No. 25 Tech, No. 5 Houston set for Big 12 battle on Wednesday

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 25 Texas Tech is taking a nine-game winning streak and 3-0 record in Big 12 play into its first road game at No. 5 Houston since 1996 when the two former Southwest Conference rivals play their first Big 12 game against each other at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Fertitta Center. Tech is at No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll, entering the national rankings for the first time this season and first in the Grant McCasland era. This will be the only regular-season matchup between Tech and Houston in the newly configured Big 12 scheduling matrix.

The Red Raiders (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) have opened conference play with wins against Texas (then-No. 20), Oklahoma State, and Kansas State while the Cougars (14-2, 1-2 Big 12) are coming off road losses against Iowa State and TCU last week after opening their season with 14 straight wins. Tech’s ranking comes in the 11th poll of the season after it received 62 votes last week. The Red Raiders are currently 1-0 against ranked opponents this season. The Texas Tech program has eight wins over top-5 opponents since 2016 and 14 in program history. The team will return home to host No. 20 BYU at 5 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena. Tickets remain available for that game at this link.

Texas Tech and UH played five times as non-conference opponents since that game in 1996 in a series that UH leads 29-27 all-time.

Tech’s nine-game winning streak is the longest for the program since the 2018-19 team started the season on a 10-game winning streak and then had a nine-game winning streak in conference play. The 3-0 start in Big 12 play is the best start since that season and also the 2004 conference campaign.

J’Wan Roberts led Houston with 20 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in the loss against TCU last Saturday, while Damian Dunn came off the bench for 17 points and Jama Shead provided 11 points and five assists. The Cougars are currently 9-0 at home after opening Big 12 play with an 89-55 win over West Virginia on January 6 before falling on the road 57-53 at Iowa State and 68-67 at TCU. LJ Cryer leads the Cougars with 15.6 points per game this season after transferring from Baylor, while Emmanuel Sharp is scoring 13.4 points per game and Shead is at 10.1. Mylik Wilson, who played for Tech during the 2022 Sweet 16 run, has played in 15 games as a reserve for UH this season and is averaging 3.5 points per game and has 15 steals and 16 assists. Cryer was limited to five points in the loss to the Horned Frogs. UH will host UCF on Saturday.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 25 Texas Tech (14-2, 3-0) at No. 5 Houston (14-2, 1-2)
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: Fertitta Center
Tip: 8:05 p.m., Wednesday, January 17, 2024
TV: ESPNU
TV CALL: Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
RADIO (Texas Tech Sports Network): 97.3 Double T FM
RADIO CALL: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)

RED RAIDER REPORT
Grant McCasland’s inaugural roster at Texas Tech has 13 players on it with five returners and eight newcomers… McCasland was named the 19th head coach in program history on March 31, 2023, after leading North Texas to the 2023 NIT Championship… He is currently in his 10th season as an NCAA head coach and has a 225-91 overall record with head coaching experiences at Midwestern State, Arkansas State, and North Texas… He was also an assistant at Baylor from 2011-16 and won the 2007 NJCAA National Championship in his first head coaching role leading Midland College
Isaacs is leading Tech in scoring at 16.3 points per game for the season and at 18.3 ppg. in Big 12 games after scoring 10 against K-State… Warren Washington leads Tech with 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, while Toussaint tops the Red Raiders with 3.9 assists per game and is second in scoring with 14.1 points per game after leading Tech with 12 points against K-State… Isaacs leads Tech with 36 total 3-pointers while Chance McMillian has made 32 and leads the reserves with 9.1 points per game
Tech’s 60-59 win over K-State was its first one-point win of the season and first one-point victory since a 56-55 at Oklahoma on March 11, 2022, in the Big 12 Championship semifinals… It was the first one-point win at home in Lubbock since a 72-71 win over No. 2 West Virgia on January 13, 2018
In Big 12 weekly awards, Isaacs was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday, January 2 for his 28-point performance against Sam Houston… McMillian was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on December 4 after his 24-point performance at Butler where he made eight 3-pointers
Tech is currently first in the Big 12 and 10th nationally by shooting 77.9 percent from the free-throw line after going 15-for-18 against K-State, 13-for-17 against OSU and 15-for-21 at Texas… Tech is led at the line by Toussaint who is 62-for-70 (88.6%), Isaacs (57-for-70 – 81.4%), and Darrion Williams (32-of-37 – 86.5%) … The Red Raiders have made 15 or more free throws in 11 of 16 games… As a team, Tech has shot 80% or better from the free-throw line in 8 of 16 games this season
Controlling possession, Tech committed only four turnovers in the win over Oklahoma State and nine in the Big 12 games against K-State and Texas… Through three Big 12 games, Tech is averaging only 7.3 turnovers per game and has a plus-6.3 margin… The program record for fewest turnovers is two in a single-game – coming on January 25, 2021 at West Virginia
Tech has made nine or more 3-pointers in 7 of 16 games this season with a season-high 15 against Sam Houston… The Red Raiders went 7-for-15 from beyond the arc at Texas, were 7-for-13 against Oklahoma State, but only 5-for-25 (20%) against K-State to begin Big 12 play… The 15 3-pointers against Sam Houston matched the second most in program history and fell just one shy of the program record of 16 3-pointers which has happened three times – most recently against Kansas in 2019… The Red Raiders are now 135-for-378 (35.7%) for the season on 3-pointers and are 4th in the Big 12 with 8.4 3-pointers per game… Three players are shooting over 35-percent on 3s with Walton (50.0), Darrion Williams (39.6), and McMillian (41.6)
Tech has been led in scoring by six different players in its 16 games with Isaacs in the previous four before Toussaint’s team-high 12 points against K-State… Isaacs led Tech in scoring for the seventh time this season with his 24 points against Oklahoma State after going for the 21 points at Texas… Warren Washington was the sixth different leading scorer after he had his game-high 18 points against ORU following Walton scoring his career-high 22 points against Omaha a game after McMillian led the team for the second time this season with his 24 at Butler… Toussaint has led Tech in scoring four times – scoring his final three points with the game-winning points against K-State
The Red Raiders returned Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, D’Maurian Williams, Kerwin Walton, and Robert Jennings who are each in their second season in the program… Tech returned only 25.4 percent of its scoring from last season with eight departures from last year’s roster… Isaacs is Tech’s leading returning scorer after going for 11.5 points per game as a true freshman in 25 games played last season
The list of newcomers includes five players from the transfer portal in Devan Cambridge (Arizona State), Chance McMillian (Grand Canyon), Joe Toussaint (West Virginia), Darrion Williams (Nevada), and Warren Washington (Arizona State)… All five players signed out of the transfer portal played on teams that advanced to the 2023 NCAA Tournament… The transfer portal additions had a combined 492 games of experience and 3,454 points scored coming into the season
Cambridge suffered a season-ending knee injury in the win over Omaha on December 6 and will miss the remainder of the year… A starter in all eight games before the injury, Cambridge will have the option after the season to file a medical hardship through the Big 12… He averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Red Raiders and is currently at 983 points and 515 rebounds in his career
Tech’s starting lineup for the opening eight games was: Cambridge, Isaacs, Toussaint, Warren Washington, Darrion Williams… Kerwin Walton has started since Cambridge’s injury, making his first start this season against Vanderbilt… The starting lineup of Isaacs, Toussaint, Warren Washington, Darrion Williams, and Walton is currently 8-0 together
Toussaint scored in double figures in the first eight games of the season before finishing with nine points against ORU for the longest double-figure scoring streak of the season… Jarrett Culver began the 2018-19 season with 13 straight double-figure scoring games for the previous long to start a season… Isaacs has currently scored in double-figures in seven straight games for the second longest streak this season
Showing team balance, Tech matched a season-best with five players in double-figures against Oklahoma State with Isaacs (24), Washington (16), Walton (16), Williams (14), Toussaint (13) – it was the first time all five starters scored in double figures… Tech established a season-high with five players in double-figure scoring for the first time at Butler with McMillian (24), Isaacs (18), Toussaint (18), Cambridge (16), Warren Washington (10)… The Red Raiders had four score in double figures at Texas in the Big 12 opener with Isaacs (21), Toussaint (15), Warren Washington (15) and McMillian (11) and four against K-State: Toussaint (12), Washington (11), Williams (10), Isaacs (10)
A season-high 11 players scored in the opener against Texas A&M-Commerce… Tech had eight players score against K-State
Eight players have made their Tech debut this season, including most recently with Jack Francis and KyeRon Lindsay who played for their first time this season against Omaha
Darrion Williams was McCasland’s first signee on April 21, 2023, followed by Chance McMillian (April 25, 2023), Warren Washington (May 15, 2023), Eemeli Yalaho (May 23, 2023), Devan Cambridge (July 6, 2023), Joe Toussaint (July 6, 2023)
Cambridge and Toussaint were both officially announced on July 6, 2023, to complete the roster… Six players were signed by McCasland and staff in the off-season
Tech is a team comprised of 5th-year seniors (3), seniors (3), sophomores (6), and freshmen (1)
Tech has players from Texas (3), California (3), Arizona (1), Minnesota (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Oregon (1), Tennessee (1), Finland (1)
Toussaint made a tough inside shot and added a free throw with 30 seconds remaining for the game-winning points against K-State last Saturday in a game where he led the Red Raiders in scoring with 12 points… A fifth-year senior from the Bronx, New York, Toussaint reached the 1,000-point milestone last Tuesday in a game against Oklahoma State where he finished with 13 points and two assists… He now leads the Red Raiders with 3.9 assists and is second in scoring at 14.1 points per game… For his career, Toussaint has 1,018 points, 431 assists, 156 steals, and 306 rebounds through 148 games… A starter in all 16 games, he is currently 9th in the Big 12 with a 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio after zero turnovers against OSU and only one against K-State… He is also 15th in assists within the conference… Toussaint has scored in double figures in a team-best 14 games this season, including all three Big 12 games… At the free-throw line, Toussaint is 62-for-70 (88.6 percent) which is third in the Big 12… Toussaint had a career-high 12 assists and scored 18 points for his first double-double of the season in the overtime loss at Butler… Toussaint scored the first four points of Tech’s season in the opener against Texas A&M-Commerce and finished with 10 points to go along with three rebounds and an assists in his Tech debut… A 6-foot guard, he is in his fifth and final season of college basketball after playing his first three seasons at Iowa and then last year at West Virginia… The New Yorker played against Texas Tech four times as an opponent in his career, including three times last season while at WVU and once while at Iowa in 2019… He scored his career-high 22 points against the Red Raiders in Lubbock after making 12 free throws and has now scored 20 or more four times in his career (two times this season)… He had his first career double-double with 11 assists and 11 points against Alabama State back on Nov. 18, 2021, while playing at Iowa… His 148 games are the most experience on this year’s Tech roster and the fifth most among all active players in the nation… Toussaint is coming off a season at WVU were he averaged 9.4 points and had 89 assists… He started against Texas A&M in the exhibition game, finishing with a team-high seven assists and having six points and three rebounds in 36 minutes of play… Toussaint’s 14 games this season in double figures leads the team and now has him with 40 double-figure scoring games in his career… His points-assist double-double at Butler was the first for Tech since John Roberson had 12 points and 12 assists against Iowa State in 2011
Isaacs went off for 24 points with four 3-pointers in the win over Oklahoma State for his fourth straight game with 20 points or more points and is coming off a game with 10 points in the win over K-State … A sophomore who has started all 16 games, Isaacs has scored in double figures in seven straight games, is averaging 20.8 ppg. in the past five games, and is leading Tech with 17.9 points during the nine-game winning streak… He also led Tech with 21 points at Texas in its Big 12 opener where he surpassed the 500-point career milestone after going 7-for-15 from the field, 3-for-5 on 3-pointers, and shooting 4-for-4 at the free-throw line… Against OSU, Isaacs was 4-for-8 on 3-pointers and 9-for-15 from the field along with adding four assists in the win… He is now leading the team with 16.3 points per game for the season and is second at 3.1 assists… Isaacs is currently 7th in the Big 12 with his 16.7 ppg. and is 8th with 2.25 3-pointers per game after going 1-for-7 on 3-pointers against K-State… He has reached double-figure scoring in seven straight and 13 overall games this season… He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the first time in his career after going off for a career-high 28 points in the win over Sam Houston on December 28 before also leading Tech with 21 points on New Year’s Day against North Alabama… Against Sam Houston, Isaacs made five 3-pointers for the fourth time in his career – including last season at Texas when he scored 23 points as a freshman against the Longhorns… A sophomore from Las Vegas, Isaacs has now led Tech in scoring seven times this season including with 19 points and a career-high seven assists against Vandy in a game where he also only had one turnover to start the six-game streak of double-figure scoring… He goes into the game at Houston with 548 points and 98 3-pointers made through 41 career games played at Tech and is currently averaging 3.1 assists and a 1.44 assist-to-turnover ratio… In his second season at Tech, Isaacs also had 18 points and four assists at Butler, including hitting the game-tying layup as time expired in regulation to force overtime… Proving to be a clutch player for the Red Raiders, Isaacs also hit the game-winner against UNI with 0.8 on the clock and finished with 18 points and four 3-pointers for the second straight game in the Bahamas… Isaacs now has 29 double-figure scoring performances and 22 games of three or more assists in his career… In the preseason, Isaacs also went off for 30 points after going 6-for-10 on 3-pointers in the exhibition win over Texas A&M where he also led the team with three steals… Last season, he made 62 3-pointers (37.8%), including making five 3-pointers in games against Nicholls, TCU, and Texas… Isaacs scored a previous career-high 24 points in the non-conference game against Nicholls and also had 23 points at Texas after he went off by making 5-of-9 3-pointers against the Longhorns… Isaacs made 24 starts last year and earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors during his first season at Tech where he averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 rebounds per game… He finished third in scoring among freshmen in the Big 12 and was fourth throughout the conference by averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers per game
Darrion Williams leads Texas Tech with four double-doubles after going for 14 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in the win over Oklahoma State and is coming off 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists in the win over K-State… A starter in all 16 games, he comes into the matchup at Houston averaging 9.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game… He contributed seven points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the win at Texas… A sophomore, who transferred from Nevada, Williams has 407 points, 350 rebounds, 129 assists, and 65 steals through 49 career games… A Sacramento, California native, he recorded his third double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over ORU… His three double-doubles are the fourth most in the Big 12, behind Hunter Dickinson of Kansas who has 10… Williams had recorded his second double-double of the season and third of his career after going for 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Michigan… Against Michigan, he had a season-high three 3-pointers which was just shy of his career-best of four 3-pointers in a game last season against Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament… He matched his season-high when he went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers against UTA  and is currently 19-for-48 (39.6%) for the season from beyond the arc and 54-for-146 (37.0%) for his career… He recorded the first double-double of the season for Texas Tech and the second in his career by going for a career-high 14 rebounds and adding 10 points in the win over Corpus Christi… Williams began his Tech career by going for 14 points and seven rebounds in the win over Commerce… He earned Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season while playing at the University of Nevada after earning Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior year of high school at Bishop Gorman… McCasland’s first signee, he transferred to Tech during the summer after averaging 7.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a freshman… He also had 90 assists, 47 steals, and 11 blocks in his first collegiate season… Darrion scored a career-high 16 points in a game against Fresno State and had a previous-best of 13 rebounds in his first-ever double-double against New Mexico last season… His freshman-year report saw him record 11 games with double-figure rebounds, 11 games with double-figure scoring, and one double-double… Williams started against Texas A&M in Tech’s exhibition game and finished with six points and two rebounds in 17 minutes… In the scrimmage against UTEP, Darrion had 14 points… Last season, Williams was 91-for-220 (41.4%) from the field and 35-of-98 (35.7%) on 3-pointers… The Athletic had Williams as the 14th best available transfer while ESPN put him at No. 43 on its 2023-24 transfer list
Warren Washington went for 11 points and eight rebounds in the win over K-State, reaching the 1,000-point career milestone and boosting his season average to 10.0 ppg. for the first time this season… He has currently scored in double-figures for a season-best four straight games… A fifth-year senior, he now has 1,001 points, 692 rebounds, and 139 blocked shots in 125 games played… Washington also had 16 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and a team-high five assists in the win over Oklahoma State last week and now has 51 career games in double-figure scoring… He leads Tech with 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game after also going off for 15 points and three blocks against the Longhorns… The tallest Red Raider on the roster at 7-foot, he had made his last 11 shots – dating back to a dunk against Sam Houston midway through the second half and has gone 5-for-5 from the field in the past two games – before shooting 7-for-10 against Oklahoma State and going 5-for-8 against K-State… He’s currently shooting 68-for-108 (63.0%) from the field for the season and 385-for-656 (58.7%) for his career … Over the past five games, Washington is averaging 12.2 points and has 12 blocks… A starter in all 16 games, he is currently fifth in the Big 12 with his 7.7 rebounds per game and third with 1.7 blocks per game…  McCasland’s third signee, he recorded his first double-double of the season and 10th of his career with a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Oral Roberts… His 12 rebounds against ORU were the third time this season he had 12 rebounds in a game, including in the season-opener against Commerce and then against Omaha… Washington recorded a season-high four blocked shots for the first time against Villanova at Battle 4 Atlantis where he also had eight rebounds…  In his sixth year of college, he has also played at Oregon State, Nevada, and Arizona State before making Texas Tech his final destination in his collegiate career… An Escondido, California native, he has 17 double-figure rebounding games, and a team-best 10 double-doubles through 125 games in his career… He is coming off a season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.2 points and 6.9 rebounds and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors… Washington started for the Red Raiders in the exhibition win over Texas A&M, finishing with a team-high seven rebounds but not scoring… In a scrimmage against UTEP, Washington led Tech with 16 points after going 7-for-9 from the field… His career resume includes a career-high 21 points in games against Wyoming and Southern Cal and a 14-rebound performance against Texas Southern last season while at ASU… Washington has 27 total blocks this season with at least one in every game this season besides the opener and the game against K-State
Kerwin Walton has started the past eight games and is currently shooting 23-for-46 (50.0%) from beyond the arc this season after going for five points on 1-for-5 shooting on 3-pointers against K-State… He was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers and finished with 16 points against Oklahoma State last Tuesday and is currently averaging 7.3 points per game this season… In the win over OSU, he was 7-for-8 from the field and is now shooting 54.9 percent overall this season… A senior from Hopkins, Minnesota, he has played in 102 career games and is 127-for-305 (41.6%) on 3-pointers for his career… Walton made his first start of the season against ORU, finishing with 17 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc after he had scored a career-high 22 points by going 6-for-7 on 3-pointers in the win over Omaha… Last season, Walton started seven games for the Red Raiders after he had started 21 in his first two years at North Carolina… In the Bahamas, he hit a 3-pointer to cut UNI’s lead to 62-59 at Battle 4 Atlantis and finished with those three points and then played a season-high 15:48 against Michigan… A senior with another year of eligibility remaining after this season, he is in his second season at Texas Tech after playing two years at North Carolina… A Hopkins, Minnesota native, Walton has 551 points through 102 games played in his career… He averaged 3.6 points with 23 3-pointers made in 27 games played last year for the Red Raiders with seven starts… As a freshman at North Carolina, Walton made 58 3-pointers, averaged 8.2 points, started 20 games, and set the UNC freshman percentage record at 42.0 percent… Walton had a previous career-high 19 points against Louisville as a freshman where he made a career-high five 3-pointers… He was a sophomore on the 2022 North Carolina team that advanced to the NCAA National Championship game
McMillian led the Tech reserves with eight points against K-State and is now averaging 9.1 points for the season… He had scored in double-figures in five straight games before being held to five against Oklahoma State… A senior guard, he scored 11 points with two 3-pointers at Texas in his first Big 12 game and now has 815 points in his career… His 32 total 3-pointers put him 11th in the Big 12 and he’s also 12th in the conference with 2.0 3-pointers per game this season… Over the past five games, McMillian is averaging 10.2 points per game and is 10-for-24 (41.7%) on 3-pointers… Before Big 12 play, he was coming off a game against Northern Alabama where he had 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers for his sixth double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 36th of his career… McMillian transferred to Tech during the summer after playing three seasons at Grand Canyon and currently has 141 3-pointers made and 163 assists through 107 career games played… McMillian matched a career-high with 24 points at Butler where he established a new career-best with eight 3-pointers and also led the team with seven rebounds in 36 minutes as a reserve… A Vallejo, California native, he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the performance at Butler where his eight 3-pointers were just one back of the program record set by Alan Voskuil against Kansas back in 2009… It was the first time a Tech player has made six or more 3-pointers since Toddrick Gotcher made six in 2015 against UT Martin… He also led the Red Raiders in scoring with 17 points in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 25 minutes as a reserve before having nine points with three 3-pointers against Villanova in the first game in the Bahamas… McMillian now has 37 games in double-figure scoring in his career and three games with 20 or more… McMillian secured six rebounds in both games against Commerce and San Jose State to begin his career at Tech for his previous season-high in rebounding before his seven against Butler… In his first year at Tech, he is a senior with another year of eligibility after this year following playing at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona where he advanced to the 2021 and 2023 NCAA Tournaments… Against Texas A&M in Tech’s exhibition, McMillian scored 17 points with four 3-pointers as a reserve in 23 minutes… McMillian is 139-for-337 (41.2%) on 3-pointers in his career including a game last season against SFA in February where he made six 3-pointers for GCU… He scored a career-high 24 points for the first time in his career in that game against SFA on Feb. 24, 2023… McMillian is coming off a season at Grand Canyon where he averaged 10.9 points per game and had 78 assists
Lamar Washington scored a season-high eight points against Omaha and has played all 16 games this season as a reserve where he is averaging 3.4 points, 1.0 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game… At Texas, Washington had four points and one rebound in 7:35 and contributed two points in the one-point win over K-State… He had matched a previous season-high with seven points and added three assists against Villanova after he had scored a season-high seven points in just under 30 minutes of play as a reserve against Corpus Christi… A sophomore with 48 games of experience, he has three games this season with three or more assists and 12 in his career… In the season opener, he led Tech with four assists and also added five points and four rebounds in the win over Commerce and then had four points and four rebounds against San Jose State… Washington is in his second season at Tech after averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman… He finished with 13 points and two steals in the exhibition win over Texas A&M where he played 24 minutes as a reserve… Washington had a career-high 13 points and five steals last season in a win over Kansas State at home… He played in 32 games and made three starts during the 2022-23 season… A 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard, Washington is a Portland, Oregon native who was named the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year before finishing prep school in Arizona… Washington has 161 points, 73 assists, and 36 steals through those 48 games in his career
Robert Jennings contributed five points and a rebound in the win at Texas in the Big 12 opener and had two points against Oklahoma State and K-State last week… A sophomore forward, Jennings produced a career-high eight rebounds and season-best six points in the win over ORU and provided four points and four rebounds against Vandy… In his second season at Tech, Jennings has played in 43 games in his career and is currently at 117 points and 88 rebounds… Against ORU, he secured seven offensive rebounds in the game in just under 10 minutes on the court… A Desoto, Texas native who is listed at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, Jennings has appeared in 12 games this season and in 42 during his Texas Tech career with four starts last season… He had a career-high eight points in games against Houston Christian, Oklahoma, and Louisville last season… Jennings played in 30 games with those four starts last season as a true freshman where he averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game
Cambridge suffered his season-ending injury with 983 points and 515 rebounds in his career… He was averaging a career-high 10.5 points this season after he scored a season-high 17 points in the win over Michigan in a game where he was 6-for-10 from the field before going for 16 points at Butler on 6-for-11 shooting… He scored in double figures in five of eight games this season and in 45 games through 135 games in his career… Cambridge got into double figure scoring for the second time this season with 11 points against Villanova and was shooting 52.7 percent which was second on the team… He led Tech in scoring for the first time this season with 15 points in the win over San Jose State before his 17 against Michigan… A 6-foot-6 fifth-year senior from Nashville, Tennessee, he averaged 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game to go along with his scoring… Cambridge began his career with three seasons at Auburn before playing last season at Arizona State… He averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season for the Sun Devils and helped ASU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament… Cambridge has made 116 3-pointers and is 360-for-821 (43.8%) from the field in his career… He scored a career-high 26 points against South Carolina as a freshman on January 22, 2020, and had a career-best 11 rebounds against San Diego on December 18, 2022… Cambridge started against Texas A&M in Tech’s exhibition win, scoring 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers… For his career, Cambridge has recorded five double-doubles and has scored 20 or more points in two games
D’Maurian Williams has 816 points and a team-high 146 3-pointers made through 89 games played in his career… He scored two points in four minutes of play against Commerce in the opener but has not scored in another game this season… A senior with another year of eligibility remaining after this season, D’Maurian is in his second season at Tech after playing his first two years at Gardner Webb where he averaged 14.5 points per game as a sophomore after 10.8 as a freshman… He played 27 games with one start last season for the Red Raiders, averaging 3.1 points per game and with 14 3-pointers… For his career, Williams is 146-for-380 (38.4%) from beyond the arc… He had a career-high 27 points against Columbia International while playing at Gardner Webb and also had a 10-rebound performance against UNLV… Last season, Williams scored a season-high 17 points against Jackson State after going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers… He’s scored in double-figures 40 times in his career and has one double-double
Tech’s roster has one true freshman on it with Eemeli Yalaho who scored two points in six minutes of play in the opener against Commerce to make his collegiate debut and played just under five minutes against San Jose State… An international player from Jyväskylä, Finland, he completed high school with his senior season at Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, Ohio) where he averaged 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game… Yalaho is listed as a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward
Two of the newcomers made their debut in the win over Omaha after they were with the Red Raiders last season but not on the active roster… KyeRon Lindsay transferred to Tech at midterm last December after starting his career at the University of Georgia where he started eight games and played in 10 as a true freshman… He was 2-for-2 at the free-throw line against Omaha for his first points as a Red Raider and scored four points against UNA by going 2-for-2 from the field in the final three minutes of the game… A Denton, Texas native, Lindsay averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game at Georgia including recording a double-double with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds against Miami (Ohio) on November 14, 2022… Jack Francis is a sophomore from Austin who was on the practice squad last season and earned his spot on this season’s roster… Francis is the team’s only walk-on and is an accomplished player who scored over 1,000 points at Anderson High School… Francis scored for the first time in his career by going 2-for-2 on free throws against Sam Houston… Lindsay and Francis both practiced with the Red Raiders throughout the 2023 Spring semester
McCasland’s staff includes assistant coaches Dave Smart, Matt Braeuer, Achoki Moikobu, and Luke Barnwell along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Clay Wilson (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations), Chris Nottingham (video coordinator), and Christian Hosley (assistant strength & conditioning). Braeuer, Moikobu, Wright, Wilson, and Hosley worked with McCasland at UNT

A BRIEF LOOK AT TECH PROGRAM HISTORY
The Red Raiders are a proud program that has experienced great success with 19 overall NCAA Tournament appearances and advancement to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, and 2022 Sweet 16. This is the 99th season in program history and includes recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, a 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship, 25 NBA Draft selections, and over 1,500 wins. Recently in the NBA Draft, selections of Zhaire Smith (R1-P16), Jarrett Culver (R1-P6), and Jahmi’us Ramsey (R2-P43) were made. Mac McClung represented the program by winning the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Tech went 18-0 at home during the 2021-22 season for the best record nationally two years ago. Last season, the program ranked No. 21 in average attendance with 13,222 per game.

RANKINGS

FEATURE LINKS
Devan Cambridge – Bounce(back)Man
Joe Toussaint – On Point
Players explain what toughness is to them
McCasland story – Rising through the ranks
Four Journeys to Big 12 Media Day
Our coaching staff’s path to coaching
Define Yourself – player video series

Release provided by Wes Bloomquist Texas Tech Athletics