Texas Tech University Athletics
Watts earns Lute Olson National Player of the Week
December 22, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A career-high scoring performance in a non-conference home game followed by providing 20 points in a win over No. 3 Duke has earned LeJuan Watts the Lute Olson National Player of the Week honor. The Lute Olson Award is presented annually to the top player in college basketball and identifies elite performance each week of the season. The award voting panel is made up of current Division I coaches, athletic administrators, and senior College Insider staff members.
Watts scored a career-high 36 points in a win over Northern Colorado and then went for 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals to help Texas Tech knock off No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden. Watts was 12-for-13 from the field against Northern Colorado, hitting his first 12 shots before missing a 3-pointer in the final minutes. He finished the game shooting 92.3% percent to become the first Big 12 player to score over 35 points while shooting over 90% in a game. Watts followed his stellar performance by dropping 20 on Duke despite fouling out with 11 minutes to play. He was 10-for-17 from the field against the Blue Devils for his third game this season scoring 20 or more points.
He is now averaging 14.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season going into the final non-conference matchup for the Red Raiders against Winthrop on Sunday, December 28 at United Supermarkets Arena.
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.
