Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders poised for 2026 NCAA Tournament
March 13, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Primed to make its third straight NCAA Tournament and 22nd appearance in program history, Texas Tech will join the nation on Sunday in watching a one-hour Selection Show from 5-6 p.m. (CST) on CBS for the exclusive live first look at the bracket. The Red Raiders (22-10) advanced to the program's third Elite Eight last season and will have made the tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026 over the past 10 years. Grant McCasland has led the program to the tournament in each of his first three seasons, including last season when the team ran off wins over UNC Wilmington, Drake and Arkansas before falling to Florida (2025 National Champion) in the Elite Eight. Last season, Tech matched a program record with a No. 3 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament has experienced recent success by advancing to the Elite Eight (2018), NCAA Final (2019), Sweet 16 (2022) and Elite Eight (2025).Â
Nationally ranked throughout the season for the first time in program history, 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. Tech was ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll for its highest preseason ranking in program history and is currently ranked No. 16. The Red Raiders are now 4-3 against top 10 opponents following a loss to No. 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City and own a 3-1 record against top 5 opponents throughout the season. Tech has a neutral court win over then-No. 3/now-No. 1 Duke at Madison Square Garden, a home win over then-No. 6 Houston and road victories over then-No. 1 Arizona and then-No. 4 Iowa State. The team started the season 0-2 against top 10 teams with a loss against then-No. 1 Purdue in the Bahamas and taking a loss at then-No. 7 Houston in the first matchup against the Cougars before running off the most top 10 wins in program history.
Christian Anderson and JT Toppin were both selected to the All-Big 12 First Team while Donovan Atwell earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team honors. Toppin and Anderson are the only teammates in the nation to both be on the Wooden Award Ballot and were both selected as The Sporting News All-America. Additional All-America selections will come from the Associated Press, NABC and USBWA next week. The Red Raiders have played the last six games without Toppin who suffered a season-ending injury on February 17 at Arizona State. 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). Anderson leads the Big 12 and is fourth nationally with 7.6 assists per game and is averaging 18.9 points per game. A sophomore point guard, Anderson has recorded eight double-doubles this season and has already established a new program single-season record with 236 assists this season while also making 105 3-pointers - breaking the previous school single-season record. Atwell now owns that 3-point record and goes into the NCAA Tournament having made 124 3-pointers and by shooting 45.4% from beyond the arc. Atwell is second on the team with 13.5 points per game while LeJuan Watts is adding 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and freshman Jaylen Petty is providing 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
McCasland will be coaching in his 104th game as Tech's head coach and enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a 284-119 record in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 73-30 overall (103 games – 70.9 win%), 38-18 in Big 12 games, 44-7 at home, 23-0 in non-conference home games, 17-13 in true road and 12-10 in neutral-court games. As an NCAA head coach, McCasland has now led four teams to the NCAA Tournament and has a 4-3 record, including taking North Texas to the second round after a 78-69 overtime win over Purdue to open the 2021 NCAA Tournament. He also has NCAA Tournament experience as an assistant coach at Baylor where he was a part of five tournament appearances, including reaching the 2012 Elite Eight and 2014 Sweet 16.
Lethal from deep as a team, the Red Raiders have made 369 3-pointers this season which is the second most in program history and only two behind last year's team that set a new record with 371. Texas Tech leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally by making 11.5 3-pointers per game and ranks sixth nationally by shooting 39.3% on its 3-point attempts. The Red Raiders finished the regular season with a road game at BYU where they were 16-for-35 (45.7%) on 3-pointers (made 12 by halftime) and have now shot 40% or higher from beyond the arc in 17 games this season with a high of 63.0% against Baylor (17-of-27). In their Big 12 Tournament loss to Iowa State, the Red Raiders were 9-for-29 (31.0%) on 3-pointers. Tech ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.47 assist-to-turnover ratio and with an average of 15.8 assists per game. The team averages 80.4 points per game and has limited opponents to 72.6 points leading into the national tournament. The Red Raiders have now made 10 or more in 25-of-32 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 in the past three seasons under McCasland by making 371 last season (37 games) and 289 the year before (34 games). As a team, Tech is 369-for-938 (39.3%) on 3-pointers through 32 games played.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
TOPPIN: All-Big 12 First Team; The Sporting News All-American (2nd Team); Field of 68 All-American (1st Team); Associated Press All-Big 12 First Team; Wooden Award Ballot
ANDERSON: All-Big 12 First Team; Big 12 Most Improved Player; The Sporting News All-American (3rd Team); Field of 68 All-American (3rd Team); Associated Press All-Big 12 First Team; Wooden Award Ballot
ATWELL: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; All-Big 12 Newcomer Team
RED RAIDER ROSTER REPORT (*"players defining themselves")Â
Christian Anderson: "Tough. Team player. Human highlight."
Averaging 18.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds – made 105 3-pointers and has eight double-doubles in 31 games played… Has established new Tech single-season program record with 236 assists, 7.76 assists per game (passed 226 by Elijah Hawkins last season)… Assists per game average will break single-season record (Hawkins, 6.46)… Second in program history with 105 made 3-pointers (broke previous record, behind only Atwell)… Career: 958 points, 313 assists, 176 made 3s (40.6%) in 66 games at Texas Tech… Earned All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 Most Improved Player… The Sporting News All-America (3rd Team)… Three-time Big 12 Player of the Week selection, Two-time Oscar Robertson Award National Player of the Week… Named to the Wooden Award Ballot; Naismith National Player of the Year Late-Season Watchlist… Eight double-doubles this season/career – seven with assists, one with rebounds (career-high 11 rebounds against Cincinnati)... Two games with 30-plus point double-double, Six games with 20-plus point double-double… Finished regular season with 23 points, nine assists, 6-for-12 on 3s at BYU, coming off 10 points and three assists in loss to Iowa State in Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals… Leads Big 12 in total assists, assists per game – ranks fourth nationally… Leads Big 12 (second nationally) by playing 38:23 minutes per game – played all 40 minutes in 12 games (all 45 in overtime win at No. 1 Arizona)… Recorded 141 assists against Big 12 opponents – second most in conference history (Trae Young, 145 in 2017-18)… Goes into the NCAA Tournament shooting 105-for-247 (42.5%) on 3-pointers; shot 59-for-140 (42.1%) against Big 12 conference opponents from beyond the arc… Ranks fourth in Big 12 with 3.39 made 3s per game and 42.5% shooting on 3s, fourth with 105 total 3s made, sixth in scoring (18.9 per)… Approaching the top 10 in Big 12 total assists record list (No. 10 is 252 from KU's Aaron Miles in 2001-02; record is 299 by OSU's Doug Gottlieb in 1998-99)… Scored career-high 34 points and recorded first career double-double by adding 11 assists in the season opener against Lindenwood… Scored 30-plus for the second time this season by going for 31 points and career-best 11 rebounds in a home win over Cincinnati… Set career high for 3-pointers by going 8-for-10 on 3-pointers at Baylor (scored 26 points); made six 3s at BYU – now has five games this season with six or more 3s… Leads Tech with 29 double-figure scoring performances this season (47 in career), has 16 straight double-figure scoring performance going leading into the NCAA Tournament… Has eight games with double-figure assists, recorded six or more assists in 24 of 31 games played… Along with his eight double-doubles, Anderson has four games this season with nine assists, including in the final two regular season games against TCU and BYU… Recorded career-high 13 assists in a home win over Oklahoma State – scored 19 points in the game… Has scored 20-plus points in 12 games this season (16 in career); Scored 20-plus in six Big 12 games this season… Has made five or more 3s in eight games this season (10 in career)… Entering the season, Anderson was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and is on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List… 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… Sophomore guard from Atlanta, Georgia… Pursuing a Bachelor of Science, Applied Personal Finance
Donovan Atwell: "Hit shots. Consistent. Play hard."
Averaging 13.5 points, 3.88 made 3s per game, shooting 45.4% on 3-pointers in 32 games played… Has set a new program record 124 made 3-pointers this season (previous record Cory Carr – 94 in 1996-97)… Established new Big 12 record with 81 3-pointers during conference play (previous record Buddy Hield, 79 – 2015-16)… Currently second in Big 12 history for total 3-pointers made – behind 147 from Hield, passed A.J. Abrams who had 120 for Texas in 2006-07… Scored season-high 26 points against Kansas State after going 6-for-9 on 3-pointers, went for 21 points on 7-for-10 (3-pointers) at Baylor… Shot over 50% on 3-pointers in 12 games this season, his seven at Baylor was his season-high, went 4-for-5 (80%) at West Virginia for highest percentage… Has scored in double figures 23 times this season (67 in career)… Has scored 20-plus in four games this season (10 in career)… Made five or more 3s in 12 games this season (26 times in career)… In regular-season finale, scored 23 points on 6-for-13 shooting on 3s at BYU, coming off nine points (three 3s) in Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal loss to Iowa State… 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… 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… Will graduate from Texas Tech in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science, Applied Personal Finance
LeJuan Watts: "Tough. Leader. Consistent."
Averaging 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 31 games played (3 double-doubles)… Career: 1,126 points, 571 rebounds, 280 assists in 97 games… Scored season-high 36 points on 12-for-13 shooting (3-of-4 on 3s) against Northern Colorado in non-conference play (most points by a Red Raider this season)… Has scored in double figures in 16 games this season (56 in career)… Has scored 20-plus points in four games this season (10 in career)… Led Tech with 12 points, seven rebounds in loss to Iowa State in Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal loss… Ended regular season with seven points, seven rebounds at BYU (had 20 points and eight rebounds in the first matchup against BYU this season)… In recent games, Watts had 19 points and six rebounds against Kansas State and then posted 13 points and five rebounds in the win over Cincinnati… 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… 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… 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… 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… Scored a previous season-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field (2-2 on 3s) at No. 14 Illinois… 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 (only game missed this season)… 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 and had 10 double-doubles and also recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Santa Clara… Fresno, California native pursuing a Bachelor of Science, Applied Personal Finance
Jaylen Petty: "Leader. Creative. Bucket-getter."
Averaging 9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists in 31 games (20 starts)… Petty has scored in double figures in 16 games this season after finishing the regular season with 14 points at BYU and scoring 17 points against TCU in a game where he matched his career-high with five 3-pointers (5-of-7)… 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… Provided eight points, five rebounds and four assists in loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals… In regular-season road win at then-No. 4 Iowa State, went for 12 points (3-for-5 on 3s) in Ames along with grabbing nine rebounds to match his career high… Against Kansas, he also had a career-high seven assists to go along with 11 points… 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 for the first time before matching the production in Ames, Iowa… Is shooting 64-for-172 (37.2%) on 3-pointers… A Seattle native, he now has two games with 20 points and averaged 10.3 points per game against Big 12 opponents and shot 41-for-105 (39.0%) 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… 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… Scored in double figures for the third time this season with 11 points in the win over LSU after going 3-for-4 on 3-pointers… Against then-No. 1 Purdue in the Bahamas, he led Tech with four assists and also had five points and three rebounds in 34 minutes of play as a reserve… 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… 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… 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… Through 31 collegiate games played, Petty has 293 points, 121 rebounds, 67 assists and 18 steals
Luke Bamgboye: "Resilient. Humble. Athletic."
Averaging 4.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks in 19 games played… A starter in the past six games with Toppin out, Bamgboye matched a season-high with 13 points in the road win at Iowa State after he went for 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots against K-State… Has six game this season with three or more blocks with a season-high four blocks against Milwaukee and New Orleans… Coming off a game in the Big 12 Tournament against Iowa State where he had five rebounds and two points… Has a season-high six rebounds in games against Wake Forest, at Arizona State and Kansas State… A sophomore in his first season at 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… 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… 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 - had missed the first three games this season with a lower body injury… 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… 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 54 career games and currently has 107 blocked shots, 224 points and 178 rebounds
Tyeree Bryan: "Team player. Competitor. Hard worker."
Averaging 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds in 31 games played (13 starts – 1 start in Big 12 play)… Career: 1,014 points, 166 made 3-pointers in 124 games played… 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 and had 10 points after going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc at Iowa State… Bryan's 10 points against the Cyclones was his fourth double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 53rd of his career… Had nine points against Oklahoma State for his previous conference-high this season before Iowa State… 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… 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 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… Made four or more 3-pointers in seven games last season… Is currently 22-for-77 on 3-pointers this season with six games of two or more… Graduated from Santa Clara last year
Josiah Moseley: "Versatile. Energetic. All over the court."
Averaging 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.8 blocks in 12 games played… Moseley matched a career-high with 10 points and set a new career-best with nine rebounds in the win at Iowa State where he also had three blocked shots… 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… Coming off six points, four rebounds and one block in the loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals… Against Cincinnati, he had six points, four rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots for the first time… Scored six points and had six rebounds against Houston in his debut, going 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and pulling down three offensive rebounds in 9:37 of playing time… Against K-State, 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… 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… Finished his freshman season averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game… Moseley has played in 42 games in his collegiate career and currently has 113 points, 112 rebounds and 14 blocked shots.
Marial Akuentok: "Energetic. Encouraging. Fearless."
Averaging 1.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.2 blocks in 13 games played… Akuentok had four rebounds, a block and two points in 16 minutes against Kansas State before providing three points and three rebounds in the win over Cincinnati… 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… 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… 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… 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… Joined the program in January and experienced the journey to the Elite Eight… Is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was a top 100 recruit who reclassified… Played at Fort Erie International Academy and was named the co-player of the year and defensive player of the year… Competed for the U18 Canada National Team and helped lead them to the bronze medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup
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 22 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 2.4 points and 1.9 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.
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 21 games played, he is averaging 1.0 points and 1.2 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 has played in 11 games this season, including scoring three points in the loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal loss… In Big 12 play, Henderson made his first career 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.
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 29 games in his career, including playing in 13 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 27-2 in games he has appeared in after he played in the final minute against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament loss.
JT Toppin: "Dawg. Fearless. Resilient."Â
An All-Big 12 First Team, 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… Pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, Communication Studies.
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.
VIDEO RESOURCES: Define Yourself | TTW EP1 | TTW EP2 | TTW EP3 | TTW EP4Â
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