Red Raiders set to play Vanderbilt in Fort Worth

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech is heading to Cowtown to play the Commodores.

The announcement of the third annual US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge has officially been announced and features Texas Tech and Vanderbilt playing at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 16 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The matchup is the second of three games that day, following UT Arlington and Air Force and preceding a nightcap between TCU and Arizona State. Tech and Vandy will be meeting for the ninth time overall and the Red Raiders will return to Dickies Arena for the second time following a top-20 matchup on November 29, 2020, against Houston.

Tickets for the US LBM Coast to Coast Challenge at Dickies Arena in the Texas Tech fan allotment can be purchased directly through the Texas Tech Ticket Office. Red Raider Club Members and Red Raider Basketball season ticket holders will have access to purchase via a special pre-sale running from Monday, July 31 until Friday, August 4. Tickets for the USLBM Coast to Coast Challenge at Dickies Arena will be located in the lower bowl from Sections 121-125 and Sections 31-32 and will cost $82.50 with a limit of 10 tickets per account.

Donors and season ticket holders will receive an email on the morning of their assigned day which will include a link to purchase the event online. Donors and season ticket holders will also have the option to purchase their tickets over the phone with the Texas Tech Ticket Office on their assigned day by calling 806-742-TECH. After this pre-sale is concluded, tickets will be made available to the general public on the morning of Monday, August 7. For more information about tickets to this event, please contact the Texas Tech Ticket Office over the phone at 806-742-TECH or by email at [email protected].

All-time, the Red Raiders are 2-6 against Vanderbilt with all eight matchups having come in the month of December. The most recent game came on December 20, 1979, with Texas Tech earning an 89-86 overtime win in Nashville to snap a three-game losing streak to the Commodores. The series began on December 17, 1951, when a No. 18-ranked Vanderbilt team topped Tech by a 55-49 decision in Nashville. The Red Raiders have played at Vanderbilt five times, hosted the Commodores twice, and the only other neutral-court matchup came in New Orleans on December 29, 1964. Vandy won that game 83-73.

Tech is currently 0-1 at Dickies Arena with a 64-53 loss to Houston during the 2020 season with limited fans due to the pandemic.

Texas Tech is led by head coach Grant McCasland who is in his first season with the Red Raiders after six seasons at North Texas. McCasland’s first season back at Texas Tech has a roster of five returners and nine newcomers. Pop Isaacs is the lone returning starter from last year’s team where he earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 11.5 points per game. Texas Tech added experienced players to its roster from the transfer portal with the additions of Devan Cambridge (Arizona State), Joe Toussaint (West Virginia), KyeRon Lindsay (Georgia), Darrion Williams (Nevada), Chance McMillian (Grand Canyon) and Warren Washington (Arizona State).

Vanderbilt – led by reigning SEC Co-Coach of the Year Jerry Stackhouse – are coming off back-to-back NIT appearances, most recently going 22-15 in 2022-23. The 22 wins are the most for Vandy since a 25-win season in 2011-12. The Commodores also tied for fourth in the SEC standings, the program’s best finish since 2011-12. The Commodores return one of the best backcourts in the country in Tyrin Lawrence (13.1 points per game) and Ezra Manjon (10.5 ppg, 3.8 apg). In the six postseason games a season ago (three SEC Tournament, three NIT), Lawrence averaged 19.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg, while Manjon went for 18.0 ppg and 3.3 apg en route to SEC All-Tournament Team accolades.

The matchup against Vanderbilt is the second game announcement for the Red Raiders. The team is also scheduled to play Butler on Thursday, November 30 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in a Big 12-Big East Battle. Tech has also announced playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis from November 22-24. Matchups for the tournament have not been announced.

ABOUT US LBM
US LBM the largest privately owned, full-line distributor of specialty building materials in the United States. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty products, including windows, doors, millwork, wallboard, roofing, siding, engineered components and cabinetry, US LBM combines the scale and operational advantages of a national platform with a local go-to-market strategy through its national network of locations across the country. For more information, please visit uslbm.com or follow US LBM on LinkedIn.

ABOUT DICKIES ARENA
Dickies Arena is a 14,000 seat, spectacular multipurpose venue that was built in 2019 and is owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by the not-for-profit operating entity, Trail Drive Management Corp. (TDMC). The facility is the result of a pioneering public-private partnership between the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, the State of Texas and a group of private-sector participants, including foundations, individuals and organizations. The arena is located adjacent to the Will Rogers Memorial Center campus in Fort Worth, Texas. The state-of-the-art arena hosts concerts, sporting events and family entertainment, and is home to Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Dickies Arena has been nominated for Arena of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and Pollstar Magazine in 2022 and 2023. Billboard Magazine’s 2023 midyear Boxscore Top 10 Worldwide chart results have Dickies Arena as the Top Grossing venue in the U.S. among venues of similar size. For more information, visit www.DickiesArena.com.

Release provided by WES BLOOMQUIST Texas Tech Athletics