Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Utah
No. 15 Tech opens homestand against Utah
January 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – A two-game homestand is set for No. 15 Texas Tech this week with a midweek matchup against Utah at 8 p.m. on Wednesday and a nationally-ranked showdown against No. 11 BYU at 7 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (12-4, 2-1 Big 12) are currently 8-0 on their home court this season while the Utes (8-8, 0-3 Big 12) are 0-3 on the road and are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Cougars take a 12-game winning streak into a home game against TCU on Wednesday before traveling to Lubbock this weekend.
"Utah has got some really dynamic pieces at the guard spots," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "I mean, anytime you have guys averaging close to 20 and over 20 points a game at the guard spots that just goes to show you they can take a game over. You can give them a ball and some space. We've got to be on edge to play against them. I mean, we watched, obviously, the Utah-Colorado game going into it and they were right there winning that game on the road also. They've got great size and they've got good pieces at the rim. They're growing, like every team has. They've got some good non-conference wins, too. There just has to be an edge in every game you play. And that's the Big 12. If you look at the scoreboard, or if you look at another team's jersey name and try to decide how you're going to compete, then you've lost. I think we're in the right place in how we want to get better and the edge that you have to play the game with."
Texas Tech, which has won five of its last six games, is coming off a week where it split a pair of Big 12 games on the road after falling at Houston before earning a win at Colorado. The Red Raiders shot 11-for-31 on 3-pointers against the Buffaloes and continue to lead the Big 12 by making 10.9 3-pointers per game and with 29.1 attempts per game. Tech is second in the conference by shooting 37.6% on 3-pointers for the season and is third with only 10.3 turnovers per game and fifth with a 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio. JT Toppin leads Tech this season with 10 double-doubles after recording his fifth straight with 16 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Colorado. He is currently leading the Big 12 with 11.0 rebounds per game and is fourth in the conference with 20.6 points per game. Toppin's double-double total leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally while his 41 career double-doubles are tied for the second most among all active players in the nation. Christian Anderson leads the Big 12 with 7.2 assists per game and is seventh in the conference with 19.3 points per game. Donovan Atwell made five 3-pointers and led Tech with 17 points at Colorado and is now fourth in the Big 12 with 3.31 made 3-pointers per game and is shooting 41.7% from deep. Anderson is sixth in the Big 12 with 3.13 made 3s per game and fifth by shooting 42.0% for the season from beyond the arc. Anderson, who has four double-doubles and five double-figure assist games this season, also leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by playing 38:18 minutes per game.
Utah is coming off an 89-84 loss at home to BYU on Saturday after opening Big 12 play with losses to Arizona and Colorado. Terrence Brown leads Utah and is third in the Big 12 by averaging 21.6 points per game after going off for 25 points against BYU. Brown, who transferred from Fairleigh Dickinson, has made 115 shots from the field and is 100-for-126 at the free-throw line this season. Don McHenry is second on the team with 18.6 points per game and leads the team with 42 made 3-pointers and is shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc. He scored 21 points against Utah after making two 3s and going 7-of-8 at the free-throw line. Keanu Dawes leads the team with 8.8 rebounds per game and is scoring 12.3 per game while Seydou Traore is averaging 9.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Utah averages 80.6 points per game and is making 8.1 3s per game. The Utes, who are 0-2 against ranked opponents, host TCU this weekend after traveling to play the Red Raiders.
Tech, which has now been ranked for a program-record 19 straight AP Top 25 releases, is currently 1-4 against AP Top 25 opponents with its win coming against Duke at Madison Square Garden. Tech is 0-1 in Big 12 play against ranked opponents coming into its Saturday night matchup against No. 11 BYU. Â
"To have the students back for classes I think that's the game changer," McCasland said. "I would just encourage people to be there early. I can just tell you that on Wednesday night, we need an edge and that happens when everybody shows up early. We'll have our students in the building and we're excited about playing at home and and we can get better. We got better in practices, and hopefully our environment continues to improve, like our team has."
Texas Tech - "Toughest Team Wins"
Grant McCasland: "Our saying 'Toughest Team Wins' means a lot to us. We're going to win because we are competitive in everything we do. We believe in each other and are going to give our hearts to each other. In the toughest of times, I always believe we are going to win."
SERIES HISTORY
Texas Tech and Utah are tied 4-4 in the all-time series after the Red Raiders earned a 93-65 win over the Utes on January 3, 2025 last season in Salt Lake City. The series began in 1973 with Utah taking a 93-79 win in Lubbock in the first ever meeting. The series is tied 1-1 all-time in Lubbock with the Utes last making the trip on November 29, 1984 – an 81-73 win by the Red Raiders. Last season, Anderson scored 13 points on 3-for-4 shooting on 3-pointers and Toppin had 11 points and four rebounds in the win over the Utes. Tech went 12-for-26 on 3-pointers in the 28-point road win.
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Utah Utes (8-8, 0-3) at No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-4, 2-1 Big 12)
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: United Supermarkets Arena
Tip: 8 p.m., Wednesday, January 14, 2026
TV: Peacock
TV CALL: James Westling and Tom Crean
TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK: Geoff Haxton and Chris Level
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
Toppin has recorded five straight double-doubles entering the game against Utah and is tied for second amongst all active players in the nation with 41 career double-doubles after going for 16 points and 13 rebounds at Colorado after contributing 18 points and 11 rebounds at Houston… Toppin is currently averaging 20.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots for the season after also having five blocked shots against the Cougars to match his career high for the sixth time… Added to the Wooden Award Midseason Watchlist last Wednesday after earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors, Toppin has also produced 23 points and 14 rebounds in the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Winthrop and 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Duke for his current streak of five straight double-doubles… Nationally, Toppin ranks 21st in scoring with 20.6 points per game while ranking 4th in rebounding with 11.0 rebounds per game… Toppin leads the Big 12 this season with 10 double-doubles and also tops the conference (2nd nationally) with 4.7 offensive rebounds per game and with 135 field goals made… The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America also produced a double-double against Sam Houston, Illinois, New Orleans, Arkansas and LSU in non-conference play… In the Bahamas, Toppin earned Baha Mar Championship All-Tournament honors after he had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the loss to No. 1 Purdue along with producing 21 points and 9 rebounds in the win over Wake Forest where he was 10-for-19 from the field against the Demon Deacons… Toppin was named to the Big 12 Starting Five for the first time this season after he produced a season-high 35 points and 11 rebounds at No. 14 Illinois… The 35/11 double-double at Illinois was his fifth double-double of his career with 30-or-more points and double-digit rebounds… He now has 65 double-figure scoring performances and 27 games with 20-plus points… Toppin missed the season opener with a lower body injury but showed no signs of alarm in his debut, going off for 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals in his junior season debut against Sam Houston… He returned for his junior season from a Consensus Second Team All-America season as a sophomore and has a slew of preseason honors leading into this season… He was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Associated Press Preseason All-American and is on the Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List… A Dallas, Texas native, he was coming off a season where he recorded 19 double-doubles and averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game – each the team's leader… He set a career-high with 41 points in an overtime win over Arizona State and had a career-best 18 rebounds against Saint Joseph's… Toppin recorded three games with 30-plus points including going for 32 points and 12 rebounds at Oklahoma State and producing 30 points and 14 rebounds in the home finale against Colorado… He also had seven double-doubles with 25-plus point performances… Toppin ranked third in the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding while having the seventh most double-doubles in the nation… A sophomore from Dallas, Toppin scored 20 or more points in 17 games last season, passing Jarrett Culver (2018-19) who had 13 games of 20 or more as a sophomore during the run to the 2019 Final Four… His 18.2 points per game were also the most for the program since Culver averaged 18.5 in the 2018-19 season with the program record being 24.5 from Greg Lowery in the 1971-72 season where he posted 19 games of 20-plus scoring… His 19 double-doubles were only behind Tony Battie's 20 during the 1996-97 season in the Tech record book and was the 7th most nationally during the season… Toppin comes into the matchup against Utah having already produced 1,356 points, 801 rebounds and 142 blocked shots through 84 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 48 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 911 points and has 475 rebounds – averaging 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform… His 41 career double-doubles are only behind 48 from Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) and is tied with Graham Ike (Gonzaga) who also has 41… Toppin's 23 points against Oklahoma State marked his seventh time this season scoring over 20 points and his 13 rebounds at Colorado was his 46th career double-figure rebounding performance… Through three Big 12 games, Toppin is currently averaging 19.0 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in conference play.
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Anderson leads the Big 12 with 7.2 assists per game, is seventh in scoring with 19.3 points per game and 12th with 1.8 steals per game after going for 15 points, three assists and three steals at Colorado… Anderson is currently sixth in the nation in assists with five games this season with 10 or more, including a career-high 13 assists in the win over Oklahoma State where he also scored 19 points to secure the fourth double-double of his season and career… Anderson, who scored a career-high 34 points in the season opener, is tied with Toppin for the team lead with 14 double-figure scoring performances this season after having an 11-game streak end with his seven points at Houston… His previous game in single-digit scoring this season came with eight points and 11 assists at Illinois… His 13 assists matched a program record in Big 12 games and was only one behind the all-time single-game record of 14 by Stan Bonewitz in 1996 against Fresno State… Anderson was named to the Big 12 Starting Five for the fourth time this season after a 29-point performance against Winthrop in the non-conference finale… He was the Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season after leading the Red Raiders with 27 points and five assists in the win over Duke… Against the Blue Devils, he scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half and finished the game shooting 5-for-9 on 3-pointers and then scored 25 points in the first half against Winthrop… In non-conference play, he also produced 26 points and 11 assists against Arkansas along with 27 points and 10 assists in the win over LSU… Anderson, who has made the Big 12 Starting Five four times this season, also leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by playing 38:18 minutes per game and has recorded five or more assists in 14-of-16 games this season… He has played all 40 minutes in four games this season, including against Wyoming, Duke, Arkansas and Colorado… Anderson is currently 50-for-119 on 3-pointers this season, shooting 42.0% from deep – ranking fifth in the Big 12 in percentage and sixth with made 3s per game (3.13)… An Atlanta, Georgia native, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and to the Big 12 Starting Five on November 11 after averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the first week of the season – along with only having three turnovers… He recorded his first career double-double and established new career highs with 34 points and 11 assists in the win over Lindenwood in the season opener and followed it with 18 points and seven assists in the win over Sam Houston… He is the first player in program history to have a double-double with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists… Entering the season, Anderson was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and is on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List… He is coming off a freshman season where he averaged 10.6 points and 2.2 assists per game – earning All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors before helping Germany to the silver medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup during the summer in Switzerland… A 6-foot-3 point guard, Anderson scored a previous career-high 22 points in the Sweet 16 win over Arkansas last season and matched the team lead by making 71 3-pointers… He led the Red Raiders with 46 made 3-pointers in Big 12 play and finished the season shooting 38.0 percent from distance… During the summer with Germany, Anderson averaged 17.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds, including scoring 18 points and having nine assists against the USA in the championship game… He finished his freshman season with four games of scoring 20 or more points and had a career-high six assists in the win at Kansas… Anderson comes into the game against Utah with 681 points, 192 assists, 162 rebounds and 69 steals through 51 career games.
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Watts recorded his second double-double of the season and 50th career game scoring in double figures after going for 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the win over Colorado… He had posted his 49th career game scoring in double figures by going for 19 points in the win against Oklahoma State while also producing nine rebounds and two assists before having six rebounds, three assists and five points at Houston… He was 6-for-7 at the free-throw line against the Cowboys and is currently 9th in the Big 12 by shooting 82.5% at the line for the season… Named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Watts is now averaging 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists through 15 games played this season... A junior in his first season at Tech, he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and Lute Olson National Player of the Week honors after providing 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals against Duke following a career-high 36 points after going 12-for-13 from the field with three 3-pointers in the win over Northern Colorado… According to ESPN Insights, the shooting performance against Northern Colorado makes Watts the first player in Big 12 history to score over 35 points while shooting over 90% (he was 12-for-12 from the field before missing a 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining in the game)… Along with his field goal percentage, Watts went 9-of-11 at the free-throw line to smash his previous career-high of 24 points last season against San Francisco while he was playing for Washington State as a sophomore… He recorded his first double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over LSU… He knocked on the door of his first double-double of the season with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over Milwaukee and just missed his second with nine rebounds against OSU… Watts, who now has 10 double-figure scoring performances this season, scored a previous season-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field (2-2 on 3s) at No. 14 Illinois… He made his Tech debut in the second game of the season against Sam Houston and finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of play after missing the opener with a lower body injury… Watts entered the season as the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year along with being selected for the Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List… A Fresno, California native, he is in his fourth year in college after playing last season at Washington State and spending two seasons at Eastern Washington where he redshirted as a true freshman… At Washington State last season, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game… He had 10 double-doubles and also recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Santa Clara… He scored a previous career-high 24 points in a game against San Francisco and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds against Idaho last season… Watts comes into the matchup against Utah with 967 points, 479 rebounds, 248 assists, nine games scoring 20-or-more points and 12 double-doubles through 81 games played in his career… Through three Big 12 games, Watts is averaging 11.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in conference play.
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Atwell led Tech with 17 points after going 5-for-13 on 3-pointers for his fifth game this season with five or more made 3-pointers… He is now fourth in the Big 12 with 3.31 made 3-pointers per game and sixth in the conference by shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc… Through three Big 12 games, he is averaging 15.0 points per conference game and is 13-for-32 (40.6%) on 3-pointers… Atwell, who has made 264 3-pointers in 110 career games, was 5-for-10 on 3-pointers against Oklahoma State and finished the game with 15 points before scoring 13 points at Houston with three 3-pointers… Atwell has recorded 53 games in his career in double-figure scoring and is now averaging 11.8 points per game this season… Atwell is currently 53-for-127 (41.7%) from beyond the arc… He reached the 1,000-point career milestone in the game against Arkansas where he finished with six points on 2-for-5 shooting on 3-pointers… A starter in all 16 games this season, he is also adding 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game after a season-high three steals against Winthrop and having two more at Colorado… Atwell, who played in his 100th career game against Purdue, started the season with two straight games with six 3-pointers before a game against Milwaukee where he was 5-for-9 from deep and finished with 17 points… Atwell made six 3-pointers against Sam Houston and Lindenwood – just two back of his career-high… Atwell went 6-for-13 on 3-pointers and also added four rebounds and two steals in the opener against Lindenwood and was 6-for-11 on 3-pointers in the second game of the season against Sam Houston… He joined the Red Raiders for his senior season after playing the past three at UNC Greensboro and was coming off a junior season where he averaged 13.3 points per game and was 96-for-241 (39.8 percent) on 3-pointers… His 96 3-pointers were the 43rd most in the nation… He scored a career-high 28 points last season at Chattanooga by going 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and has two games in his career with eight made 3-pointers… Atwell averaged scoring in double figures the past two seasons, including going for 11.4 points per game as a sophomore in the 2023-24 season where he was 93-for-220 (42.3 percent) on 3-point attempts… His career-high for 3-pointers made is eight, knocking down eight 3s against Kansas City and Eastern Kentucky during the 2023-24 season while at UNC Greensboro… A Huntersville, North Carolina native, he comes into the matchup against Utah with 1,077 career points and is 264-for-664 (39.8%) on 3-pointers through 110 games in his career.
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty established a new career high with nine rebounds at Colorado after he matched a career high and led Texas Tech with 20 points at Houston… Against the Buffaloes, Petty also had eight points and two assists after the game at Houston where he connected on a career-high five 3-pointers for his seventh double-figure scoring performance of the season and second time with 20 points… A true freshman who has started the past four games, he is now averaging 9.3 points per game and is 13th in the conference by making 2.13 3-pointers per game… Along with making five 3-pointers, he was also 3-of-3 at the free-throw line in Houston and is now 19-of-20 (95.0%) at the line for the season… Petty made his first career start and scored a career-high 20 points for the first time in the win over Winthrop after making two 3-pointers and going 6-of-7 at the free-throw line… Against Houston, he was 5-for-9 (55.6%) and then went 2-for-5 at CU on 3-pointers and is now 32-for-81 (39.5%) for the season… A reserve in his first 11 appearances of the season, he started for the second time against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener and finished with four 3-pointers in a game where he scored 12 points to mark his sixth double-figure scoring performance of his freshman season… A Seattle, Washington native, Petty recorded a previous career-high with 14 points in the win over Northern Colorado after going 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line before contributing five points in the win over Duke… He had matched his previous career-high for the third time this season with 11 points in the win over LSU after going 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and was coming off a game against Arkansas where he had eight points and six rebounds… His 11 points in the win over LSU was his third game with 11 points this season after also posting 11 against Milwaukee and Wake Forest… Against No. 1 Purdue, he led Tech with four assists and also had five points and three rebounds in 34 minutes of play as a reserve… He made a strong collegiate debut by going for nine points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and having only one turnover against Lindenwood in the opener after playing 34 minutes off the bench… Petty earned Washington Gatorade Player of the Year honors last season after averaging 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game at Rainier Beach High School… A four-star recruit, he led his team to a state championship and had a triple-double in a game where he produced 61 points, 15 assists and 15 steals… Petty was a McDonald's All-American nominee, adidas All-America, NBPA Topp 100 selection, a two-time Donovan Mitchell camp participant, an Allen Iverson Showcase selection and the Iverson Class 24K Showcase MVP.
Tyeree Bryan: "Team player. Competitor. Hard worker."
Bryan comes into the matchup against Utah with 976 career points and 159 made 3-pointers after scoring five points with one 3-pointer at Colorado… He also scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc in the win over Oklahoma State to begin Big 12 play… A starter in 12 games this season and a reserve in the opening three Big 12 games, Bryan is averaging 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game… The game against Oklahoma State was his first to play as a reserve this season and was his second game where he made three 3-pointers… He was 2-for-5 on 3-pointers in the game against Arkansas and has now made 15-of-49 (30.6%) on 3-point attempts this season… In the Bahamas, he recorded his 52nd career game scoring in double figures after going for 13 points against Wake Forest with a season-best three 3-pointers… Along with scoring 13 against Wake Forest, he also had seven rebounds, two steals and made a season-high three 3-pointers… Bryan hit his season-high 13 points for the first time on 5-for-10 shooting in the win over Milwaukee in Tech's last home game after having a previous high of 12 against Sam Houston… An Orlando, Florida native, Bryan is in his first season at Texas Tech after playing the past two at Santa Clara and beginning his career with one season at Charleston Southern and one at River State College… He was coming off a season at Santa Clara where he averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 66-for-154 (42.9 percent) on 3-pointers… Bryan scored a career-high 35 points against Gonzaga last season after going 7-for-12 from deep… He made four or more 3-pointers in seven games last season and is now 159-for-395 (40.3 percent) on 3-pointers in his career… Bryan has 976 points, 469 rebounds, 134 assists and 68 steals through 108 career games played.
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye has missed the past five games with a lower body injury after he left the game against Northern Colorado where he scored four points and had two rebounds in seven minutes of action… He missed the game against Arkansas due to being in concussion protocol after he had started the past four games… He is currently averaging 5.6 pints, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in seven games played this season… Against LSU, Bamgboye provided 6 points and 3 rebounds in the win… He recorded his second four-block game of the season and scored a season-high 13 points in the win over New Orleans before having two blocks and five rebounds against Wyoming in the past two home games… Bamgboye made his first start as a Red Raider in the loss against No. 1 Purdue and finished with five points, two rebounds and one blocked shot after he had contributed six points, six rebounds and one blocked shot in the win over Wake Forest… A 6-foot-11 sophomore, he made his Texas Tech debut with four blocked shots and four points in the win over Milwaukee… He had missed the first three games this season with a lower body injury… He transferred to Texas Tech after playing his freshman season at VCU where he ranked second among all freshmen in the nation with 75 blocks and was tied for 17th overall with 2.14 blocks per game... A London native, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in a season where he earned Atlantic 10 Conference All-Defensive Team and All-Rookie honors… He appeared in 35 games with 24 starts, including scoring a career-high 17 points and having a career-best seven blocks against UMass… Bamgboye has played in 42 career games and currently has 87 blocked shots, 173 points and 140 rebounds.
Leon Horner: "Vocal. High intensity. Coachable."
Horner contributed five points and four rebounds in the win over Oklahoma State after scoring six points in the previous two games against Winthrop and Duke… A sophomore in his second season at Tech, he is currently averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds… Against Winthrop, Horner matched a career-high with five rebounds after also having five rebounds against Purdue earlier this season… A Dallas native, he also had three rebounds in the win over LSU after playing against Wyoming where he had four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of action… Horner provided a career-high three assists and scored two points in the win over New Orleans after he had five points and five rebounds in the loss against No. 1 Purdue… Horner scored a career-high 10 points after making 2-of-3 shots from beyond the arc in the season opener against Lindenwood along with grabbing 6 rebounds but missed the games against Sam Houston and No. 14 Illinois with a lower body injury… Horner has played in 21 career games after he returned for his second season at Texas Tech following playing nine games last season as a true freshman… A Dallas, Texas native, he scored his first career points in a win over Oral Roberts and had one rebound in five games… Horner played at Dynamic Prep and a was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior where he averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Nolan Groves: "Hardworking. Coachable. Team player."
Groves established a new Texas Tech freshman record in his college debut by grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Lindenwood and scored 7 points in the first two games of the season… He did not score against Duke, but played 13 minutes and had a team-best plus-13 while on the court playing strong defense… Against Winthrop, Groves had three rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes of playing time… In the Bahamas, Groves came off the bench and scored four points against No. 1 Purdue with one 3-pointer and a free throw… Through 14 games played, he is averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game… Against Lindenwood, he had 6 offensive rebounds and 10 on the defensive side of the court to go along with scoring 7 points, dishing out 3 assists and coming away with 2 steals in 27 minutes of action from the starting lineup… Groves entered his freshman season after earning Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year while playing for Orono High School… He finished his senior season averaging 34.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game… A Long Lake, Minnesota native, Groves scored 40 or more points in nine games and had a 57-point performance during his senior year of high school.
Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."
Akuentok returned to the court against Colorado after missing seven game due to a lower body injury… It was his fifth appearance this season and first since playing limited minutes against Purdue in the Bahamas on November 21… Akuentok played three minutes at CU, scoring one point and having two rebounds as a reserve… He started and made his college debut in the win over Lindenwood – going for 8 rebounds, 7 points and having one blocked shot – before playing in a reserve role against Sam Houston, Illinois and Purdue… Through five games played, Akuentok is averaging 2.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game… He was 3-for-5 from the field in 17 minutes of action against Lindenwood and scored the first points of the season for the Red Raiders with a 3-pointer… Akuentok returned for his second season at Texas Tech after redshirting last year… He joined the program in January and experienced the journey to the Elite Eight… Akuentok is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was a top 100 recruit who reclassified… He played at Fort Erie International Academy and was named the co-player of the year and defensive player of the year… He also competed for the U18 Canada National Team and helped lead them to the bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup.
Jazz Henderson: "Vocal. Confident. Energetic."
Henderson made his college debut and scored two points in seven minutes of playing time against Lindenwood and contributed two rebounds in the win over Sam Houston… He appeared in his fifth career game against Oklahoma State… Henderson is in his second season with the Texas Tech basketball program after redshirting due to injury last season… A Dallas, Texas native, he was a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family High School where he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior.
Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Moseley has not played this season after suffering a lower body injury in the summer… He returned to his home state of Texas after playing his freshman season at Villanova where he played in 30 games as a reserve… A Round Rock, Texas native, he was the 2023-24 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 22.8 points and 8.9 rebounds for Stony Point High School… At Villanova, Moseley scored a career-high 10 points against Lafayette and had a career-best seven rebounds against Temple… He finished his freshman season averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Jack Francis: "Humble. Resilient. Coachable."
Francis is the longest tenured Red Raider, having joined the program as a practice player in the 2022-23 season… He has appeared in 24 games in his career, including playing in eight games this year after making 11 appearances last season… An Austin, Texas native, Francis played at Anderson High School where he scored over 1,000 points in his career… At Tech, he scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston and also scored last season against Oral Roberts… Texas Tech is 23-1 in games he has appeared in.
LaTrell Hoover: "Energetic. Coachable. Hardworking."
The final addition to this year's roster, Hoover signed with the Red Raiders on September 8 and immediately joined the program to begin practicing… McCasland said he plans to redshirt Hoover this season… Hoover is listed at 7-foot tall, making him the tallest player on the roster… A San Antonio, Texas native, Hoover played at Samuel Clements High School where he averaged 11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior – earning all-district second team honors.
McCasland is now 274-113 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 63-24 overall (87 games), 28-13 in Big 12 games, 38-5 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games and 13-10 in true road… 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 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup over the summer in Switzerland after winning the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires… McCasland was a 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalist presented by AXIA Time… His record through two complete seasons at Tech is the best start for a head coach in program history… McCasland joined Bob Knight as the only two coaches in program history with 20-plus wins in their first two seasons after Knight's teams accomplished it in 2001-02 and 2002-03… In 11 seasons as an NCAA coach, McCasland has won 20 or more games 10 times with the only exception coming in an 18-win year in 2020-21 at UNT with reduced games because of Covid restrictions… He is in his 10th season as an NCAA Division I coach.
The Red Raiders finished last season with a 28-9 overall record, including being second in the Big 12 standings with a 15-5 conference record. Tech matched the program record with a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program's third Elite 8.Â
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4
FEATURES: Watts | Toppin (The Athletic) | Anderson – FIBA U19
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.Â
