No. 16 Tech hosts Cincinnati on Tuesday

Tuesday, February 24

Lubbock, Texas

6 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Cincinnati

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Photo by: Gabby Hutter / Texas Tech Athletics

No. 16 Tech hosts Cincinnati on Tuesday

February 23, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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By: Wes Bloomquist

LUBBOCK – With a 13-1 home record and only two home games remaining, No.16 Texas Tech looks to continue its home dominance and snap a four-game winning streak by Cincinnati when it hosts the Bearcats at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena. Last Saturday, the Red Raiders (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) earned a 100-72 win over Kansas State at home while Cincinnati (15-12, 7-7 Big 12) extended its winning streak to four with an 84-68 victory at No. 8 Kansas.

"I'm impressed with Cincinnati, obviously coming off a huge road win at Kansas," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "They've won four in a row and are playing with a flow offensively. They've always been an elite defensive team. You can tell their confidence is growing. They've got a great team and are playing great. Team rebounding is how we're going to win. It's always going to be that way. How connected we are on the defensive end and how well we rebound. The better our guards rebound the better our team is. It's never going to be one person, it's a collective pursuit of the ball and playing the right way."

Tech follows its home matchup against the Bearcats by traveling to Ames, Iowa this weekend to play No. 4 Iowa State at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum before returning home to host TCU next Tuesday in its home finale. The Red Raiders already have three top 10 wins this season, including knocking off then-No. 1 Arizona (now No. 2) in Tucson, then-No. 3 Duke (now No. 1) in Madison Square Garden and then-No. 6 Houston (now No. 5) at home.

Only four regular-season games remain for the Red Raiders who are playing without JT Toppin for the remainder of the season after he suffered an ACL tear in his right knee at Arizona State on February 17. Toppin, who was the 2024-25 Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus Second Team All-American, was averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks this season – making him the only player nationally averaging over 20 points and a double-double. The conference leader with 16 double-doubles, he is a four-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection this season and is listed on the Wooden Award and Naismith National Player of the Year Late-Season Watch Lists. Christian Anderson leads the Big 12 and is third nationally with 7.7 assists per game and is also on the Wooden Award and Naismith National Player of the Year Late-Season Watch Lists. Toppin and Anderson are the only teammates on the Wooden Award Watch List. Anderson is also averaging 19.1 points per game after going for 21 points and 10 assists for his seventh double-double in the win over Kansas State. Donovan Atwell leads the Big 12 with 100 made 3-pointers this season and is second in the conference by shooting 45.7% from deep. He has already passed Cory Carr's previous single-season record of 94 from the 1996-97 season while Anderson is now only four 3s away from matching it. Anderson also has 200 assists this season, becoming only the third Red Raider in program history with 200 or more with Elijah Hawkins establishing a new single-season record last season with 226.

Atwell is averaging 12.5 points per game this season while LeJuan Watts is adding 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game after scoring 19 against Kansas State and freshman Jaylen Petty is at 9.0 points per game. Anderson is 91-for-206 (44.2%) on 3-pointers this season which puts him fifth on Tech's single-season records list. Atwell is 100-for-219 (45.7%) – ranking second nationally with 3.7 made 3s per game and fifth in percentage. Anderson ranks eighth nationally with 3.5 made 3s per game and is ninth by shooting 44.2% from deep. Luke Bamgboye started against Kansas State in Toppin's place and provided 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Over the last five games, Atwell is shooting 23-for-41 (54.3%) on 3-pointers while Anderson is 19-for-41 (46.3%).

Tech is 6-1 in Big 12 home games going into the matchup against Cincinnati and leads the Big 12 with 11.4 made 3-pointers per game and is second by shooting 39.2% from deep and a 55.9 effective field goal percentage. The 100 points against Kansas State was the third time overall this season and second time in Big 12 play that Tech has scored over 100 with a season-high 102 against Oklahoma State. Tech ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.53 assist-to-turnover ratio and an average of 16.1 assists per game after having 18 assists and only six turnovers against K-State. The team averages 82.1 points per game and has limited opponents to 72.3 points throughout the season. The Red Raiders were 13-for-28 (46.4%) on 3-pointers against K-State and have now made 10 or more in 21-of-27 games this season, including setting a new program record with 17 in games against Baylor, Oklahoma State and Lindenwood. The Red Raiders established new program records on 3-pointers the past two seasons under McCasland by making 371 last season (37 games) and 289 the year before (34 games). As a team, Tech is 309-for-788 (39.2%) on 3-pointers through 27 games this season which is already the second most made in a season in program history. The Red Raiders rank fifth in the Big 12 with only 10.6 turnovers per game. Tech had made 10-or-more 3s in 10 straight games before Arizona State limited the team to nine.

Cincinnati is 2-5 on the road in conference play but is coming off the upset win at Allen Fieldhouse where Moustapha Thiam went off for 28 points and eight rebounds while Baba Miller had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The Bearcats also have wins over UCF, Kansas State and Utah during their four-game winning streak. Miller is averaging a double-double this season with 13.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season, ranking second in the Big 12 in rebounding behind only Toppin. Thiam, who earned Big 12 Starting Five honors on Monday, is now averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while Day Day Thomas is scoring 11.0 points per game and leads the Bearcats with 3.6 assists per game. Cincinnati ranks fifth in the Big 12 by forcing 13.04 turnovers per game and by limiting opponents to 41.2% shooting. The Bearcats are scoring 72.7 points per game and are allowing 67.0 through 27 games on their schedule. Cincinnati is third in the Big 12 by shooting 26.3 3-pointers per game but ranks last in the conference at 32.5% on those attempts. In their win at KU, the Bearcats were 12-for-31 on 3-pointers with Jalen Celestine making four and scoring 14 points. Cincinnati returns to Ohio after its trip to Texas on Tuesday to host Oklahoma State on Saturday at Fifth Third Arena.

SERIES HISTORY
The only matchup between the programs in the regular season will be the fourth all-time meeting between Tech and Cincinnati. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 2-1 with the series being tied 1-1 as Big 12 opponents. The Red Raiders earned an 81-71 win last season at Cincinnati after the Bearcats had won a 75-72 decision in Lubbock on February 3, 2024 in their first season in the Big 12. The first ever meeting between the programs came on March 17, 1961 with Cincinnati winning 78-55 in Lawrence, Kansas.

RANKINGS UPDATE
Texas Tech is at No. 16 in this week's Associated Press Men's Basketball Top 25 to extend its program record to 25 straight appearances in the AP Top 25. Along with the AP Top 25, the Red Raiders (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) come in at No. 16 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, No. 14 in the NCAA NET and No. 16 Kenpom ratings after the loss at Arizona State. The NCAA Selection Committee slotted the Red Raiders as a four seed (13th overall) on Saturday, Feb. 21 in its preliminary top 16 for the season. Selection Sunday is set for March 15 with the full 68-team bracket to be revealed at 5 p.m. on CBS.

RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")

Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
A Wooden Award Top 20 and Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Late-Season selection and two-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season, Anderson leads the Big 12 and is third nationally with 7.7 assists per game while also ranking fifth in the conference in scoring with 19.1 points per game… He is coming off a performance against K-State where he had 21 points and 10 assists for the seventh double-double of his season and career… Anderson, who went for 19 points with six 3-pointers and eight assists at Arizona and then had 18 points and six assists at Arizona State, is also third in the Big 12 by shooting 44.2% on 3-pointers and with 3.50 made 3-pointers per game… He is 91-for-206 (44.2%) from beyond the arc for the season and extended a streak of 10 straight games scoring in double figures and 10 straight with six or more assists with his 21/9 showing against K-State… Anderson missed his only game of the season in the loss against Kansas after starting the previous 21 but returned to post his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 assists in the win over West Virginia… The 11 assists represented his seventh game this season with double-figure assists, including a career-high of 13 in a win over Oklahoma State… A sophomore guard on the Bob Cousy Award Midseason Top 10, Anderson made a career-high eight 3-pointers (8-for-10) and led the Red Raiders with 26 points and six assists in the win at Baylor before providing 12 points and nine assists in the win over Houston… He now has 10 games this season scoring over 20 points (14 in his career) and has made five or more 3-pointers in seven games this season… He recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 assists against Utah and followed with 22 points and seven assists against BYU… Anderson scored a career-high 34 points in the season opener against Lindenwood in a game he also produced 11 assists for his first career double-double… His 13 assists against Oklahoma State 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 38:44 minutes per game and has recorded five or more assists in 24-of-26 games played this season… He has played all 40 minutes in eight games this season, including playing all 45 in the overtime win over Arizona and 40 against Wyoming, Duke, Arkansas, Colorado, BYU, at home game against Houston and at WVU… 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 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 was 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 freshman-season high of 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 matchup against Cincinnati with 869 points, 277 assists, 198 rebounds, 76 steals and is 162-for-393 (41.2%) on 3-pointers through 61 career games… In Big 12 games, Anderson is averaging 17.6 points, 8.3 assists and is shooting 47-for-105 (44.8%) on 3-pointers against conference opponents… Along with having eight games this season with double-figure assists, Anderson has 13 games with eight or more assists.

Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Atwell has already established a new Texas Tech single-season record for 3-pointers and comes into the matchup against Cincinnati shooting 100-for-219 (45.7%) from beyond the arc… A starter in all 27 games, he led the Red Raiders with a season-high 26 points in the win over Kansas State after going 6-of-9 on 3-pointers and also making 4-of-4 free throws… Atwell leads the Big 12 and is third nationally with his 100 made 3-pointers this season along with leading the conference with 3.7 made 3s per game and is second by shooting 45.7% from deep… He ranks second nationally in 3-pointers per game and is fifth in the country in percentage… Atwell is averaging 13.0 points per game and is seventh in the conference by playing 34:18 minutes per game… His 100 3-pointers broke the Texas Tech single-season record that had been held by Cory Carr since the 1996-97 season… Atwell has made 311-of-756 (41.1%) 3-pointers in 121 career games… Over the past five games, Atwell has made 23 3-pointers (56.1%) after also hitting 6-of-10 against Colorado at home and then having seven during the two-game road trip in Arizona… He made a season-high seven 3-pointers (7-for-10) and finished with 21 points in the win at Baylor before providing 18 points against Houston where he was 5-for-8 on 3-pointers in the win... His production against K-State was his fourth game scoring over 20 points this season while his six 3s was his 23rd career game making five or more in a game... In the NCAA, Atwell is fourth in career free-throw percentage among all active players at 90.4% and is 11th with his 311 made 3-pointers… Through 14 Big 12 games, he is averaging 14.9 points per conference game and is 60-for-124 (48.4%) on 3-pointers against conference opponents… 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… 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 coming into the season… 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 last season 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 game against Cincinnati with 1,240 career points in his career.

LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Watts is coming off a game against Kansas State where he had 19 points, six rebounds and two assists and is now averaging 12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game…He recorded his third double-double of the season and led Tech with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Kansas… A redshirt junior in his first season at Tech, Watts reached the 1,000-point career milestone at Baylor after providing 13 points and seven rebounds in the road win… Against Baylor, he entered the game with 996 career points and is now at 1,085 career points… Watts put up 20 points and eight rebounds in the win over BYU for his fourth game this season and 10th in his career with 20-plus points… In the first matchup at Colorado, he recorded his second double-double of the season after going for 11 points and 11 rebounds along with adding six assists… A double-figure scorer in 14 games this season and 54 in his career, he scored 19 points in the win against Oklahoma State while also producing nine rebounds… Named the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, 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 as a Red Raider 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 13 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 Cincinnati with 1,085 points, 543 rebounds, 270 assists, 10 games scoring 20-or-more points and 13 double-doubles through 92 games played in his career… Through 14 Big 12 games, Watts is averaging 10.9 points and 6.5 rebounds against conference opponents.

Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Petty has scored in double figures in 13 games this season after going for 10 points against Kansas State along with providing four assists and three rebounds… A starter in all 14 conference games and 15 overall this season, he is averaging 9.0 points per game and has made 49 3-pointers as a true freshman… Against Kansas, he also had a career-high seven assists to go along with 11 points and is now averaging 2.2 assists per game… He also scored 18 points after going 4-for-6 on 3-pointers in the home win over Houston and had a career-best nine rebounds at Colorado… Petty is shooting 49-for-139 (35.3%) on 3-pointers... Along with his 3-point sharpshooting, Petty is now 32-of-37 (85.7%) from the free-throw line this season, including going 4-of-4 at the line against Houston and 2-of-2 against Kansas State... Petty had matched a career-high with five assists and also added 10 points in the win over BYU… He matched a career high and led Texas Tech with 20 points at Houston in the first meeting against the Cougars after going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers… A Seattle native, he now has two games with 20 points and is averaging 9.6 points per game against Big 12 opponents and is 26-for-80 (35.0%) in Big 12 games on 3-pointers… 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… A reserve in his first 11 appearances of the season, he started for the first time against Winthrop in the non-conference finale and then against versus Oklahoma State in the Big 12 opener where he 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… 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 Top 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 reached the 1,000-point milestone in his career after knocking down a 3-pointer and finishing with three points and four rebounds in the win over Kansas State… A senior in his first season at Tech, Bryan now has 1,001 points and has made 164 3-pointers through 119 games in his career… A starter in 12 games this season and a reserve throughout Big 12 play, Bryan is averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game with nine points against Oklahoma State for his conference-high this season… 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 20-of-67 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 164-for-413 (39.7 percent) on 3-pointers in his career… Bryan has 1,001 points, 492 rebounds, 136 assists and 72 steals through 119 career games played.

Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Bamgboye made his first start in Big 12 play against Kansas State and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 21 minutes of play… It was his fifth game this season with three or more blocks and sixth game with five or more rebounds… Bamgboye has now played in 15 games this season, including matching a season-high with six rebounds at Arizona State and playing in the win over Arizona where he provided three rebounds, one steal and one point in 13 minutes as a reserve… He recorded seven points, four blocks and three rebounds in the win over Colorado after he had three blocks, five rebounds and two points against WVU… He is averaging 4.5 points, 1.8 blocks and 3.4 rebounds per game… A sophomore in his first season at Texas Tech, Bamgboye played in his first Big 12 game at UCF and provided two points and two blocks before playing 8:39 minutes against Kansas… He had missed the previous nine 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 also had missed the game against Arkansas due to being in concussion protocol after he had started the past four games… 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 49 career games and currently has 100 blocked shots, 197 points and 163 rebounds.

Leon Horner: "Vocal. High intensity. Coachable."
Horner played a career-high 26 minutes in the win over Arizona and finished with five points and five rebounds before having four points at Arizona State in 10 minutes of action… Horner, who has played 19 games as a reserve this season, made a 3-pointer in the first half against Arizona and was 2-for-3 from the field… He also 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 2.7 points and 2.2 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 was a McDonald's All-American nominee as a senior where he averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Moseley made his Texas Tech debut in the home win over Houston after missing the first 19 games of the season with a lower body injury he suffered in the summer… Moseley scored six points and had six rebounds against the Cougars, going 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and pulling down three offensive rebounds in 9:37 of playing time... Moseley is coming off a game against K-State where he had five rebounds, four points and one blocked shot after he scored four points and had one assists at Arizona State in his sixth appearance of the season… At UCF, Moseley once again scored six points and added three rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes of playing time… Through seven games played this season, Moseley is averaging 2.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game… 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… Moseley has played in 37 games in his collegiate career and currently has 78 points and 87 rebounds.

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 seven points in the first two games of the season… Through 20 games played, he is averaging 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game… 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… 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.

Jazz Henderson: "Vocal. Confident. Energetic."
Henderson made his sixth appearance of his career and made his first 3-pointer against Kansas, hitting a 3 to give Tech a 53-45 lead with 10:38 on the clock… A red-shirt freshman, Henderson finished the game with three points and one assists in a career-high 7:47 minutes of playing time… Henderson scored one point in the win over Kansas State – his ninth career appearance… He 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 but had missed the previous five games due to a lower body injury before playing against Kansas… 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.

Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."
Akuentok had four rebounds, a block and two points in 16 minutes against Kansas State in his eighth appearance of the season… A redshirt freshman, he returned to the court at Colorado on January 10 after missing seven games due to a lower body injury and also played limited minutes against Utah and Baylor… Akuentok has been available but had not played due to coach's decision since the game at Baylor on Jan. 20 before playing against K-State... His return to the court at Colorado was his fifth appearance this season and first since playing limited minutes against Purdue in the Bahamas on November 21… 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 eight games played, Akuentok is averaging 1.5 points and 2.3 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.

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 28 games in his career, including playing in 12 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 now 27-1 in games he has appeared in after he played in the final minute against Kansas State.

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 282-116 in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 71-27 overall (98 games – 72.4 win%), 36-16 in Big 12 games, 43-6 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games and 16-12 in true road… McCasland, who has led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons (2025 Elite Eight, 2024 First Round), was also 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.

JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."
A Wooden Award Top 20 and Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Late-Season selection and four-time Big 12 Player of the Week this season, Toppin suffered a season-ending injury after tearing the ACL in his right knee at Arizona State on February 17… At the time of his injury, Toppin was leading the nation with 234 made field goals and was in the top 10 nationally in scoring (21.8), rebounding (10.8) and double-doubles (16)… Toppin went off for 31 points and 13 rebounds at No. 1 Arizona to secure his ninth career game with a 30-plus point double-double and had 20 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, four assists and two steals against Arizona State before suffering his injury… Toppin's season ended with him leading the Big 12 with his 10.8 rebounds per game, 16 double-doubles, and 4.20 offensive rebounds per game while ranking third in scoring… Toppin, who had seven offensive rebounds against Arizona and three against ASU, was fifth nationally in the offensive rebounding category… Toppin ranked sixth in the nation in rebounds and ninth in scoring… Toppin recorded a double-double in 9-of-13 conference games played and averaged 22.6 points and 11.1 rebounds against Big 12 opponents… Toppin was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the third time this season and fifth in his career after leading the Red Raiders with 31 points and 12 rebounds in the home win over Houston... Toppin was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week after leading Tech with 27 points and 13 rebounds in the win over BYU and then went off for 22 points at Baylor… Toppin, who had career-high seven straight double-doubles going entering the game at Baylor, had only four rebounds against the Bears to see the streak end… He has 75 double-figure scoring performances and 35 games with 20-plus points in his career (15 this season)… 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… Toppin missed the season opener with a lower body injury for his only missed game before the season-ending injury, 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 had 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 was 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 during the 2024-25 campaign… 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 has produced 1,593 points, 907 rebounds and 159 blocked shots through 94 career games… Toppin played his freshman season at New Mexico and has now played 58 games as a Red Raider where he has scored 1,148 points and has 581 rebounds – averaging 19.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in a Texas Tech uniform… At the time of his injury, Toppin ranked second among all active players with 47 career double-doubles and by averaging 9.6 rebounds throughout his career… His 47 double-doubles were only behind Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) who had 51… Toppin is the 43rd player at Tech to reach the 1,000-point milestone in games played as a Red Raider.

PROGRAM: 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. As a program in recent seasons, Tech has advanced to the Elite Eight (2018), NCAA Final (2019), Sweet 16 (2022), and Elite Eight (2025).

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.