Texas Tech Athletics
Arizona
Tech, Arizona primed for Big 12 clash
January 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Sixty-eight years of estrangement as conference opponents on the hardwood ends when Texas Tech hosts Arizona in a Big 12 showdown at 1 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena. Border Conference rivals from 1932-56, this weekend's game marks the first matchup between the programs as Big 12 foes with the Wildcats joining the conference this season. It's the 53rd overall meeting in the series and will be broadcast on ESPN2 while the Texas Tech Sports Network radio call can be heard locally on Double T 97.3, and on the Varsity app. Tech will travel to play the Wildcats on February 8 in Tucson in the second regular season meeting.
"Arizona is playing really well," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "Tommy Lloyd is not only a great friend, but a terrific basketball coach. You can just see that the more time that he's spending with his team the better they've gotten. They're a really efficient team. Offensively, they're playing with great pace and are doing a great job offensive rebounding. Defensively, they've gotten really solid. You can see their pieces are more connected. We have a ton of respect for them and are excited about the opportunity to compete."
The Red Raiders (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) are currently at No. 17 in the Kenpom ratings and No. 21 in the NCAA NET after earning a 61-57 road win over K-State on Tuesday following an 85-84 overtime loss to No. 2 Iowa State last Saturday in Lubbock. Texas Tech, which averages 83.0 points per game, was limited to its lowest scoring performance of the season at K-State but still won its third straight Big 12 road game to begin the season – the first time since 1997, and second ever, to start Big 12 play with three road wins. Tech comes into the matchup against Arizona with an 8-2 record at home, but at 0-2 on its home court after an 87-83 loss to UCF on New Year's Eve and an 85-84 overtime loss to No. 2 Iowa State last Saturday. Darrion Williams led the Red Raiders with 16 points at K-State, while Elijah Hawkins added 14 points and nine assists and Federiko Federiko provided a team-high seven rebounds. Hawkins scored the go-ahead bucket with 5:28 on the clock for a 59-57 lead before Williams put it away by making a shot with 17 seconds remaining in the low-scoring game which saw the Red Raiders finish with a 35-24 rebounding advantage and a 40-18 margin in the paint. K-State missed its final eight shots and had four turnovers in the final eight minutes.
Arizona (11-5, 5-0 Big 12) is on a seven-game winning streak after rolling to an 81-70 home win over No. 25 Baylor on Tuesday night in Tucson – moving up to No. 15 in Kenpom and 13 in the NCAA NET. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 to begin this season and moved to No. 9 after opening week, jumped out to a 42-19 halftime lead over the Bears and hung on to remain unblemished in conference play.
"They are figuring it out after a rough non-conference," Williams said. "They're 5-0 in this league which says a lot. We have to have the same energy and focus that we came in with against Iowa State last week. We're trying to improve on the little things that we know we can improve on. Our defense is getting better game-by-game. The intensity and rebounding. We're going to have to hit first in this game. Don't let them hit us to put us in a bad spot. We have to be aggressive. There has to be a sense of urgency. We know we owe the fans a couple wins here so coming out with urgency and aggressiveness is important."
The Wildcats currently lead the Big 12 with 40.8 rebounds per game and are second in the Big 12 by scoring 84.2 points per game. Caleb Love leads Arizona with 15.3 points per game which ranks 10th in the Big 12 while Henri Veesaar is coming off a team-high 19 points against Baylor where he was 9-for-11 from the field along with adding a team-high seven rebounds. "He's a guy who is really exploding in regards to his effort level," McCasland said of Veesaar. "It looks like he's ultra-aggressive defensively when he needs to rotate and is talking to his teammates. He's a huge part of their continued growth. You can just see his confidence continue to grow, not just by the way he can score but how he's competing defensively." A 7-foot forward from Estonia, Veesaar has played all 16 games as a reserve and is averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. KJ Lewis, an El Paso native, scored 11 points against Baylor and is averaging 10.6 points and 3.0 assists per game. Lloyd is 99-25 midway through his fourth season leading the program.
The Red Raiders own a 28-24 all-time advantage in the historic series that was first played on January 15, 1934 – a 33-29 win in Tucson. The programs have not met since 2013 when Arizona earned a 79-58 win to extend a seven-game winning streak over Tech in the series. The Red Raiders are 16-5 against the Wildcats in Lubbock with the most recent meeting at United Supermarkets Arena going Arizona's way in an 85-57 result back on December 1, 2012. The programs became Border Conference rivals when Tech joined the conference in the 1932-33 season before it left after the 1955-56 season to join the Southwest Conference starting in 1957-58. Arizona was a founding member of the Border Conference in a1931 and left for the Western Athletic Conference in 1962. The Wildcats spent the past 45 years in the Pac-12 before joining the Big 12 this season.
Tech enters the sixth game of its Big 12 schedule leading the conference by shooting 50.5 percent from the field, with a 58.2 effective field goal percentage and is second at 77.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Red Raiders are currently 10th in the nation in effective field goal percentage, eighth in field goal percentage and 32nd overall at the charity stripe. Along with leading the Big 12 in the statistical categories, Texas Tech is third in the conference and 22nd nationally by scoring 83.9 points per game this season and second by shooting 39.7 percent on 3-pointers. The Red Raiders have made 10 or more 3-pointers in nine of 16 games played this season. The team is also third within the conference with 17.8 assists per game, fourth with a 1.64 assist-to-turnover ratio and fifth with only 10.8 turnovers per game.
Three Red Raiders are scoring in double figures this season with Toppin and Williams both at 16.3 and McMillian scoring 14.9 points per game. Kevin Overton is adding 9.6 per and Hawkins is now averaging 9.1 points per game after producing 13.1 ppg. in the past five games. Hawkins leads the Big 12 and is 18th nationally with 6.1 assists per game along with being third in the conference with a 3.19 assist-to-turnover ratio while Williams is fifth in the conference with 4.9 assists per game and fifth in scoring. Toppin leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game which ranks third in the Big 12. McMillian is second in nation by shooting 48.1 percent (37-for-77) on 3-pointers for the season, is third in the Big 12 by shooting 56.8 percent (83-for-146) from the field, 13th with 2.31 3-pointers per game and is 12th in scoring. Williams was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after going off for a season-high 23 points in the win over Lamar in the team's final non-conference game.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Arizona (11-5, 5-0) at Texas Tech (12-4, 3-2)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 1 p.m., Saturday, January 18, 2025
TV: ESPN
TV CALL: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Sean Farnham (analyst)
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Grant McCasland improved to 246-104 (70.3%) in his NCAA career, including his Tech records of 35-15 overall (50 games), 14-9 in Big 12 games, 23-4 at home and 7-6 in true road games. McCasland has also been the head coach at Midwestern State (56-12 record / 2 seasons), Arkansas State (20-12 / 1 season) and North Texas (135-65 / 6 seasons). Last season, McCasland led Tech to six wins over ranked opponents and is now 6-7 against AP Top 25 teams as the Red Raider head coach. McCasland's roster has 13 players on it this season, including two fifth-year seniors (McMillian, Kerwin Walton), two seniors (Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Yalaho) and three freshmen (Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner).Â
Williams has scored in double figures in 14 straight games after leading the Red Raiders with 16 points in the win at K-State after going for 15 points, six rebounds and two assists against Iowa State. He is now averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game – ranking fourth in the Big 12 in scoring and assists. Williams was 7-for-15 from the field against K-State with one 3-pointer and made his final basket with 17 seconds remaining to push the lead to four. Against the Cyclones, Williams was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers and is now 120-for-54 (37.0 percent) from deep for the season. At Utah, he had 19 points and nine assists which was his sixth game with 19 or more points this season and his fourth game with eight or more assists before scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting at BYU. Through five Big 12 games, Williams is providing a team-best 15.8 points per game. He 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. His season-best 23 points against Lamar came with him matching a career-high by making four 3-pointers. 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. 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 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 last season, 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 44 games scoring in double figures in his career with 14 this season. In his second season at Tech, he's now at 888 points, 578 rebounds and 250 assists through 82 career games.
McMillian is second nationally by shooting 48.1 percent (37-for-77) from 3-point range this season and has scored in double figures in 14 of 16 games this year after being limited to three points at K-State. He was coming off a game against Iowa State where he finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. He was 1-for-3 from deep in the game against the Cyclones to extend a streak of at least one 3-pointer in the first 15 games before going 0-for-2 at K-State. A starter throughout the season after serving as a reserve in 32 of 33 games last season, he scored 16 points and had a team-high eight rebounds at BYU after 10 points and six rebounds against Utah. He is averaging 14.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season. A fifth-year senior, he was 2-for-4 on 3-pointers against the Utes, 2-for-6 at BYU and has made two or more 3s in 11 of 16 games this season. 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 62 games throughout his career, which is the second most on the team. He leads Tech by playing 32:39 minutes per game after playing 42:32 against Iowa State and 33:28 at K-State. 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 before K-State 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 211-for-513 (41.1 percent) on 3-pointers in his career. He enters his 17th game of the year with 1,266 points, 215 assists, 93 steals, 432 rebounds and 62 double-figure scoring performances through 140 games played in his career.
Toppin ranks third in the Big 12 with 8.7 rebounds and fourth in scoring at 16.3 points per game after producing 18 points and nine rebounds in the overtime loss to Iowa State and then having six points and four rebounds at K-State. He has scored in double figures in 10 of 12 games this season and has seven or more rebounds in eight games. He was 8-for-16 from the field against the Cyclones, including going 1-for-2 on 3-point attempts. Toppin missed the final four non-conference games before returning to the court against UCF to record his fifth double-double of the season (17th career) where he finished with a season-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and matched a season-best with four blocked shots. On the Utah road trip, he went for 11 points and four rebounds in the win at Utah before being limited to single-digit scoring for the first time this season with five points at BYU. He also leads Tech with 1.5 blocks per game which ranks eighth in the conference. He had missed the four straight games against Lamar, ORU, Texas A&M and DePaul with a lower body injury before returning to the starting lineup to begin conference play. In his last game played against Northern Colorado before the injury, he recorded his fourth double-double of the season and 16th of his career with 15 rebounds and 11 points in the win. 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 77-for-137 (56.2 percent) 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 Arizona with seven career games of 20-plus point scoring performances, 33 double-figure scoring games and 641 total points through 48 career games played. His 17 career double-doubles leads Tech and his five this season is the third most in the conference. Â
Hawkins leads the Big 12 with 6.1 assists per game after providing nine assists and 14 points in the road win at K-State on Tuesday and now ranks third amongst all NCAA active leaders with 6.36 assists per game in his career and is fourth with 674 total career assists. He recorded his 17th career game with double-digit assists after contributing 10 assists with zero turnover against the Cyclones in a game where he also had seven points. Hawkins comes into the game against Arizona with 37 assists and only five turnovers in Big 12 games this season and ranks third in the conference with a 3.19 assist-to-turnover ratio. Among active NCAA career leaders, he also ranks 19th with 1.83 steals per game, 25th with 194 career steals and 25th with a 1.89 assist-to-turnover ratio through 106 career games. He scored a season-high 22 points with a career-best six 3-pointers at BYU after recording the 12th double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 assists in the win against Utah. Through five Big 12 games, Hawkins is averaging 13.2 points and 7.4 assists per game. Hawkins has scored in double figures in six of his 14 games played this season and was on a three-game streak after having 11 points and five assists against UCF before scoring seven against Iowa State. A senior in his first season at Texas Tech, Hawkins is currently averaging 9.1 points, 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals through 14 overall games played this season after missing the first two games with a lower body injury. For his career, Hawkins is 154-for-409 (37.7 percent) on 3-pointers with a previous career-high five 3-pointers made last season against Coppin State. He has also made 293 free throws (28-for-31 this season after going 5-for-6 against Iowa State but not attempting one at K-State). He had recorded his 11th career double-double and first of this season 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. 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 67 games with double-figure scoring performances in his career. Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List and currently has 1,205 points, 674 assists and 194 steals through 106 games played in his career. His previous season-high 12 points at Utah was the fourth game he's scored in double figures this season and surpassed his previous season-best of 11 points against UCF and Syracuse. At BYU, Hawkins was 7-for-12 from the field and 6-for-9 on 3-pointers to give him 22 points. He scored 13 of those 22 points in the second half where he was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
Walton is 12th nationally in active 3-point percentage at 42.4 percent (189-for-446) in his career after going 2-for-4 and finishing with six points in the win at Utah before missing his only attempts at BYU, against Iowa State and at K-State. He is currently 20-for-51 (39.2 percent) from beyond the arc through 16 games this season as a starter where he is averaging 4.7 points per game. Walton 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. 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 76 games with 49 starts at Texas Tech where he is 108-for-243 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range as a Red Raider. He comes into the matchup against Arizona with 795 points through 136 career games played on his statistical resume.
Overton is averaging 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game after having three points and two assists at K-State. A lead reserve in his sophomore season, he contributed nine points against UCF in the Big 12 opener, eight points and five rebounds in the win at Utah and then finished with five points and four rebounds against BYU. He provided 17 points against Lamar and Texas A&M and is the top scorer off the bench for the Red Raiders. He also scored a season-high 20 points against Northern Colorado and has six double-figure scoring performances going into the 16th game of the season. 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 had six straight games with five or more rebounds going before having two against UCF. 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 in Kansas before beginning his collegiate career. He has 547 points, 176 rebounds and 25 double-figure scoring performances through 51 games in his collegiate career.
Anderson recorded the best Big 12 game of his young career by going for 18 points on 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range against Iowa State and followed it by contributing eight points and a career-high six rebounds in the road win at K-State. He played a career-high 37:48 in his reserve role against Iowa State and also finished with two assists and two steals. A freshman guard with five double-figure scoring games, he went for 13 points with three 3-pointers for his fourth double-figure scoring performance of the season in the win at Utah. He is now averaging 8.9 points per game through 14 appearances as a reserve in his freshman season. He scored a career-high 20 points against Lamar after going 8-for-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range in the non-conference finale before leading Tech with five assists against UCF. He is now shooting 44-for-93 (47.3 percent) overall and 24-for-59 (40.7 percent) from 3-point range. 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. Through 14 games played (after missing the first two of the season with a lower body injury), he already has five games with four assists and six 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 matched his career-best with his four 3-pointers against the Cyclones and comes into the matchup against Arizona with 34 total assists, 35 rebounds and 21 steals this season.
Federiko provided nine points and led Tech with seven rebounds and a season-high two blocked shots in the road win at K-State where he shot 4-for-5 from the field. He also led the Tech reserves with 14 points and added three rebounds in the win at Utah where he shot 7-for-9 from the field. Back at home against Iowa State, Federiko produced four rebounds, two assists and finished with three points which all came from the free-throw line. It was the first game he didn't attempt a shot from the field this season. He traveled to the state of Utah after a performance against UCF where he had 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field and also added four rebounds in the conference opener. He is now averaging 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds through the 14 games he's played this season where he is 49-for-64 (76.6 percent) from the field. Federiko had a career night against Oral Roberts in non-conference play, 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. He missed the Lamar game with an upper body injury before returning for Big 12 play. 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. 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. 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 496 points, 426 rebounds, 110 blocks and 13 double-figure scoring performances through 82 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. He had two rebounds in two minutes of play against Utah and did not play against UCF, BYU, Iowa State and K-State in conference games – coach's decision. Yalaho also had five rebounds against Lamar in his fifth game 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 23 career games where he is averaging 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Green has appeared in six 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 six games this season and 11 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 seven 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.
Marial Akuentok officially signed with Texas Tech on January 10, 2025, and has enrolled at the University to join the program immediately… Akuentok is a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center/forward from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who played with the Canada National Team and won a bronze medal in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup last summer… He is a top 100 recruit who has reclassified from the 2025 class and joins the Red Raiders this semester but will redshirt.
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: Texas Tech has won three straight road games to begin Big 12 play for the first time since the 1996-97 season… It is only the second time in program history to record three straight road victories in the Big 12… The 1996-97 season was the inaugural year for the Big 12 and the Red Raiders dropped their fourth road game… 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 nine games this season and made nine against Iowa State before being limited to only 5-for-13 at K-State … Tech has shot over 45 percent from 3-point range in six games this season… A season-best stretch of three straight games with 10 or more 3s ended against UCF after Tech went just 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) from 3-point range in the Big 12 opener… 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 just 4-for-7 at the line against K-State after making 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) at the line against Iowa State and is now shooting 77.2 percent for the season which is tied for the conference lead with UCF… In comparison, opponents are shooting 66.8 percent at the line in games against the Red Raiders… 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 had a 13-0 run against K-State in 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 four games with 20 or more assists this season after having 26 assists on 34 makes against ORU and with 24 assists at Utah on 34 makes… The Red Raiders are averaging 17.8 assists per game after having 16 in the overtime loss to Iowa State and then 17 against K-State… 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 remained dominant in non-conference home games where it has now won 38 straight after the win over ORU to extend the streak into next season… 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 received votes but remained unranked in both national polls this week… Tech is at No. 17 in Kenpom.com and No. 21 in the NET Rankings after its road win at K-State
•  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
Toughest Team Wins | 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 Texas Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
