Texas Tech, Villanova to meet in Battle 4 Atlantis opening round
November 21, 2023 10:10AM CST
Texas Tech Athletics
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Texas Tech has arrived in the Bahamas where it will play three games in three days this week at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis starting with an opening-round matchup against Villanova at 1:30 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday in the Imperial Arena.
The Red Raiders (3-0) and Wildcats (3-1) are meeting for only the second time after a 2018 NCAA Elite 8 matchup that Villanova won in Boston on its way to winning the 2018 National Championship. The Red Raiders, who seek the 21st 4-0 start in program history, are back in the Bahamas where the program went during a 2019 Summer Tour following their appearance in the 2019 National Championship final that featured games against the Bahamas National Team and Mega Bemax (Serbia). The program is competing in its second straight prestigious Thanksgiving week tournament after also playing in the 2022 Maui Jim Invitational.
At Battle 4 Atlantis, the winners of the Tech-Villanova game and the No. 14 North Carolina-Northern Iowa matchup will play at 1:30 p.m. (CST) on Thursday while the losers of the first-round games will play at 11 a.m. to begin Thanksgiving Day. On the other side of the bracket is Michigan, Memphis, No. 20 Arkansas, and Stanford. The championship game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
Tech, which is one of 60 teams still unbeaten, has started at 3-0 for the 20th in program history after home wins over Texas A&M-Commerce, San Jose State, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Red Raiders are currently third in the nation by limiting their first three opponents to only 50.7 points per game and are fifth with opponents shooting only 20.8 percent on 3-pointers. Offensively, Tech is averaging 67.3 points per game and is shooting 41.6 percent from the field. The Red Raiders started their season by holding their first two opponents under 50 points for the first time since the 1951-52 season. Grant McCasland’s teams at North Texas have led the nation the past two seasons in scoring defense.
The Red Raiders began the 1929-30 season with a 12-0 record for the best start in program history and were 10-0 to begin the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden. The 2021-22 season started with a 6-0 record before a loss and last season started at 3-0 before a loss to No. 10 Creighton in the Maui Invitational.
Villanova was at No. 21 in the national rankings last week before dropping out following a week where it took a 76-72 loss at Penn on Monday before earning a 57-40 win over Maryland on Friday night. The Wildcats are led by Justin Moore who is averaging 16.0 points per game, while Tyler Burton is at 11.8 ppg. and has a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game. TJ Bamba gives the team three players in double-figure scoring with his 11.3 points per game. Brendan Hausen, a sophomore from Amarillo, is averaging 6.8 points per game as a reserve.
Following Atlantis, Tech will play its first true road game against Butler on Nov. 30 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of the Big 12-Big East Battle.
ROSTER REPORT
- McCasland’s first roster at Texas Tech has 14 players on it with five returners and nine 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 214-89 overall record with 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
- The Red Raiders return Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, D’Maurian Williams, Kerwin Walton, and Robert Jennings who are each entering their second season in the program… Tech returns only 25.4 percent of its scoring from last season with eight departures from last year’s roster
- 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
- Tech’s starting lineup in the first three games has been: Cambridge, Isaacs, Toussaint, Warren Washington, Darrion Williams… The starters have accounted for 75.2 percent of Tech scoring through the three wins
- Tech has been led in scoring by three different players in its first three games… McMillian led the Red Raiders with 17 points against Corpus, Cambridge had 15 against San Jose State, and Isaacs led Tech in scoring with 19 points in the opener against Commerce … Isaacs has now led Tech in scoring in seven games in his career, Cambridge has 41 games in double-figure scoring in his career, and McMillian has 31 games in double figures in his career
- Toussaint is the only player to score in double figures in all three games… He is coming off a season-high 14 against Corpus and after scoring 10 points in the first two games… Toussaint scored Tech’s first four points of the season
- Tech had a season-high four players score in double-figures against Corpus with McMillian (17), Toussaint (14), Warren Washington (13), Darrion Williams (10)… The previous best was three players in double-figures in the opener with Darrion Williams scoring 14 points to join Isaacs (19) and Toussaint (10)
- Eleven players saw game action in the season-opener against Commerce with all 11 scoring before nine players got in against San Jose and seven scored in a close game that became a 14-point victory with an 18-2 run to end it
- Defensively, the Tech roster has been dominant and is third nationally by limiting teams to only 50.7 points per game
- Six players have made their Tech debut this season, including the four from the starting lineup, McMillian, and freshman Eemeli Yalaho who had a dunk late in the season-opener against Commerce for his first collegiate points
- Darrion Williams was McCasland’s first signee on April 21, 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
- The newcomer list includes Jack Francis and KyeRon Lindsay who were at Tech last season but not on the active roster… Francis, Lindsay, and freshman Drew Steffe have not played in a game this season
- Tech is a team comprised of 5th-year seniors (3), seniors (3), sophomores (6), and freshmen (2)
- Tech has players from Texas (4), California (3), Arizona (1), Minnesota (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Oregon (1), Tennessee (1), Finland (1)
- Isaacs is leading Tech with 11.7 points per game after leading the team with 19 points in the season opener against Commerce and then scoring eight against San Jose State and Corpus Christi… A 6-foot-2 sophomore from Las Vegas, he also leads the team with 3.3 assists per game after having four assists to go along with his eight points in the last game against the Islanders… He scored eight in the win against San Jose State to go along with leading the team with five assists and having a career-high seven rebounds… Through 28 career games, Isaacs now has 322 points, 77 assists, and has made 66 3-pointers… A guard, 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… He led Tech in scoring nine times last season and now has been the team-leader in points in 10 games going into the fourth game of his second season… 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 had 16 games with double-figuring scoring performances as a freshman and scored 12.1 percent of Texas Tech’s points last season… Isaacs scored a 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… A Las Vegas native, 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
- Cambridge led Tech in scoring for the first time this season with 15 points in the win over San Jose State but was limited to four in the win over Corpus… A 6-foot-6 fifth-year senior from Nashville, Tennessee, he was 7-for-12 from the field against the Spartans and now has 41 games in double-figure scoring in his career and is currently averaging 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game… A transfer portal addition, Cambridge has 920 points, 492 rebounds, 77 steals, and 67 blocked shots through 130 games in his career… Cambridge began his career with three seasons at Auburn before playing last season at Arizona State… He averaged a career-best 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 115 3-pointers (29.1%) and is shooting 340-for-783 (43.4%) 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 five double-doubles and has 41 double-figure scoring performances after his team-best 15 against San Jose
- Toussaint is the only Red Raider to score in double-figures in all three games so far this season, scoring a season-high 14 against Corpus after going for 10 against Commerce and San Jose… He is currently second on the team with 11.3 points per game and is also adding 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.7 rebounds per game… He scored the first four points of Tech’s season in the opener against 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… A Bronx, New York native, Toussaint 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… He had a career-high 11 assists against Alabama State back on Nov. 18, 2021, while playing at Iowa… Toussaint has 826 points, 372 assists, 143 steals, and 264 rebounds through 135 games in his career… His 135 games are the most experience on this year’s Tech roster… 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 also having six points and three rebounds in 36 minutes of play
- Warren Washington is averaging 9.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.7 blocks through his first three games at Tech… The tallest Red Raider on the roster at 7-foot, Washington is coming off a season-high 13 points against Corpus where he also had eight rebounds and three assists… He led the Red Raiders with 12 rebounds and added eight points in the season-opening win over Commerce before going for eight points and five rebounds against San Jose State… Against San Jose, he scored the first six points for the Red Raiders… Washington is a fifth-year senior who 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 870 points, 594 rebounds, 114 blocks, and 101 assists through 112 games in his career… He leads Tech with nine double-doubles, 14 double-figure rebounding games, and 45 games in double-figure scoring 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
- Darrion Williams recorded the first double-double of the season for Texas Tech and the second in his career after going off for a career-high 14 rebounds and adding 10 points in the win over Corpus Christi… He now leads Tech with 9.0 rebounds per game this season to go along with 11.0 points, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 assists per game… He began his Tech career by going for 14 points and seven rebounds in the win over Commerce before scoring nine points and having six rebounds against San Jose… He drilled a 3-pointer to give Tech a 44-40 lead over San Jose State and heads down to the Bahamas shooting 3-for-10 from beyond the arc on the season… He was 5-for-7 from the field in the opener against Commerce and also 2-of-2 at the free-throw line… A sophomore in his first year at Texas Tech, Williams 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… 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… Darrion 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
- McMillian led the Red Raiders in scoring with 17 points in the win over Corpus Christi in 25 minutes as a reserve… McMillian has now scored in double figures in 31 in his career after doing it for the first time at Tech in his third game with the program… He was 7-for-12 from the field and hit three 3-pointers… McMillian had secured six rebounds in both games against Commerce and San Jose State to begin his career at Tech… He led the Tech reserves with six points and six rebounds in the win over Commerce in 25 minutes of play before having six rebounds, two steals, and two points against San Jose State… In his first year at Tech, he is a senior with two years of eligibility remaining after he played the last three years 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… His resume now includes 695 points, 150 assists, 57 steals, 112 made 3-pointers, a shooting percentage of 45.1 through 94 games in his career… A Vallejo, California native, McMillian is 112-for-281 (39.9%) 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 in that game 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… He shot 60-for-135 (44.4%) on 3-pointers
- Lamar Washington scored a season-high seven points in just under 30 minutes of play as a reserve against Corpus Christi in the last game played… 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… As a freshman, Washington was 34-for-80 from the field (42.5%) with seven 3-pointers
- Robert Jennings has played limited minutes in the first three games of the season, including coming off playing 6:14 against Corpus where he had one rebound… Jennings finished with three rebounds and two points in the opener to begin his sophomore season against Commerce after playing in 30 games with four starts as a true freshman last season at Tech… A Desoto, Texas native who is listed at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, Jennings had a career-high eight points in games against Houston Christian, Oklahoma, and Louisville last season… He also had strong performances with six rebounds against South Carolina State and West Virginia last year… Jennings played seven minutes as a reserve in the exhibition against Texas A&M and finished with one steal… He averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last season
- Walton made one 3-pointer for his only basket of the game against Commerce to begin his second season in the program but has not scored in the past two games… He did not play against San Jose State and would go 0-for-2 on 3s against Corpus… A senior with two years of eligibility remaining, he is in his second season at Texas Tech after playing two years at North Carolina… A Hopkins, Minnesota native, Walton has made 105 3-pointers and scored 444 points through 89 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 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
- D’Maurian Williams has 816 points and a team-best 146 3-pointers made through 85 games played in his career… He scored two points in four minutes of play against Commerce in the opener but did not play against San Jose State or Corpus Christi… A senior with two years of eligibility remaining, 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-379 (38.5%) 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 two true freshman on it with Eemeli Yalaho and Drew Steffe… Yalaho 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… He’s played in all three games this season but has not scored in the past two… 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… Steffe is a four-star recruit who was signed last November out of Frisco Memorial High School… A 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward, he was a Class 5A All-state selection… Steffe has not played this season
- Two of the newcomers were with the Red Raiders last season but will be in uniform for the first time this season… 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… A Denton, Texas native, Lindsay averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a Bulldog 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… Lindsay and Francis both practiced with the Red Raiders throughout the 2023 Spring semester… Neither played in a game this season
- McCasland was announced as the 19th head coach in program history on March 31, 2023, after six seasons at North Texas where he was 135-65 and led the program to the 2023 NIT Championship title. Along with winning the NIT, McCasland’s teams at UNT have led the nation in scoring defense the past two seasons after holding opponents to just 55.8 points per game last season and 55.7 per game the previous year. McCasland played and graduated from Baylor before beginning his coaching career and earning his master’s at Texas Tech. He was the director of operations for Tech coach James Dickey from 1999-2001. A winner everywhere he’s coached, McCasland earned a NJCAA National Championship in 2007 at Midland College in his first head coaching position and has also led Midwestern State, Arkansas State, and UNT to unprecedented heights.
- Now in his 10th season as a NCAA head coach, McCasland has a 214-89 overall record during that time.
- 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.
TECH PROGRAM HISTORY
The Red Raiders are a proud program that has experienced great success in the past decade with five trips to the NCAA Tournament and advancement to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, and 2022 Sweet 16. 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. The program is in its 99th season.
The Red Raiders are a proud program that has experienced great success in the past decade with five trips to the NCAA Tournament and advancement to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, and 2022 Sweet 16. 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. The program is in its 99th season.
FEATURE LINKS
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
RANKINGS
- Texas Tech came into the 2023-24 season unranked AP Preseason Poll and has remained unranked in the Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 polls… The Red Raiders were at No. 25 to begin last season following advancing to the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16
- Tech was in the first three polls last season and rose as high as No. 21 before falling out and not returning
- Texas Tech is picked 8th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll
- Kansas was picked first in the Big 12 Preseason Poll followed by Houston, Texas, Baylor, and TCU to round out the Top-5
- Texas Tech did not have a player selected in the preseason awards
- Tech’s highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)… The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final
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