Texas Tech Athletics
UCF
Red Raiders, Knights open Big 12 play on NYE
December 29, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – It's time to ring in the New Year and Big 12 play.
Ranking No. 13 on Kenpom and No. 17 in the NCAA NET, Texas Tech (9-2) will host UCF (9-2) in its first of 20 Big 12 games at 1 p.m. on Tuesday to start conference action at United Supermarkets Arena. Tech, which completed its non-conference schedule with an undefeated record for the fifth straight season, went 7-2 in conference home games last year and finished tied for third in the conference standings with an 11-7 record before making the program's 20th NCAA Tournament appearance.
"We're all in a new season," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "The best part of Big 12 play and the start of it is everyone feels the reset. It's a year where I feel like the Big 12 is open and anyone can win the league. There's a lot of teams that have put themselves in good positions in non-conference play, but it's now 0-0 and a new season. There's an urgency with everybody. We expect nothing but their absolute best on Tuesday. Our guys understand that every possession matters and that in the Big 12 that's always the case."
The Red Raiders are 8-0 on their home court this season after a 101-57 win over Lamar last week to complete non-conference play and enter Big 12 action leading the conference with a 60.0 effective field goal percentage, shooting 51.7 percent from the field, 79.4 percent at the free-throw line and a 23.0 scoring margin of victory. Tech is currently third in the nation in both shooting percentages and is 11th throughout the country by shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range (111-for-275) after going 13-for-29 in the 44-point win over Lamar in its last game. The Red Raiders also went 16-for-18 at the free-throw line against Lamar and are now 150-for-189 from the charity stripe. The team is third in the Big 12 with 18.4 assists per game and scoring 86.3 points per game, while also ranking third defensively by limiting opponents to only 63.3 points per game.
UCF travels to Lubbock on a five-game winning streak that began after a triple-overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Virginia. The Knights have since run off wins over Milwaukee, Cal Baptist, Tarleton, Tulsa and most recently earning an 86-66 win over Jacksonville last Saturday. UCF will be playing in its first true road game of the season that started with a 64-61 win over Texas A&M at home. Jordan Ivy-Curry leads UCF this season with 16.3 points per game while Keyshawn Hall is adding 15.2 points per game and leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per. Darius Johnson gives the team three double-figure scorers with his 14.7 points per game and tops the team with 4.5 assists and the Big 12 with 3.1 steals per game. "He can dictate the flow of the game on both ends," said McCasland of Johnson. "I think that's the key to their team. We have a lot of respect for the way he competes. When they beat us at their place last year, I thought he took over the game. He did it on both ends. Anytime you have that great of point guard play you are putting your team in a great position. He is one of the best point guards in the Big 12."
A 7-foot-2, five-star recruit in his freshman season, Moustapha Thiam is adding 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and is second in the Big 12 with 28 total blocks and 2.8 blocks per game. Ivy-Curry is a La Marque, Texas native who began his college career at Pacific before playing at UTSA last season where he averaged 17.1 points per game. In the win over Jacksonville, Hall led the Knights with 21 points after making 10-of-11 free throws while Ivy-Curry added 19 points by going 5-for-9 from 3-point range. UCF is currently averaging 80.8 points per game, is allowing 74.0 point per from its opponents and is shooting 34.2 percent on 3-pointers. The team is second in the Big 12 by making 19.4 free throws per game at a 77.2 percentage which ranks third in the conference.
"The biggest thing for us is protecting home court and we get to do that right out of the gate against a really talented and well-coached UCF team that we have a lot of respect for," McCasland said.
The Red Raiders and Knights begin Big 12 play at the USA after splitting their two games last season. It will be the only meeting in the regular season this year between the programs and the third time ever the teams have met. Tech won in Lubbock last season before falling in Orlando in the second game. The 2024 matchups were the first time the programs have met in program history, bringing the two teams together this season with a 1-1 all-time record. UCF, which is in its second season in the Big 12, went 17-16 overall and 7-11 in Big 12 play last year ending with a loss to South Florida in the NIT. The Knights are led by head coach Johnny Dawkins who is in his ninth season at UCF and has a 313-220 career record. Dawkins was 156-115 as Stanford's head coach for eight seasons before arriving in Orlando to lead the UCF program. Â
In its Big 12 opener last season, Texas Tech traveled to Austin and earned a 78-67 win over No. 20 Texas and is currently 12-16 in the first game Big 12 play.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: UCF (9-2) at Texas Tech (9-2)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 1 p.m., Tuesday, December 31, 2024
TV: ESPN+
TV CALL: Ted Emrich (play-by-play), Scott Williams (analyst)
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Tech has four players scoring in double figures entering the conference opener with JT Toppin (18.6), Darrion Williams (16.5), Chance McMillian (16.4) and Kevin Overton (11.4) while Toppin leads the team with 11.0 rebounds per game and Elijah Hawkins and Williams are both over five assists per game. Williams was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after going off for a season-high 23 points in the win over Lamar and currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 in scoring and is ninth in the conference rankings with 5.2 assists per game. Hawkins ranks second in the conference with 5.4 assists per game after having seven assists and only two turnovers against Lamar. Over the last five games, McMillian leads Tech with 18.6 points per game after scoring 19 against Lamar following three straight games of 20-plus scoring which included a season-high 23 points in the loss against Texas A&M in Fort Worth. McMillian leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by shooting 53.4 percent on 3-pointers for the season, is fourth in the Big 12 by shooting 60.6 percent (63-for-104) from the field and comes into the UCF game ranked fifth in the conference in scoring.
Texas Tech will follow its conference opener with a pair of road games to begin the 2025 calendar year, first against Utah on January 4 in Salt Lake City and then at BYU on January 7 in Provo before returning to Lubbock to host No. 3 Iowa State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 11.
Grant McCasland improved to 243-102 (70.4%) in his career after the win over Lamar, including his Texas Tech records of 32-13 overall and 23-2 at home. Last season, McCasland led Tech to six wins over ranked opponents and is now 6-6 against AP Top 25 teams as Tech's head coach. McCasland's roster has 13 players on it this season, including two fifth-year seniors (McMillian, Kerwin Walton), two seniors (Hawkins, Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Eemeli Yalaho) and three freshmen (Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner).Â
Williams earned Big 12 Player of the Week after going off for a season-high 23 points in the win over Lamar along with providing nine assists against ORU in the two games leading into conference play. It was his second Big 12 Player of the Week honor in his career after winning it in the final week last season. He has nine straight games scoring in double figures after also producing 10 points in the win over ORU and comes into Big 12 play averaging 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He is currently fourth in the Big 12 in scoring and assists per game. His season-best 23 points came with him matching a career-high by making four 3-pointers and it was his 40th career game scoring in double figures. Williams had 11 points, five assists and four rebounds against Texas A&M. Over the past five games, Williams is averaging 17.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. He had produced 20-plus points in three straight games after going for 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win over DePaul along with scoring a team-high/season-high 21 points against Northern Colorado to go along with 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the 11th of his career. In Brooklyn, he earned Legends Classic All-Tournament honors after leading the Red Raiders with a season-high 20 points against Syracuse in a game where he also had six rebounds and three assists. The 20-point performances in a career-best three straight games against Syracuse, Northern Colorado and DePaul gives him three this season and four in his career coming into Saturday's matchup against Lamar. His trip to Brooklyn also saw him provide 18 points, six rebounds and three assists against Saint Joseph's. 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. Williams is second in the Big 12 at the free-throw line by shooting 88.4 percent (38-for-43) after going 5-for-6 at the line against Lamar. Williams is Tech's leading returner from last year's roster 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 of his sophomore season came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. Williams now has 40 games scoring in double figures in his career with 10 this season. In his second season at Tech, he's now at 809 points, 551 rebounds and 229 assists through 77 career games.
McMillian leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by shooting 53.4 percent (31-for-58) from 3-point range this season and is averaging 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game after providing 19 points, six rebounds and two assists in the win over Lamar. He has scored 20 or more points in seven games in his career after a three-game streak which was capped by 20 points against ORU where he went 8-for-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He made five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high/season-high 23 points in the loss against Texas A&M after he had led Tech with 22 points in the win over DePaul. He has scored in double figures in 10 of 11 games this season, in 58 games throughout his career and now has scored 20 or more points in seven games in his career. A fifth-year senior, he leads Tech by playing 31:12 minutes per game and with his 31 made 3-pointers. McMillian is sixth in the Big 12 by making 2.82 3-pointers per game and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring average. Over the past five games, he leads Tech with 18.6 points per game and is 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) from 3-point range. McMillian had scored in double figures for the sixth straight game after going for 13 points with three 3-pointers against Syracuse before he had 17 points in the loss against Saint Joseph's during the team's trip to Brooklyn. His only non-double figure scoring performance came with nine points against Northern Colorado in a game where he was 6-for-6 at the free-throw line but attempted only four shots from the field. 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 also drilled four 3-pointers and went off for 17 points, five assists and five rebounds against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener. Last season, 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 made three or more 3s in seven games this season and is currently 205-for-494 (41.5 percent) on 3-pointers in his career. A starter throughout the year, he enters his 12th game of the season with 1,207 points, 212 assists, 89 steals, 405 rebounds and 58 double-figure scoring performances through 135 games played in his career. His 41.5 career percentage from 3-point range is the 15th best for all active players in the NCAA.
Toppin has missed the past four games against ORU, Texas A&M and DePaul with a lower body injury and is listed as day-to-day. In his last game played, he recorded his fourth double-double of the season and 16th of his career with 15 rebounds and 11 points in the win over Northern Colorado and leads the Red Raiders with 18.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game this season. He is the only player on Tech's roster to score in double figures in every game he's played this season. With his missed games, Toppin falls below the minimums but would lead the Big 12 with his 11.0 rebounds per game and 4.6 offensive rebounds per game after having five against Northern Colorado. His scoring average is the third best in the Big 12 leading into conference play. At the free-throw line, he is currently 26-for-34 (76.5 percent) after going 5-of-6 against Northern Colorado and Syracuse and making 6-of-8 against Saint Joseph's. Toppin was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after the trip to Brooklyn in a three-game week where he had two double-doubles and averaged 17.0 points and 11.7 rebounds. He capped the award-winning week with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots against Syracuse after recording his 15th career double-double by going for 22 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's. He was on a streak of three straight double-doubles after also going for 14 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Lubbock after dropping 24 points on Wyoming to go along with 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. His 12 offensive rebounds against Saint Joseph's were the second most in Texas Tech program history – only behind Will Flemons who had 15 against Houston on February 14, 1990. Against UAPB, he was 10-for-15 from the field for his second straight game with 10 makes. He's currently 48-for-77 from the field this season after also having games on his resume of 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 as a freshman, 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 UCF with six games of 20-plus point scoring performances, 30 double-figure scoring games and 575 total points through 43 career games played.Â
Hawkins is third in the NCAA active rankings with 6.31 assists per game in his career and is sixth with 637 total assists after providing seven assists in the win over Lamar where he also had seven points and four rebounds. A senior in his first season at Texas Tech, Hawkins is currently averaging 6.9 points, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals through nine games played this season after missing the first two games with a lower body injury. He is second in the Big 12 with his assists average this season and 11th with a 2.23 assist-to-turnover ratio. Among active NCAA leaders, he is also ranks 18th with 1.85 steals per game, 27th with 187 career steals and 24th with a 1.81 assist-to-turnover ratio. 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. 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 and has recorded three or more assists in every game he's played this season. 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 before transferring to Texas Tech to play his final season. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State last season and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win for his career-best. For his career, Hawkins is 140-for-374 (37.4 percent) on 3-pointers and has made 277 free throws (12-for-14 this season). 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). He has a team-high 64 games with double-figure scoring performances in his career. Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List and currently has 1,139 points, 637 assists and 187 steals through 101 games played in his career.
Walton is sixth nationally in active 3-point percentage at 42.6 percent (187-for-439) in his career after going 18-for-44 (40.9 percent) from beyond the arc in non-conference play. A starter in all 11 games this season, he is currently averaging 5.9 points per game. 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. His 21 points in the opener marked 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. He is the longest tenured Red Raider in his third season in the program and fifth as a collegiate player who now has 785 points and 187 made 3-pointers through 131 games in his career. A Minnesota native, Walton averaged 8.5 points per game last season 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. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 71 games with 44 starts at Texas Tech where he is 106-for-236 (44.9 percent) from 3-point range as a Red Raider.Â
Overton provided 17 points against Lamar and Texas A&M and is currently averaging 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game to lead the Tech reserves. He also scored a season-high 20 points against Northern Colorado and has six double-figure scoring performances going into conference play. A sophomore in his first season at Texas Tech, his 20-point production was the fourth time in his young career with 20 or more points. He also had six rebounds against Lamar to match a season-high and now has six straight games with five or more rebounds. Overton also scored 19 points in a game against Northwestern State where he was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line after 10 points in his only appearance from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut against Bethune-Cookman. 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 519 points, 163 rebounds and 25 double-figure scoring performances through 46 games in his collegiate career.
Anderson is coming off a career-high 20 points against Lamar after going 8-for-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range. A true freshman, he is now averaging 9.0 points per game and is 16-for-42 (38.1 percent) on 3s entering conference play. His 20 points against Lamar marked the third double-figure scoring performance of his season after he also recorded 11 points against ORU and a previous career-high 12 points against Northern Colorado where he was 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. Against ORU, Anderson was 3-for-8 from 3-point range and also had four rebounds. Through nine games played (after missing the first two of the season with a lower body injury), he already has four games with four assists and five with three or more. Anderson led Tech with four assists and provided five points in the loss to Saint Joseph's before providing seven points and an assist in the win over Syracuse in Brooklyn. He also had 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 against Wyoming shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21, 2024, 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. Anderson is currently 29-for-6 (48.3 percent) from the field and has 14 steals this season. His 1.56 steals per game ranks 16th within the Big 12 stat rankings.
Federiko had a career night against ORU, going for a career-best 23 points and adding 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the third in his career but missed the Lamar game with an upper body injury. He was 11-for-13 (84.6 percent) from the field against ORU and also finished the game with a career-high five assists and six offensive rebounds. It was his first game in double-figure scoring as a Red Raider and came in his third start of the season. Federiko provided seven points, six rebounds and a career-high four steals against Texas A&M. For the season, he's now averaging 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. He made his first start of the season against DePaul and finished with eight points and five rebounds. He began this season going 9-for-9 after making his only shot against Saint Joseph's before going 1-for-3 against Syracuse and 2-for-3 against Northern Colorado where he finished with five points and three assists. Against Texas A&M, Federiko was 3-for-3 from the field. In a season-high 31 minutes against DePaul, Federiko was 4-for-8 from the field and finished with three offensive rebounds. For the season, he's now 30-for-39 (76.9 percent) from the field through nine games played. He had previously scored a season-high eight points for the first time in the win over Wyoming where he was 4-for-4 from the field. The tallest Red Raider on the roster at 6-foot-11, 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 454 points, 401 rebounds and 106 blocks through 77 games at the NCAA level.
Yalaho made his first career start and scored a career-high 13 points in the win over Lamar after going 5-for-8 from the field, including 2-of-2 on 3-pointers. Yalaho also had five rebounds against Lamar in his fifth game played of the season. He was coming off a game where he provided three rebounds and two points in the win over ORU in 13 minutes of playing time. He made his season debut against Northern Colorado where he had two points, one rebound and a block in four minutes of play and also had two points and three rebounds against Texas A&M. Yalaho had missed the previous six games to start his sophomore season with a lower body injury. He entered this season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a previous 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. Yalaho has played in 22 career games where he is averaging 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Green has appeared in five games this season 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 one year of eligibility remaining after this season.
Francis has appeared in five games this season and 10 in his career. He recorded his first field goal in his career with a layup against ORU for his first points of the season. 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 for the program during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.
Horner scored his first career points in the win over ORU and has now made six appearances this season. He is a true 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.
McCasland statement regarding Devan Cambridge: "Devan is seeking a medical hardship waiver and is no longer with the team. We are thankful for his contributions to our basketball program."
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... The team has made 10 or more 3s in seven games this season after going 13-for-29 (44.8 percent) against Lamar, 10-for-29 (34.5 percent) in the win over ORU and 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) against Texas A&M in the past three games… The Red Raiders have shot over 50 percent from 3-point range in three games this season: Bethune (53.3), Wyoming (55.6) and Northern Colorado (56.5)… 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 this season had its best performance of the season by going 24-for-26 (92.3 percent) against Northern Colorado… The 24 makes at the line matched two games from last season against TCU and Texas A&M-Commerce for the most under McCasland… Tech went 16-for-18 at the line against Lamar and is now shooting 79.4 percent for the season… The 94 points against Bethune-Cookman were the most in a season opener since a 101-58 win over Northwestern State in the 2020-21 season and the season-high of 98 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was the sixth time over 90 under McCasland… Tech's largest runs of the season have been a 17-0 runs, the first time to end the first half against Bethune-Cookman and then midway through the first half against ORU to build out a 22-point halftime lead… Tech also had a 14-0 spurt to take a 26-point halftime lead against Wyoming and a 13-0 run against Lamar… The Red Raiders had a 12-0 run to start the game against DePaul and an 8-0 run to start the second half… The 30 assists against UAPB 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 now has three games with 20 or more assists this season after having 26 assists on 34 makes against ORU… 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… Texas Tech remains dominant in non-conference home games where it has now won 38 straight after the win over ORU and has a 30.0 scoring margin of victory through seven wins… The program has not lost a non-conference home game since falling to Kentucky in a 76-74 overtime decision on January 25, 2019.
RANKINGS
• Tech is receiving votes in both but remain unranked in both national polls this week… Tech is at No. 13 in Kenpom.com and No. 17 in the NET Rankings
•  Tech moved from unranked to No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll (Nov. 18) but has not been ranked yet in this season in AP Top 25... A loss to Saint Joseph's bumped Tech from the USA TODAY Coaches Poll… 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 joined 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 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: Adonis Arms (Guangdong Southern Tigers in Chinese Basketball Association), 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.
