Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Sam Houston Bearkats (1-0, 0-0)
When to Watch: Friday, November 7th @ 7:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, TX
How to Watch: ESPN+
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -27.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | SAM HOUSTON |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Christian Anderson (6-3/178) | 34.0 / 11.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 22.0 / 4.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Tyree Bryan (6-5/215) | 7.0 / 8.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | LeJuan Watts (6-6/225) | – / – |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | – / – |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Luke Bamgboye (6-11/220) | – / – |
| SEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/225) | – / – |
| EIGHTH MAN | Jaylen Petty (6-1/168) | 9.0 / 5.0* |
| NINTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 10.0 / 3.0 |
| TENTH MAN | Nolan Groves (6-5/205) | 7.0 / 16.0 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Marial Akuentok (6-11/240) | 7.0 / 8.0 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/180) | 2.0 / 1.0 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | LaTrell Hoover (7-0/230) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/180) | 0.0 / 1.0 |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Justin Begg (6-0/185) | 4.0 / 3.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Kashie Natt (6-3/190) | 7.0 / 11.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Damon Nicholas, Jr. (6-4/195) | 12.0 / 6.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | Po’Boigh King (6-5/200) | 11.0 / 0.0 |
| CENTER | Veljko Ilic (6-10/240) | 9.0 / 7.0 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Jacob Walker (6-1/185) | 13.0 / 5.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Isaiah Manning (6-8/225) | 11.0 / 4.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Jacobe Coleman (6-3/200) | 17.0 / 5.0 |
| NINTH MAN | CJ Beaumont (6-8/210) | 7.0 / 5.0 |
| TENTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. It’s incredibly early so stats really won’t mean a lot just yet. Thus far, Sam Houston isn’t getting a ton of credit for having beaten LeTourneau by 36 points on Monday so all of their stats say that they just aren’t great other than they have some good block numbers.
2. Scouting. Sam Houston’s best performers came off the bench. Coleman was great, 8 of 15 from the floor, but only made 1 of 5 from deep. King is maybe supposed to be another good player, but was just 3 of 10 from the field including 1 of 6 from deep, as well as Natt, who was just 3 of 11. The best starter was Nicholas who scored 12 points on 4 of 6 from the floor with 6 boards and 3 assists on the night.
3. How They Match Up. As stated above, it is tough to discern much from numbers, but Texas Tech’s still got a good adjusted offense and a good adjusted defense. I didn’t go back and look at BPM from the Lindenwood game, but Anderson was +26.5 and Horner at +20.6. I also haven’t moved what I think the starters will be because it’s a pain to move those things around and I’m happy to let things settle a bit and hope that we see LeJuan Watts and JT Toppin before Illinois on Tuesday. It sounds as if Josiah Moseley is still a bit away, so we’ll see.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
ESPN’s Jay Bilas: The Bilas Index: The best 68 men’s basketball teams in 2025-26
The Red Raiders lost a lot from their Elite Eight team from a season ago, but they have so much coming back and have added to the mix. Start with the Big 12 Player of the Year, JT Toppin, add an elite guard in Christian Anderson and you have a contending team in the conference and nationally. Texas Tech will shoot it well from multiple positions and will have a number of athletic, rangy defenders. Toppin could very well take home the Wooden Award — he could wind up as the nation’s best all-around playmaker.
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) November 7, 2025
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
No. 10 Texas Tech looks to extend its non-conference home winning streak to 40 games when it matches up against Sam Houston at 7 p.m. on Friday at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders (1-0) are coming off a 98-60 thumping of Lindenwood on Tuesday night to begin the season with Christian Anderson leading the way with a 34-point, 11-assist double-double. The Bearkats (1-0) secured a 95-59 win over LeTourneau on Monday night in Huntsville in their season opener.
Tech established a new program record with 17 made 3-pointers in the win over Lindenwood – breaking the record of 16 that had been set six times, including three times last season. The Red Raiders, who shot 45 3s in the game for the second most in program history, saw seven players make at least one 3-pointer, led by Donovan Atwell who made six and Anderson knocking down three. Nolan Groves led Tech with 16 rebounds, setting a program record for a freshman in a game where the team owned a 59-43 rebounding advantage. The game was the Red Raider debut for six players on the roster but was played without JT Toppin, LeJuan Watts, Luke Bamgboye and Josiah Moseley who were all out with lower body injuries. Toppin was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year after a Consensus All-America season last year, Watts was selected as the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year and national reporter Andy Katz labeled Bamgboye as the top defender in the country entering the season. Despite missing them in the opener, Tech ran away with the 38-point win after securing 23 offensive rebounds and is now 17-0 in non-conference home games under head coach Grant McCasland. The program has not lost a non-conference home game since falling to Kentucky in a 76-74 overtime decision on January 25, 2019.