Texas Tech Athletics
Baylor
No. 13 Tech, Baylor tussle on Tuesday
February 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – No. 13 Texas Tech is riding a six-game winning streak after prevailing in an overtime thriller on the road two days ago and will now host Baylor at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena in the only regular-season matchup between the two programs this season. The 149th game in the all-time series 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.
"Winning home games in the Big 12 is always a necessity," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "This is no different. We're playing a really talented Baylor team who have great guard play, great inside play and really rebound the ball well. A well-coached team which is coming off a great win. Their comeback in the second half against Kansas was impressive. Looking forward to tomorrow night with a pretty wild student section."
Tech has gone from unranked two weeks ago up to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll which were both announced on Monday. The Red Raiders knocked off Houston on Saturday to move to 5-0 on the road, prompting a nine-spot leap in the AP Top 25 from last week's ranking. The Red Raiders (17-4, 8-2 Big 12) are off to the program's best 10-game start in Big 12 history and also come in at No. 8 in the NCAA NET and No. 9 on the Kenpom ratings. Along with polls and rankings, they were also named the team of the week by Andy Katz and Dick Vitale after ending a 33-game home winning streak and 13-game overall streak by the Cougars.
"I think we're moving in the right direction but we're nowhere near the end of this," McCasland said. "People want to talk about where we were 10 games ago and have half-written us off. Now we're 10 games in. It's an unique thing in this world where everyone wants to talk about where you are now, but our focus is where we want to be. I don't think we've reached our potential in any way, shape or form. It's a long journey but we're moving in the right direction in the way we are competing together."
Chance McMillian matched a season-high with 23 points in the win at Houston, including hitting the game-winning free throws with 14 seconds remaining in overtime while Elijah Hawkins added 17 points with four 3-pointers and Kerwin Walton scored 14 points after going 4-for-6 from deep. Darrion Williams, who had missed the previous win against TCU with injury and was selected to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List on Monday, returned and provided 13 points, three assists, three steals and matched a career-high with three blocks. He forced overtime with a 3-pointer off an assist from Hawkins with 26 seconds remaining in regulation. The Red Raiders played the final 41 minutes of the game without JT Toppin and McCasland who were both ejected after a flagrant two foul was called on Toppin who was leading the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots entering the game. Toppin and McCasland do not face any further punishment.
The team went 12-for-30 on 3-pointers in the win against Houston and now has made 10 or more 3-pointers in 12 of 21 games this season. The Red Raiders will come into their matchup against Baylor leading the Big 12 by shooting 48.8 percent from the field and are second in the conference by shooting 38.2 percent from 3-point range (9.4 per game) and with a 1.54 assist-to-turnover ratio. Tech is third in the Big 12 by scoring 81.4 points per game and at 76.0 percent at the free-throw line after going 24-for-34 at the line against Houston, including making 3-of-4 in the overtime session. Tech is also third in the Big 12 with a plus-6.2 rebounding margin advantage. The Red Raiders are now 1-1 in overtime games this season, 1-2 against ranked opponents and have knocked off an AP Top 10 team for the 11th straight season. The six-game winning streak in Big 12 play is the longest for the program since the 2019 team went on a nine-game streak to end conference play and earn the Big 12 regular season championship.
Baylor comes to Lubbock having won three of its last four games, including storming back to knock off Kansas on Saturday in Waco. The Bears trailed 40-21 at halftime before outscoring the Jayhawks 60-30 in a second half where they went 21-for-22 at the free-throw line and made five 3-pointers. BU finished the game 25-for-28 at the line and was led by Robert Wright who scored 24 points after going 9-for-16 from the field and 6-of-6 at the line. Norchad Omier added 18 points and 16 rebounds, while VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and five rebounds. Omier leads the Bears this season with 15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while Edgecombe is providing 14.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. Wright is now averaging 13.0 points per game this season while Josh Ojianwuna is at 7.5 points after scoring 11 and having nine rebounds against Kansas. Wright leads the team with 4.9 assists per game and Edgecombe has come away with 2.3 steals per game for the season and leads BU with 18.1 points per game in conference games. The Bears are currently 2-3 on the road in Big 12 play with wins at Arizona State and Utah. They dropped their last Big 12 road game, falling 93-89 at BYU.
"It starts with your ability to guard in transition defense and keep them out of the paint," McCasland said. "Make them as uncomfortable as you can. They have a lot of talent at the guard spots. Finish it with rebounds so you can run in transition. They do turn people over more than in the past so we'll have to take care of the basketball. I think the effort-based component of rebounding against Baylor is always going to be huge."
This is the only scheduled matchup between Tech and Baylor in the regular season. The Red Raiders and Bears split last season's series with the home team winning each game. Tech earned a 78-68 win in Lubbock in the regular-season finale and now holds an 83-65 advantage in the all-time series which began in 1937. The Red Raiders are 48-22 at home against Baylor all-time. Last season, the Bears went 24-11 overall and tied with the Red Raiders with an 11-7 conference record. This will be the first season since 1957 when Texas Tech does not travel to play in Waco. Scott Drew is in his 22nd season in Waco where he has a 458-251 record leading the program. McCasland was an assistant coach under Drew at Baylor from 2011-16 and also played for the Bears from 1995-99 and graduated with a degree in entrepreneurship and management.
A trio of Red Raiders are scoring in double figures this season with McMillian (15.4), Toppin (15.3) and Williams (14.6) while Christian Anderson (9.4), Hawkins (9.4) and Kevin Overton (9.2) are knocking at that door. McMillian is currently sixth in the Big 12 in scoring while Toppin is fourth in rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per game and is now ninth in scoring. Williams is 15th in the Big 12 in scoring and ninth in assists. Hawkins leads the Big 12 and is 20th nationally with 6.0 assists per game and is third in the conference with a 2.85 assist-to-turnover ratio. Toppin (55.6%), McMillian (54.5%) and Williams (45.3%) are all in the top 10 in field goal percentage, led by Toppin who is second in the conference.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Baylor (14-7, 6-4) at No. 22 Texas Tech (17-4, 8-2)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 8 p.m., Tuesday, February 4, 2025
TV: ESPN2
TV CALL: Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), King McClure (analyst)
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Grant McCasland is now 251-104 (70.7%) in his NCAA career, including his Tech records of 40-15 overall (55 games – 72.7%), 19-9 in Big 12 games, 26-4 at home and 9-6 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). Along with coaching Texas Tech, McCasland is also an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team which won the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup last summer in Buenos Aires and will compete in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup from June 28-July 6 this summer in Lausanne, Switzerland. Last season, McCasland led Tech to six wins over ranked opponents and is now 7-7 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
Toppin's stats took a hit with his early ejection against Houston where he had one rebound and had not scored before being sent to the locker room. He is now averaging 15.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game – after coming into the game at 16.3 points and 8.9 rebounds. Toppin is now fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding and ninth in scoring. He had recorded his seventh double-double of the season (19th career) with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the win over TCU along with matching a career-high by adding three assists. He now ranks second in the Big 12 by shooting 55.6 percent from the field but fell from fourth to ninth in scoring average. A sophomore forward, Toppin had scored 20 points in two straight games after going for 20 points in the wins over Arizona and Cincinnati before being held to eight points and one rebound in the win against Oklahoma State last Sunday. He recorded his 18th career double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds against Arizona with six offensive rebounds. He's also currently seventh in the Big 12 with 2.88 offensive rebounds per game. Toppin is at 8.8 rebounds per game in his career which ranks sixth best nationally on the active charts and his 19 career double-doubles are the 46th most – despite him only being a sophomore. He produced 18 points and nine rebounds in the overtime loss to Iowa State before being limited to single-digit scoring for only the second time this season with six points and four rebounds at K-State. He has scored in double figures in 13 of 17 games played this season and has seven or more rebounds in 11 games. 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. 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 105-for-189 (55.6 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 Baylor with nine career games of 20-plus point scoring performances, 36 double-figure scoring games and 705 total points through 53 career games played. His 19 career double-doubles leads Tech and his seven this season are the fourth most in the conference. Â
Williams is providing 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season after going for 13 points, three steals, three assists, four rebounds and matching a career-high with three blocks at Houston on Saturday night. It was his 46th career game scoring in double figures and included hitting the game-tying 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. A junior in his second season at Texas Tech, Williams missed his first game of the season last Wednesday night against TCU with a lower body injury before playing 34 minutes against the Cougars. Williams has scored in double figures in 16 games this season but had been limited single digits the past three games after finishing with nine points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists in the win over Oklahoma State. A starter in 53 games for Tech, he had scored in double figures in 14 straight games after leading the Red Raiders with 16 points in the win at K-State following going for 15 points, six rebounds and two assists against Iowa State. 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. 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 nine Big 12 games he's played in, Williams is providing 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in conference play. 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 comes into the matchup against Baylor with 920 points, 595 rebounds and 259 assists through 86 career games.
McMillian now leads the Red Raiders in scoring at 15.4 points per game after matching a season-high with 23 points at Houston where he made two 3-pointers and was 7-of-7 at the free-throw line. He is 50-for-110 (45.5 percent) on 3-pointers this season, ranking seventh nationally in percentage. McMillian was coming off 16 points in the win over TCU after leading the Red Raiders with 14 points in the win over Oklahoma State. McMillian is scoring 14.3 points per game in Big 12 play with 19 made 3-pointers through 10 conference games. He is on a five-game streak of double-digit scoring, starting with 14 against Arizona and continuing with 17 points at Cincinnati. A fifth-year senior, he has scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games this year and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring and 11th with 2.38 3-pointers made per game. He has scored 20 or more points in eight games in his career after also having 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 67 games throughout his career, which is the second most on the team. He leads Tech by playing 33:22 minutes per game with a season-high 42:38 at Houston after playing 42:32 against Iowa State where he had 18 points and eight rebounds in the overtime loss. 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. 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 10 games this season and is currently 224-for-546 (41.0 percent) on 3-pointers in his career. He enters the 22nd game of the year with 1,350 points, 222 assists, 96 steals, 452 rebounds and 67 double-figure scoring performances through 145 games played in his career.
Hawkins leads the Big 12 with 6.0 assists per game and now has 702 career assists after leading Tech with four assists against Houston along with providing 17 points in a game where he was 4-for-7 on 3-pointers and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line. He is now averaging 9.4 points, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season. Hawkins is third in the Big 12 with a 2.85 assist-to-turnover ratio and also ranks 10th with his steals average. He was coming off a game against TCU where he also scored 13 points and led the team with five assists. A senior point guard in his first season at Texas Tech, Hawkins dished out nine assists in the win over Arizona following his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists at Kansas State. Hawkins now has 18 career games with 10 or more assists and has posted 65 assists and only 18 turnovers in Big 12 games this season. Hawkins now ranks third amongst all NCAA active leaders with 6.32 assists per game in his career and is fourth with his 702 total career assists. His 10 assists at K-State included the final possession where he found Williams who made a layup to extend the lead to four with 17 seconds remaining after he had put Tech up two with a layup of his own. Hawkins, who also went 5-of-6 at the free-throw line against TCU, is now shooting 45-for-50 (90.0 percent) from the charity stripe and is 27-for-83 on 3-pointers this season. He had recorded his 17th career game with double-digit assists after contributing 10 assists with zero turnovers against the Cyclones in an overtime game where he also had seven points. Among active NCAA career leaders, he also ranks 26th with 1.81 steals per game, 27th with 201 career steals and 30th with a 1.90 assist-to-turnover ratio through 111 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. Hawkins has scored in double figures in 8-of-19 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. For his career, Hawkins is 161-for-440 (36.6 percent) on 3-pointers with a previous career-high five 3-pointers made last season against Coppin 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 69 games with double-figure scoring performances in his career. Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List and currently has 1,255 points, 702 assists and 201 steals through 111 games played in his career. At BYU, in his season-high scoring performance, 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. Hawkins comes into the game against Baylor with 310 made free throws in his career and as the team's leader with 70 double-figure scoring performances in his career.
Walton was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in the second half at Houston and finished the game with 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range in the game. He is now 8th nationally in active 3-point percentage at 42.6 percent (197-for-462) in his career, including going 28-for-67 (41.8 percent) from beyond the arc this season. Through 21 games, all as a starter, he is averaging 4.9 points per game and is 8-for-15 on 3-pointers in the past three games. 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 four games this season and two or more in eight. 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 81 games with 54 starts at Texas Tech where he is 116-for-259 (44.8 percent) from 3-point range as a Red Raider. He comes into the matchup against Baylor with 822 points through 141 career games played.
Overton missed his first game of the season with an injury (head) at Houston and is averaging 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He produced 14 points and five rebounds in the win over Cincinnati where he was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers before scoring seven in the wins over TCU and Oklahoma 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 also provided 17 points against Lamar and Texas A&M and is the second leading 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 21st 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 578 points, 194 rebounds and 26 double-figure scoring performances through 55 games in his collegiate career. He now has five or more rebounds in 10 games after grabbing five against the Horned Frogs and has made three or more 3s in four games this season. For his career, Overton has made 87 3-pointers and is 199-for-445 from the field.
Anderson led the Tech reserves for the fifth straight game in scoring after providing 10 points in the road win at Houston where he was 5-for-7 at the free-throw line and made one 3-pointer. He also had eight points in the win over TCU and scored nine against Oklahoma State in the past three games. Anderson leads the Tech bench with 9.4 points and 2.1 assists per game this season. He had scored in double figures for the seventh time this season after going off for 18 points and matching a career-high with four 3-pointers at Cincinnati along with producing 10 points against Arizona where he was 2-for-4 on 3-pointers and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. A true freshman, he's now averaging 9.8 points per game and has made 18 3-pointers in Big 12 play. Anderson has 10 games with two or more 3s this season. He also scored 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. Anderson 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 59-for-131 (45.0 percent) overall and 27-of-36 (75.0 percent) at the free-throw line after also making 4-of-6 against Oklahoma State and 4-of-5 at Cincinnati. 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 18 games played (after missing the first two of the season with a lower body injury), he already has five games with four assists and seven with three or more. 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 has made four 4-pointers in three games this season and comes into the matchup against Baylor with 179 total points, 40 total assists, 48 rebounds and 26 steals this season.
Federiko came up with a huge block at the end of regulation to force overtime against Houston and finished with six rebounds (three offensive) after providing six rebounds and four points in the win over TCU. He also led Tech with eight rebounds (four offensive) in the win over Oklahoma State and is now averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. He ranks 11th in the Big 12 with 2.68 offensive rebounds per game with a season-high six offensive rebounds against ORU in non-conference play and five against Arizona. He provided nine points and led Tech with seven rebounds in the road win at K-State where he shot 4-for-5 from the field before going for eight rebounds and eight points (4-for-4 on free throws) against Arizona. A senior in his first season at Tech, Federiko is now averaging 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in Big 12 games and for the season is shooting 56-for-75 (74.7 percent) from the field. He also led the Tech reserves with 14 points and added three rebounds in the road win at Utah where he shot 7-for-9 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. 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 517 points, 460 rebounds, 116 blocks and 13 double-figure scoring performances through 87 games at the NCAA level.
Yalaho came up with the defensive stop in overtime to force a traveling call in the final seconds to secure the win and finished the game with four points and four rebounds. He had not played in the previous three games but would log 21:32 minutes in the win over the Cougars. A sophomore from Finland, he 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 had not played since limited time against Arizona – 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 25 career games and is currently averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds this season.
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 seven games this season and 12 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 is on a six-game winning streak (four by double-figure margins) and has a 8-2 conference record through 10 games for the first time in program history… The team has won five straight road games to begin Big 12 play for the first time in program history… The 1996-97 season was the inaugural year for the Big 12 and the Red Raiders dropped their fourth road game after winning three in a row for the only other time with three in a row… The 2005 team started 7-2 also but dropped their 10th game to move to 7-3 for the previous best 10-game start to Big 12 play… 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... This year's team has already surpassed that, making 10 or more 3s in 12 games this season after going 12-for-30 (40.0 percent) at Houston after 10-for-31 in the win over TCU… 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… Tech is coming off a game at Houston where it went 24-for-34 (70.6 percent) at the free-throw line for the fourth time under McCasland with 24 makes… Tech is now shooting 76.0 percent at the line while, in comparison, opponents are shooting 67.3 percent at the line in games against the Red Raiders… Tech's largest runs of the season have been 17-0 spurts, 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 13-0 runs in the second halves against Arizona and K-State – finishing off Arizona with a 13-0 run in the 16-point win… 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 16.7 assists per game after having 16 on 23 makes against the Horned Frogs but only 10 at Houston… 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 and a 28-point win at Utah matched the second biggest margin in a Big 12 road game in program history… 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… Tech comes into the matchup against Baylor with an 11-2 home record.
RANKINGS
• Tech entered the AP Top 25 last week at No. 22 in the AP Top 25 and was at No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll… The team was also at No. 11 in Kenpom.com and in the NCAA NET rankings on Monday, January 27
•  Tech moved from unranked to No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll (Nov. 18)... 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 with a 14-4 conference record.
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 | JT Toppin | 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.
