Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders rise to No. 15 in AP Top 25
December 22, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Up four spots, Texas Tech comes in at No. 15 in the Associated Press Men's Basketball Top 25 Poll this week – extending a program record to 17 straight appearances in the national poll. The move up the poll reflects a week where the Red Raiders (9-3) earned a home win over Northern Colorado before making a national statement with an 82-81 win over then-No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden.
The win over Duke was the first ranked win of the season for Texas Tech and the program's 15th top 5 victory. The Red Raiders were previously 0-3 in ranked matchups this season but overcame a 17-point deficit against the Blue Devils with Christian Anderson scoring 23 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, JT Toppin recording his sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds and LeJuan Watts providing 20 points. Watts was the star in the win over Northern Colorado, dropping a career-high 36 points after going 12-for-13 from the field with two 3-pointers.
Along with the AP Top 25 Poll, the Red Raiders are now at No. 16 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, No. 23 in the NCAA NET and No. 24 in the Kenpom ratings.
Arizona (11-0) remains the top-ranked team in the nation and is followed by Michigan (11-0), Iowa State (12-0), UConn (12-1) and Purdue (11-1) in the AP top 5. The loss to the Red Raiders dropped Duke (11-1) from the ranks of the unbeatens and also three spots in the poll to No. 6 this week. The Big 12 is also represented in the national rankings by No. 8 Houston (11-1), No. 10 BYU (11-1) and No. 17 Kansas (9-3). Conference teams receiving votes are Arizona State, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Statistically, Texas Tech goes into its final non-conference game of the season second in the Big 12 by making 10.7 3-pointers per game and with only 10.0 turnovers per game. The Red Raiders are scoring 83.5 points per game going into a matchup against Winthrop on Sunday, December 28. Toppin is currently third in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with 10.5 rebounds per game and is fourth in the conference and 12th nationally with 21.6 points per game. Anderson leads the Big 12 and is fourth nationally with 7.3 assists per game while also ranking sixth in the Big 12 with 19.9 points per game after leading the Red Raiders with 27 points in the win over Duke. Toppin leads the Big 12 with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game which is also the fourth best throughout the nation.
RED RAIDER RANKING STREAK
Texas Tech was unranked for the majority of the 2024-25 season but would rise to No. 8 in the final rankings after advancing to the Elite Eight. This year's team was ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll for its highest preseason ranking in program history. The program is now on its longest streak with 17 straight appearances in the AP Top 25.
Unranked - Jan. 20, 2025
No. 22 – Jan. 27, 2025
No. 13 – Feb. 3, 2025
No. 12 – Feb. 10, 2025
No. 9 – Feb. 17, 2025
No. 10 – Feb. 24, 2025
No. 9 – March 3, 2025
No. 9 – March 10, 2025
No. 9 – March 17, 2025
No. 8 – April 8, 2025 (FINAL)
No. 10 – Oct. 13, 2025 (PRESEASON)
No. 11 - Nov. 11, 2025
No. 15 - Nov. 17, 2025
No. 20 – Nov. 24, 2025
No. 19 - Dec. 1, 2025
No. 16 - Dec. 8, 2025
No. 19 - Dec. 15, 2025
No. 15 – Dec. 22, 2025
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