Texas Tech Athletics
No. 3 Illinois
November 08, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas โ No. 19 Texas Tech is on a 48-game non-conference home winning streak going into a matchup against No. 3 Illinois at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena. The second meeting in the all-time series follows the Fighting Illini earning an 81-77 win over the Red Raiders last season in Champaign, Illinois in a home-and-home series between the Big 12 and Big Ten programs. A full preview and game notes will be posted on Monday afternoon following updates to the national polls and conference awards.
Illinois, which advanced to the 2026 Final Four, will be the highest ranked non-conference opponent to ever play against the Red Raiders in Lubbock and the seventh non-conference top 10 team to make the trip. The previous highest ranked non-conference opponent was a No. 4-ranked SMU team on February 9, 1957 โ with the Red Raiders earning a 68-67 win. The most recent top 10 opponent to take on Tech on its home court was No. 9 Arizona in 2012. The most recent ranked non-conference opponent was No. 15 Kentucky on January 25, 2020 with the Wildcats earning a 76-74 overtime win to snap a 54-game non-conference home winning streak by Tech.
The Red Raiders are 2-0 on the season after opening with a 76-42 win over Jackson State last Monday before taking a 76-58 win over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday. Cruz Davis is leading the Red Raiders by averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals through two games while Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is coming off a 25-point scoring performance against Bethune. Damarion Dennis led Tech with 22 points in the opener against Jackson State, while Josiah Moseley is averaging 12.5 points per game and leads the Red Raiders with 8.5 rebounds per game after matching a career high with nine rebounds against BCU. One of the most experienced and prolific teams in the country, Illinois comes into the matchup averaging 116 points per game after a 120-45 win over FDU in its opener and then a 112-70 win over Penn last Thursday. Andrej Stojakovic leads the Fighting Illini with 22.5 points per game while Quentin Coleman, Stefan Vaaks and Zavier Zens are all scoring over 15 per game. Through two games, Illinois has six players scoring in double figures and have dominated its opponents in rebounding with a 127-54 rebounding margin.
Texas Tech has 12 ranked victories under head coach Grant McCasland, including six top 10 wins. Tech is on a 48-game non-conference home winning streak entering its third game of the season, including going 25-0 in non-conference home games under McCasland. The streak is the third longest in the nation behind only Auburn (69) and Baylor (53). The last loss at home in a non-conference game for the Red Raiders came in the 2019-20 season with a 76-74 overtime loss to No. 15-ranked Kentucky on January 25, 2020 in a Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup. The loss to Kentucky snapped a 54-game non-conference home winning streak to break up the program record.
Texas Tech is coming off its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament under McCasland and a season where it set a program record with three wins over teams ranked in the top five of the AP Top 25 and four wins over top 10 opponents. The highlight game with a 78-75 overtime win at No. 1 Arizona and also included wins over No. 3 Duke, No. 6 Houston and at No. 4 Iowa State. The Red Raiders were a ranked team throughout the season, rising as high as No. 10 and remaining in the national rankings throughout a season for the first time in program history. Tech came into this season at No. 19 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll and at No. 16 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll with the season's first update to be made on Monday. With Tech reaching the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons, it is now one appearance away from matching the most in a row in program history. The Red Raiders, who have played in 22 NCAA Tournaments, ran off a streak of four straight appearances with trips in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 - the lone gap being when the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to Covid.
Tech's roster is comprised of 14 players with five returners and nine newcomers. The five returners include starters JT Toppin and Donovan Atwell along with Moseley, Marial Akuentok and LaTrell Hoover. Additions from the transfer portal include Dennis (Wyoming), Davis (Hofstra), Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (UNLV), Darrion Williams (NC State) and Jamichael Stillwell (UCF). From the international pro ranks, Bassala Bagayoko joined the program after playing for Bilbao Basket in Spain while three high school signees include DaKari Spear, Amari Barrett and Trey Hall โ each of whom won championships in their final prep season. Williams returns to Texas Tech after playing for the Red Raiders for two seasons before transferring to play at NC State last season and returning this season. Williams, Toppin and Akuentok are the three players who remain on the roster from the run to the 2025 Elite Eight.
ROSTER NOTES (numerical order)
Spear made his collegiate debut against Jackson State last Monday, going for eight points in 18 minutes of playing time in the season opener. Spear hit a 3-pointer for his first collegiate points and was also 3-of-4 at the free-throw line. Through two games, Spear is averaging 4.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game after grabbing three rebounds against Bethune but not scoring in eight minutes of playing time. He arrived at Tech after a prep career that made him the No. 26-ranked player on the SC Next 100. From The Colony, Texas, Spear played three seasons at The Colony High School and finished his prep career by playing at Dynamic Prep and for FaZe in Overtime Elite. He won a championship with FaZe and also earned a nomination to the McDonald's All-American Team and competed in the Iverson Classic All-American and Jordan Brand Classic All-American games. At Dynamic Prep, Spear averaged 20 points per game and then averaged 19.8 points for FaZe โ earning himself Overtime Elite Target Bullseye as the league's top shooter at over 40 percent on 3-pointers. He signed with Tech last fall and was a four-star recruit and top 10 shooting guard nationally. At The Colony HS, Spear was named a Class 5A All-State player and was the unanimous District 12-5A Most Valuable Player after his junior season where he matched the program's single-season record with 700 points and became The Colony's second all-time leading scorer with 1,819 points and also with 197 made 3-pointers. In Tech's exhibition at Kentucky, Spear played eight minutes as a reserve and scored three points after going 1-for-1 from beyond the arc.
Dennis recorded a career-high and led the Red Raiders with 22 points in the season-opening win over Jackson State, going 8-for-12 from the field including making 4-of-8 3-pointers. Through two games, Dennis is now averaging 13.5 points per game after scoring five against Bethune in 19 minutes as a reserve. His 22-point performance in the opener was his fourth career game with 20-plus points and came in his first game at Tech. A Dallas native who finished his high school career in San Antonio, Dennis is back in the state of Texas after playing last season at Wyoming. A junior guard, Dennis began his college career at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before playing one season at Wyoming where he averaged 11.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season. He signed with the Red Raiders out of the transfer portal on April 21, 2026 and now has 613 points, 168 rebounds and 88 assists in 68 career games. In Tech's exhibition game at Kentucky, Dennis scored 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting with one 3-pointer while also adding two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Last season at Wyoming, Dennis produced 19 double-figure scoring performances with a career-high 21 points against Colorado State and South Dakota. He now has 24 double-figure scoring performances in his career. He had one double-double last season, grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds and scoring 13 points against UNLV in the WAC Tournament. As a freshman, Dennis averaged 6.7 points per game at Corpus Christi after graduating from Veterans Memorial High School in San Antonio where he led his team to the Class 5A State Tournament and set the school's scoring record.
Moseley matched his career high with nine rebounds in the win over Bethune-Cookman and also scored 12 points to give him double-figure scoring performances in both games to start the season. He began his junior season by going off for 13 points and eight rebounds in the season-opening win over Jackson State before falling just one rebound shy of his first career double-double. Playing in a reserve role in both games, Moseley was 4-for-6 from the field and also added one block and one steal defensively against Jackson State and led Tech with five offensive rebounds against Bethune-Cookman. Last season, Moseley scored a career-high 16 points in an NCAA Tournament win over Akron in his first season at Texas Tech where he played in 14 games and averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. A Round Rock native who earned 2023-24 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year at Stony Point HS, Moseley began his college career at Villanova where he played in 30 games. After missing the first 19 games last season with a lower body injury, Moseley came on strong, including securing a career-high nine rebounds in a road win at No. 4 Iowa State. Moseley made his Tech debut last season in a home win over Houston where he produced six points and six rebounds in just under 10 minutes of play. At Kentucky in the exhibition, Moseley played 19 minutes in a reserve role and produced 10 rebounds and four points. In his third collegiate season, Moseley has produced 160 points and 135 rebounds in 46 career games.
Davis scored 15 points in both wins over Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman to begin the season and is currently averaging 15.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game. He showcased all of his prowess from the point guard position in the opener against Jackson State, contributing 15 points, six steals, six rebounds and six assists in his first game at Tech. His six steals matched the second most in program history and were only one away from matching the program record. Davis entered his first season at Texas Tech and final in college basketball after earning Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year last season at Hofstra. In Tech's exhibition at Kentucky, Davis provided 10 points and seven assists in the start at Rupp Arena. A dynamic point guard, Davis averaged 20.1 points and 4.7 assists per game last season and led Hofstra to the NCAA Tournament. A Plano, Texas native, he returns to Texas after also playing at Iona, St. John's and the past two seasons at Hofstra. Through 97 career games, Davis has recorded 1,357 points, including scoring a career-high 36 points last season at Pitt. During his career, he has 60 games scoring in double figures, including 27 games scoring 20-plus and five with 30-plus points. Davis has two double-doubles on his resume with one coming as a junior and another last season. Davis ranked 29th nationally in scoring last season with his 20.1 points per game and finished last season shooting 82-for-205 (40.0%) on 3-pointers. Along with CAA Player of the Year honors, Davis was also named to the All-CAA First Team and was a three-time CAA Player of the Week. Davis leads Tech in assists and steals this season and now has 344 assists and 113 steals in his career.
Gibbs-Lawhorn surpassed the 1,000-point scoring milestone in the season opener against Jackson State and then led Tech with 25 points in the win over Bethune-Cookman. Averaging 15.0 points per game through two contests this season, he now has 1,028 career points in 100 career games. In his first season at Tech, Gibbs-Lawhorn had five points, four assists and three steals in the win over JSU and had two assists against BCU. Last season, he averaged 20.7 points per game last season at UNLV and came into his first season at Texas Tech needing only two points to reach 1,000 for his career. A senior guard with two years of eligibility remaining, Gibbs-Lawhorn joined the Red Raider program after playing his first two seasons at Illinois and last season at UNLV where he earned All-MWC First Team and MWC Newcomer of the Year honors. At Kentucky in Tech's lone exhibition, Gibbs-Lawhorn started for the Red Raiders and finished the game with seven points, three assists and four rebounds. A prolific scorer, Gibbs-Lawhorn went 101-for-244 (41.4%) on 3-pointers last season at UNLV and has made 134 3-pointers in 98 career games. He scored a career-high 42 points last season against Nevada. Through those 100 games, he has recorded 44 double-figure scoring performances with 20 games scoring 20-plus points, six with 30-plus and one with 40-plus. Gibbs-Lawhorn ranked 21st nationally in scoring last season, shooting 257-for-517 (49.7%) from the field and making 109 free throws. Before UNLV, he played two seasons and 63 games at Illinois โ averaging 5.9 points per game as a sophomore. Last season, his 42-point performance against Nevada came with him making eight 3-pointers and he also made six 3-pointers in games against Fresno State, Boise State, Colorado State and Grand Canyon.
Williams returned to Texas Tech after a year away at NC State and has now produced 1,608 points, 835 rebounds, 393 assists and 166 steals in 135 career games. Against Bethune-Cookman, he had six points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. A two-time All-Big 12 selection while at Tech in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Williams played last season at NC State before returning to Lubbock and signing with the Red Raiders to play his fifth year. During his previous time at Tech, Williams earned All-Big 12 First Team and helped lead the Red Raiders to the 2025 Elite Eight as a junior where he averaged 15.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Last season at NC State, he earned All-ACC Honorable Mention selection after leading the team with 14.0 points per game and adding 4.6 rebounds per game โ including scoring a career-high 32 points in a win over UNC Greensboro. As a sophomore (2023-24) in McCasland's first season at Tech, Williams led the Red Raiders with nine double-doubles, 7.5 rebounds per game and finished his first season in Lubbock with 11.4 points per game where he earned All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team honors. During the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Williams led the Red Raiders by averaging 21.0 points per game, including going for 23 points in the Elite Eight matchup against Florida and scoring a season-high 28 points against Drake in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Among his career highlights as a Red Raider, Williams went off for 30 points in a home win over No. 6 Kansas where he went 12-for-12 from the field with four 3-pointers during his sophomore season. A Sacramento, California native, Williams began his collegiate career at Nevada where he earned 2022-23 Mountain West Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. A four-star prep player at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Williams was named the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior season after averaging 15.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game. Before transferring to Bishop Gorman, Williams played two varsity seasons at Capital Christian in his hometown of Sacramento where he averaged 11.2 and 7.8 rebounds as a sophomore.
A freshman from Oklahoma, Barrettย signed with Texas Tech on July 6, 2026 and joins the Red Raider program for the 2026-27 season and with a five-year period of eligibility. He made his collegiate debut in the season-opening win over Jackson State, finishing with two points and two rebounds in five minutes of playing time. Barret did not play against Bethune-Cookman. An Oklahoma City native, Barrett joined the Red Raiders after helping Millwood High School to back-to-back state championships. As a senior, Barrett averaged 17 points per game in a season where his team won its final 20 games for its second straight Oklahoma Class 3A State Championship. A 6-foot-4 guard, Barrett also averaged 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds as a junior. On the EYBL Circuit, Barrett averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game with Mokan Elite. A three-star recruit, Barrett was originally committed to Ball State and also held offers from UT Arlington and SIU Edwardsville before signing with the Red Raiders. He was ranked as the No. 48 shooting guard in the 2026 class by 247Sports.
Hall made his collegiate debut against Jackson State, finishing with two points and one steal. His first career points came on a fastbreak dunk after his steal. A freshman from Crowley, Texas, Hall signed with Texas Tech on May 24, 2026, joining the Red Raider program for the 2026-27 season and with a five-year period of eligibility. Hall helped North Crowley High School win the 2026 Class 6A State Championship as a senior where he averaged 14.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. Hall recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the title game to help clinch the program's second state championship while also earning Class 6A All-Tournament honors. As a senior, Hall secured Class 6A, District 3 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-District, All-Academic Team and All-Region and finished his final high school season shooting 65% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers while leading his team to a 35-3 overall record. Hall, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward, completed his high school career with 547 points, 341 rebounds and 73 blocked shots. He also played for Southern Assault Metro YGC in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Atwell returns for another season at Texas Tech after establishing new program records by making 130 3-pointers last season and connecting on a Big 12 record 81 3-pointers in conference play. Through two games this season, Atwell has made three 3-pointers and is averaging 6.5 points per game after making three 3-pointers and finishing with nine points in the win over Bethune-Cookman. In the preseason, Atwell scored 11 points with three 3-pointers in the exhibition at Kentucky in 31 minutes of play. A fifth year from Huntersville, North Carolina, Atwell is now in his second season at Texas Tech after playing his first three seasons at UNC Greensboro. Last season, Atwell earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after averaging 13.5 points per game and shooting 130-for-284 (45.8%) from beyond the arc. His 81 3-pointers also established a new Big 12 record that was previously held by Buddy Hield (Oklahoma). Atwell finished the 2025-26 season leading the Big 12 and second nationally with 3.82 made 3-pointers per game and he also ranked second nationally by making 45.8% of his 3-point attempts and with his 130 makes from beyond the arc. The previous 3-point record for the Red Raiders had stood for nearly 30 years with Cory Carr making 94 in the 1996-97 season and sitting atop the record book category until Atwell's prolific season. Atwell enters this season having already produced 1,348 points and with 341 made 3-pointers through 128 games played. His 11 points matched Dennis for the team lead in the team's only open preseason action. In Big 12 games last season, Atwell averaged 15.6 points per game and shot 47.9% on 3-pointers. He scored in double figures in 25 games last season, including a season-high 26 points in a home win over Kansas State. His historic season included going 7-for-10 on 3-pointers at Baylor for a 21-point performance and making five or more 3-pointers in 12 games. Atwell was the only Red Raider last season to start all 34 games. Through 130 career games, Atwell has 1,361 points and has made 344 3-pointers (41.1%).
Akuentok played in 15 games last season, including recording career-highs with seven points and eight rebounds in the season-opening win over Lindenwood to begin last season. He had two rebounds against Jackson State to begin this season and did not play against Bethune-Cookman. An Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native, Akuentok is in his third season with the Red Raiders after joining mid-year during the 2024-25 season and taking a redshirt. He finished last season averaging 1.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game โ scoring three points and grabbing three rebounds against Cincinnati for his conference highlight. He played in both NCAA Tournament games for the Red Raiders, including getting one rebound against Alabama. Prior to Tech, he was a member of the Canada National Team that won a bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup and a top 100 recruit who reclassified to enroll early at Tech. As a junior in high school, he helped lead Fort Erie International Academy to a championship and was named the co-player of the year and the defensive player of the year.
Toppin is a two-time Consensus All-America Second Team and two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection who enters his senior season having already produced 1,593 points, 907 rebounds, 159 blocks and 47 double-doubles through 94 career games. Toppin is progressing in his rehab from a season-ending injury that forced him to miss the final five games of the regular season and the postseason last season. A Dallas native in his third season at Tech, Toppin is coming off a junior season where he averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and has been selected to the 2026-27 All-Big 12 Preseason Team along with being a Malone Award Preseason Watch List and NABC Player of the Year Watch List selection among other preseason nods. Toppin has played in 58 games over the past two seasons at Texas Tech โ averaging 19.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in a Red Raider uniform after playing his freshman season at New Mexico. In his first season at Tech, Toppin earned 2024-25 Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and helped to lead the Red Raiders to the 2025 Elite Eight. Through three NCAA seasons, he is 673-for-1,181 (57.0%) from the field and has grabbed 344 offensive rebounds (3.7 per game). He scored a career-high 41 points in an overtime win over Arizona State in his sophomore season and recorded six games with 30 or more points last season, including going off for 31 points and 13 rebounds in a road win at No. 1 Arizona last season. He suffered his season-ending injury at Arizona State on Feb. 17, 2026 late in the second half of a game he had 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals. Toppin had 16 double-doubles in 25 games played last season.
Hoover is in his second season at Texas Tech after redshirting last year. A San Antonio native, he played at Samuel Clemens High School where he earned All-District Second Team honors and helped the team to the regional finals. He averaged 11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a senior. Hoover is a 6-foot-11 freshman with four years of eligibility remaining. Hoover made is collegiate debut against Jackson State in the final minutes but did not play against Bethune-Cookman.
Bagayoko is averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 points and 2.0 blocks through two games as a starter for the Red Raiders in his freshman season. He made his Tech debut in the season opener from the starting lineup and finished with four points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time before setting season highs with seven rebounds and three blocked shots against Bethune. Against Jackson State, he was 2-for-3 from the field and had two offensive rebounds in the win over Jackson State and then had three offensive rebounds against Bethune. Bagayoko signed with Texas Tech on July 14, 2026 and joined the Red Raiders with a five-year period of eligibility. Bagayoko also started against Kentucky in the exhibition game and went for 10 points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. He finished the game shooting 5-for-6 from the field and grabbed two offensive rebounds. A 6-foot-10, 210-pound international signee, Bagayoko joined the Red Raiders after playing professionally for Bilbao Basket in Spain (Liga ACB) where he helped lead the team to two straight FIBA Europe Cup titles. Originally from Bamako, Mali, Bagayoko moved to Spain when he was 12 and made history when he played as a 14-year-old for Baloncesto Fuenlabrada - becoming the youngest player ever to play in Spain's top professional league. Bagayoko, now 19 and with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, is coming off a season with Bilbao where he averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. In his 2026 NBA Draft profile, Bagayoko drew comparisons to Clint Capela, Robert Williams and Jalen Duren for his athletic profile and defensive potential. Prior to an injury in 2022, his NBA Draft projection was a potential top-five pick for the 2025 NBA Draft according to the profile.
Stillwell signed with Texas Tech on August 7, 2026 and joined the Red Raider program as a 5th Year forward after playing at UCF last season where he recorded nine double-doubles and averaged 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Stillwell started his collegiate career by playing at Miami Dade College as a freshman, at Butler Community College as a sophomore and Milwaukee for his junior season before one season at UCF. At Milwaukee in the 2024-25 season, Stillwell averaged a double-double with 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game โ finishing the season with 16 double-doubles and earning All-Horizon League First Team and Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors. Through two NCAA seasons, Stillwell has recorded 25 double-doubles, 763 points and 586 rebounds through 62 career games. Last season at UCF, Stillwell averaged 3.4 offensive rebounds per game (104 total) โ ranking second in the Big 12 and 25th nationally in the final statistics that met minimums. Among his season highlights, he grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and scored a season-high 21 points against VMI. In Big 12 play, Stillwell recorded three double-doubles, including producing 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Red Raiders. Stillwell recorded his final double-double of the season in the NCAA Tournament, going for 13 rebounds and 10 points in a loss to UCLA. His season had 21 double-figure scoring performances, including producing 18 points in a win at Kansas State. Stillwell is the only player in Milwaukee history to average a double-double for a season and was a finalist for the 2024-25 Riley Wallace Award. He had three 20-plus scoring performances at Milwaukee and scored in double figures in 28 games along with adding 40 steals and 12 blocks in the season. Starting his career at two junior colleges, Stillwell averaged 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Butler CC after averaging 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman at Miami Dade College. He played his final prep season at Elevation Prep (Fort Wayne, Indiana) where he averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game.
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