage at 42.8 percent and is currently averaging 10.4 points per game with 15 3-pointers made this season. He opened this season with a career-high seven 3-pointers and led the Red Raiders with 21 points in the season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman. He's made three or more 3-pointers in three games this season after going 1-for-2 against St. Joseph's – finishing with eight points. His 21 points in the opener was his second career game with 20 or more points in his career only being surpassed by his career-best 22-point performance last season against Omaha. The seven 3-pointers were the most for a Red Raider since McMillian made eight last season at Butler and two off from Alan Voskuil's program record of nine against Kansas back on March 4, 2009. Walton is now 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) on 3-pointers this season. He is the longest tenured Red Raider in his third season in the program and fifth as a collegiate player who now has 764 points and 183 made 3-pointers in his career. A Minnesota native, Walton is coming off a senior season where he averaged 8.5 points per game and finished 65-for-136 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc. His percentage was second nationally and second in program history. He scored a career-high 22 points in a non-conference win over Omaha where he was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and 8-for-9 from the field. In Big 12 play, Walton started all 18 games last season with a pair of 18-point scoring performances in road games at Houston and UCF. He finished the season with 11 double-figure scoring performances with 12 points against BYU in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win in Kansas City. He had eight games with three or more 3s, with a 3-for-4 outing against NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Round being the final one. Walton is now 176-for-414 (43.2 percent) in his career beyond the arc. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 65 games with 38 starts at Tech where he is 103-for-223 (46.2 percent) on 3s as a Red Raider.Â
Overton is currently averaging 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game after going for 17 points and three assists against UAPB earlier this week but going scoreless against Saint Joseph's. He has recorded three double-figure scoring performances to begin his sophomore season after also providing 19 points in a game against Northwestern State where he was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line but is coming off being held to five points against Wyoming. He also scored 10 points from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut against Bethune-Cookman with one 3-pointer. Overton joined the Texas Tech program this season after a freshman year at Drake where he provided 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a starter in 35 games (29.9 minutes per game). An Oklahoma City native, he scored in double figures in 19 games with a career-high 23 points coming against Murray State in his freshman season. Overton finished his first collegiate season shooting 62-for-179 on 3-pointers and contributed 21 steals. He scored 20 or more points in three games with 22 against Oakland and 21 against Saint Louis before his 23-point performance against Murray State where he was 8-for-11 from the field with five 3-pointers. Overton played one prep season at Sunrise Christian before beginning his collegiate career. He has 445 points, 129 rebounds and 22 double-figure scoring performances through 40 games in his collegiate career.
Cambridge reached the 1,000-point milestone by scoring 10 points in the win over Wyoming after going 4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. Against UAPB, he also had 10 points and is now at 1,013 career points. Cambridge went scoreless in nine minutes against Saint Joseph's and is averaging 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. He made his return from an injury-shortened season by contributing seven rebounds and five points against Bethune-Cookman in just over 21 minutes of time on the court. A starter in the first eight games last season, Cambridge suffered a lower body injury that forced him out the remainder of the season. He was averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season at Texas Tech before the injury, including a season-best 17 points in a win over Michigan in the Bahamas and going for 16 points at Butler. His injury occurred at home against Omaha where he had nine points in 18 minutes. Cambridge began his career by playing three seasons at Auburn before playing the 2022-23 season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 36 games played (35 starts). A Tennessee native, he is now 372-for-840 (44.3 percent) from the field for his career. His 140 games played are the third most in the nation among active players with Dajuan Harris of Kansas at 145 for the most.Â
Anderson led Tech with four assists and provided five points in the loss to Saint Joseph's after eight points, four assists and three steals against UAPB where he was 2-for-4 from 3-point range in his second game of the season. He made his collegiate debut against Wyoming where he scored nine points and contributed four assists and three steals in over 25 minutes of play as a reserve. Anderson missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury but made his presence felt early with a 3-pointer for his first points and finished the night shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21 as a four-star recruit following one season at Oak Hill Academy where he averaged 19.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. Originally a Michigan signee, Anderson opened his recruitment and joined the Red Raiders who he practiced with in June before going overseas in July to lead Germany to the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket Championship this season. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.0 assists per game in the tournament, including going off for 31 points and five assists in the finals against Serbia. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Anderson played at The Lovett School where he averaged 23.7 points in his high school career with 2,038 points. As a junior at The Lovett School, before Oak Hill, Anderson averaged 26.1 points and 4.1 assists with three games of 40 or more points. He played a team-high 28:44 minutes on Monday against UAPB and is currently averaging 7.3 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game to begin his freshman season.Â
Federiko hasn't missed a shot all season, going 9-for-9 after making his only shot against Saint Joseph's in a game he finished with three points. He is providing depth and size for the Red Raiders where he is currently averaging 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks through four games played. He scored a season-high eight points in the win over Wyoming where he was 4-for-4 from the field. He had a career-high three steals in the win over Northwestern State to lead the Red Raiders who had seven steals in the game. He is a senior in his first and final season at Texas Tech following two years at Pitt. A Finland native, Federiko is coming off a season where he averaged 4.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and had 43 blocked shots as a starter in 26 games. He had a career-high 22 points against North Florida last season and finished with eight games in double-figure scoring as a sophomore and two last season. In 2022-23, he went for 13 points and eight points at Florida State and produced his only double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart. Last season, he had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against North Carolina A&T. As a sophomore, Federiko recorded 18 games with two or more blocks, including having four blocks in games against Miami, Vanderbilt and North Carolina before having six games with three or more blocks last season. Federiko was a NJCAA All-America as a freshman at Northern Oklahoma. He now has 401 points, 369 rebounds and 103 blocks through 71 games at the NCAA level.
Yalaho has missed all five games to start the season with a lower body injury. He enters his sophomore season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a career-high 10 points against Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. A Finland native, Yalaho was 16-for-33 from the field and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He had a career-best six rebounds at UCF where he also had eight points. Against Houston in Kansas City, Yalaho scored in double figures for the first time in his career after he also provided seven points and three rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Baylor. Over the summer, Yalaho returned to Finland where he participated in workouts with his national team.
Green played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener but did not play against Northwestern State after he joined the Texas Tech program as a walk-on in September. He played the previous two seasons at Air Force. A Midlothian native, Green returned to his home state having played in 36 career games and produced 46 blocked shots. As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, Green started 12 games and played in 24 at Air Force where he averaged 6.5 points and had 34 blocks. Last season, he played in 12 games where he averaged 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and had 12 blocked shots. His career-best came with 17 points and 12 rebounds against USC Update on November 21, 2022. Green is a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
Francis played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener, making his seventh appearance on the court as a Red Raider. He is a walk-on who played in five games last season for the Red Raiders. He scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston in a non-conference win and had two rebounds against Kansas and Oklahoma State in Big 12 play. An Austin native, Francis was a practice player during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.
Horner made his collegiate debut on Tuesday night with two minutes of playing time. He is a freshman who joined the Texas Tech program after playing at Dynamic Prep and Frisco Memorial. As a senior at Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee and helped the program to the Texas Christian Athletic League 6A State Championship. He earned T-CAL All-State Second Team honors. At Frisco Memorial, Horner was a three-time all-district selection who had 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons.
Henderson will be out of action for an extended period as he recovers from a lower body injury. He joined the program as a walk-on this season after being a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family in high school. A Dallas native, he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior after going for 10 points and 7 assists as a junior.
TEAM NOTES: Tech's 16 3-pointers in the opener against Bethune-Cookman matched the program record that was most recently accomplished against Kansas back on February 23, 2019, and also against UNC-Asheville (2004) and New Mexico State (1996)… The Red Raiders finished last season with 11 games of 10 or more 3s, including a season-high 15 against Sam Houston and then making 14 at TCU in Big 12 play...Texas Tech was second in the Big 12 last season by shooting 35.9 percent on 3-pointers and third with 8.5 made per game… Last season, Tech led the Big 12 at the free-throw line shooting 78.0 percent and are coming off a season opener where it went 6-for-10… The Red Raiders dominated the glass with a 44-21 rebounding advantage against Northwestern State in the second game of the season with Toppin having eight rebounds and Cambridge grabbing seven… The 94 points were the most in a season opener since a 101-58 win over Northwestern State in the 2020-21 season and Monday's 98 points was the sixth time over 90 under McCasland… Tech's largest runs of the season have been a 17-0 run to end the first half against Bethune-Cookman and a 14-0 spurt to take a 26-point halftime lead against Wyoming… Tech started the 1929-30 season with 12 wins and the 2018-19 season with 10 straight victories for the best starts in program history… The program hasn't started 5-0 since the 2021-22 season where it began 6-0 before its first loss and has been 5-0 only 14 times through 99 seasons… The 30 assists marked the eighth time in program history with 30-plus assists and the most since a 32-assist performance against Tennessee State in 2019… Tech's 47-point win over Wyoming was its largest margin of victory since a 50-point victory over Jackson State on December 17, 2022.
RANKINGS
• Tech moved from unranked to No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll but is just outside of the AP Top 25... The team is 26th in the AP Poll with the most votes not in the poll... Tech is currently No. 9 in KenPom... The Red Raiders started the 2024-25 season unranked in the preseason polls after being at No. 22 in both national polls going into the NCAA Tournament last season; The Red Raiders were at No. 25 in the final 2023-24 USA TODAY Coaches Poll and received votes in the final AP Poll
• Texas Tech was picked 7th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and did not have a player selected in the 2024 preseason awards
• Last season, Tech was at No. 15 (Jan. 29) for its highest ranking of the season; Tech came into the 2023-24 season unranked in the AP Preseason Poll and remained unranked in the Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Dec. 25, Jan. 1, and Jan. 8 polls; The team received votes for the first time last season with 62 in the January 8 poll after the win over the Longhorns in Austin to begin conference play
• The No. 15 national ranking was the highest since the program was No. 12 in the AP Top 25 at the end of the 2022 season
• 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
COACHING STAFF
McCasland's staff includes assistant coaches Luke Barnwell, Matt Braeuer, Jeff Linder and Achoki Moikobu along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Chris Nottingham (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations) and Brian Pete (video coordinator). Linder joins the staff this season after being the head coach at Wyoming (2020-2024) and Northern Colorado (2016-2019) while Pete was at Vanderbilt last season. Braeuer, Moikobu and Wright are in their second season at Tech and all worked with McCasland at UNT.
PROGRAM NOTES
The Red Raiders have advanced to 20 overall NCAA Tournament appearances, including reaching the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, 2022 Sweet 16 and the 2024 First Round… This is the 100th season in program history and includes recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024... The program won the 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship
RED RAIDERS IN THE PROS
Texas Tech has had 25 NBA Draft selections in program history… Recently in the NBA Draft, selections of Zhaire Smith (R1-P16), Jarrett Culver (R1-P6), and Jahmi'us Ramsey (R2-P43) were made… Tony Battie was selected at No. 5 in the 1997 NBA Draft for the top pick in Tech history... Mac McClung, who has signed a two-way with Orlando, represented the program by winning the 2023 and 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest… Former Red Raiders who are listed on NBA G-League rosters are Adonis Arms (Birmingham), Jarrett Culver (Osceola), De'Vion Harmon (Indiana), Mac McClung (Osceola), Kevin Obanor (905 Raptors), Jahmi'us Ramsey (Oklahoma City), Zhaire Smith (Cleveland) and Warren Washington (Sioux Falls)... Former players overseas includes: Brandone Francis (Selenge Bodons Sukhbaatar in Mongolian MBL), Keenan Evans (Olympiacos in Greek GBL), Bryson Williams (Aliaga Petkimspor Izmir in Turkish BSL), Marcus Santos-Silva (Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball in French Betclic ELITE ProA), Davion Warren (Guangzhou Loong Lions in Chinese CBA), Dejan Kravic (Estudiantes in Spanish Primera FEB), Joe Toussaint (Karhubasket in Finnish Korisliiga), Justin Gray (Itelyum Varese in Italian Serie A), Tariq Owens (Cremona in Italian Serie A), John Roberson (Al Ahly Cairo in Egyptian Superleague), Zach Smith (Pitesti in Romanian Liga Nationala), Michael Singletary (Fubon Braves in Taiwanese PLeague+), Joel Ntambwe (Abeilles in Central African D1), Kyler Edwards (JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France), Jeffrey Crockett (Keravnos in Cyprus), Toddrick Gotcher (Fomik Zamek in Poland), Davide Moretti (Umana Reyer Venezia in Italy Serie A), Robert Tuner (FOS Provence in French ProB), TJ Holyfield (Pass Lab Yamagata in Japanese B2), Matt Mooney (Adelaide 36ers in Australian NBL), Clarence Nadolny (Rouen in French ProB), Devon Thomas (U.M.F. Grindavik in Iceland), Chris Clarke (Obras in Argentina)... Former players who transferred to other college programs and are now on NBA rosters are: Terrence Shannon (Minnesota), Kevin McCullar (New York), Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland) *subject to change based on player movement throughout the year
VIDEOSÂ
EP1 - Toughest Team Wins | EP2 - Toughest Team Wins | EP3 - Toughest Team Wins | EP4 – Toughest Team Wins | Define YourselfÂ
FEATURE STORIES
Formative Conversation | Four Journeys to Big 12 Media Day | Chance McMillian | Kerwin Walton | Elijah Hawkins – Cousy Award Watch List | JT Toppin – Malone Award Watch List | Darrion Williams | Grant McCaslandÂ
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Find A Way - Episode 3
Wednesday, September 17
Find A Way - Episode 2
Monday, September 08
Find A Way - Episode 1
Monday, September 01
Donovan Atwell - Interview
Thursday, June 19