Red Raiders set for Baha Mar Championship
June 18, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Texas Tech is set to compete in the Baha Mar Championship from November 20-21 at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center in Nassau, Bahamas. The four-team men's basketball event also includes Memphis, Purdue and Wake Forest with the Red Raiders opening against Wake Forest at 7:30 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, November 20 after Memphis and Purdue match up against each other. CBS Sports Network will televise all four games over the two-day event with the championship set for 8:30 p.m. on Friday, November 21.
"We're excited about being in the Bahamas and competing in the Baha Mar tournament against a really strong field," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said.
The Red Raiders are bound for the Bahamas for the second time in three seasons after also competing in the 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis. Tech will be matching up against the Demon Deacons for the third time in program history and will be looking for their first win against them. The two programs last met in 2011 in Orlando, Florida with the Red Raiders falling 70-61 during the Old Spice Classic. The first game between the programs came in 2005 with Wake Forest taking a 78-73 double-overtime win in a Coaches vs. Cancer Third Place game in New York. Texas Tech and Purdue have played three times, most recently with the Red Raiders earning a 78-65 win in the 2017 Sweet 16 in Boston. The Red Raiders are 1-2 all-time in the series history. Against Memphis, Tech is 1-6 all-time after a 78-67 win on December 1, 2019, in Miami during the Hoophall Invitational.
Texas Tech, currently ranked No. 7 this summer by CBSSports.com, is coming off the program's third trip to the NCAA Elite Eight and a season which finished with a 28-9 overall record. Through two seasons leading the program, McCasland is 51-20 after guiding the team to a 15-5 mark in Big 12 play before three wins in the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders return JT Toppin who was named the Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Year along with Christian Anderson after he earned All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors last season. Tech has bolstered its roster through the transfer portal with the additions of Tyeree Bryan (Santa Clara), LeJuan Watts (Washington State), Donovan Atwell (UNC Greensboro), Josiah Moseley (Villanova) and Luke Bamgboye (VCU) along with freshman Nolan Groves (Long Lake, Minnesota).
Purdue is ranked fourth team by CBSSports.com in this summer's rankings after going 24-12 and advancing to the Sweet 16 last season. The Boilermakers welcome back reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus All-American guard Braden Smith, along with First Team All-Big Ten selection forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and sharp-shooting guard Fletcher Loyer. Head Coach Matt Painter's team was runner up in the 2024 national title game. Last season, Purdue lost 62-60 to Houston in the Sweet 16.
Wake Forest posted its best finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference since 2008-09 last season, tying for fourth in the league at 13-7. The Demon Deacons recorded a 21-11 overall mark and ranked among the nation's Top 20 in field goal percentage defense. Head Coach Steve Forbes returns his top rebounder from 2024-25 in forward Tre'Von Spillers and also brings back guard Juke Harris and forward Omaha Biliew. Portal additions include forward Cooper Schwieger (Valparaiso) and guards Mekhi Mason (Washington), Myles Colvin (Purdue), Nate Calmese (Washington State) and Sebastian Akins (Denver).
Memphis is coming off its best season under eighth-year head coach Penny Hardaway. The Tigers dominated the American Athletic Conference, sweeping both the regular-season and tournament crowns, earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 29-6 overall record in 2024-25. With zero players returning from a year ago, Hardaway responded in the offseason with a major portal haul, landing 10 transfers. Leading the charge are standout guards Dug McDaniel (Kansas State), Zachary Davis (South Carolina), sharpshooter Sincere Parker (McNeese State), along with floor general Curtis Givens III (LSU) and dynamic big man Aaron Bradshaw (Ohio State).Â
Past winners of the Baha Mar Championship include Louisville (2021), UCF (2022), Miami (2023) and Tennessee (2024).
VIP PACKAGES AND TICKETS ON SALE NOW
A limited number of Baha Mar Championship VIP packages are currently available through participating schools. Amenities of the VIP packages include a three-night stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, two general admission tickets to all games of the Baha Mar Championship, two tickets to the tournament's VIP reception (Nov. 19) with dinner and open bar included, round-trip ground transportation from the airport and resort, two daily breakfast vouchers, welcome gifts and personal concierge service. (Airfare not included in the packages.) General admission tickets and hotel rooms can be purchased separately from the VIP packages at www.bahamarhoops.com beginning Tuesday, July 1
BAHA MAR RESORT
The remarkable Baha Mar resort serves as the backdrop to this basketball showcase. Anchored by Grand Hyatt and featuring SLS Baha Mar and Rosewood Baha Mar, the resort is situated on 1,000 acres overlooking Nassau's famous turquoise ocean waters. The destination resort boasts more than 2,300 rooms, the largest casino in the Caribbean, a $200 million luxury water park, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the Caribbean's first and only flagship ESPA Spa and a collection of more than 45 restaurants and lounges.
ABOUT BAHA MAR HOOPS
Baha Mar annually plays host to one of the largest regular-season events in the sport of college basketball. Each November around the Thanksgiving holiday, 20 NCAA Division I men's and women's teams visit the stunning resort to compete in three basketball tournaments. In total, 20 games will be played over an 11-day span.
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.
