Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-3, 0-0)
Bad Guys: Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-1, 0-0)
When to Watch: Saturday, January 2nd @ 12:00 pm
Where to Watch: United Supermarkets Arena | Lubbock, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN2
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -10.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | OKLAHOMA STATE |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Christian Anderson (6-3/178) | 20.6 / 7.1* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jaylen Petty (6-1/168) | 8.3 / 3.4 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 11.0 / 2.9 |
| POWER FORWARD | LeJuan Watts (6-6/225) | 13.7 / 5.6 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | 21.0 / 10.6 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 3.7 / 2.8 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Tyree Bryan (6-5/215) | 5.2 / 3.5 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Nolan Groves (6-5/205) | 1.5 / 1.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/180) | 1.0 / 1.5 |
| TENTH MAN | Luke Bamgboye (6-11/220) | 5.6 / 3.4 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/225) | – / – |
| TWELFTH MAN | Marial Akuentok (6-11/240) | 2.3 / 3.0 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | LaTrell Hoover (7-0/230) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/180) | 0.0 / 1.0 |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Jaylen Curry (6-1/175) | 12.4 / 5.5* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Vyctorius Miller (6-5/190) | 15.9 / 2.9 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Anthony Roy (6-5/205) | 17.3 / 3.7 |
| POWER FORWARD | Christian Coleman (6-8/210) | 12.2 / 4.7 |
| CENTER | Parsa Fallah (6-10/250) | 13.0 / 6.2 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Isaiah Coleman (6-5/200) | 8.2 / 4.7 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Kanye Clary (6-0/190) | 8.0 / 4.4* |
| EIGHTH MAN | Benjamin Ahmed (6-10/275) | 3.7 / 3.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Ryan Crotty (6-6/215) | 3.5 / 2.0 |
| TENTH MAN | Mehki Ragland (6-11/330) | 0.9 / 1.9 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Oklahoma State is slowly turning it around. The only loss is a 9-point loss to Oklahoma and maybe the best win is over Texas A&M. They are getting better offensively, 55th in the nation in 2-point shooting and 77th in free throw percentage along with being 64th in free throw rate. Not necessarily great at shooting from deep, 176th in 3-point shooting, and they don’t necessarily hit the boards hard, 116th in offensive rebounding. Defensively, they are a bit behind, they are great at limiting offensive rebounds, 56th overall, but they do not turn teams over, just 176th, and they are prone to allow teams to shoot decently, 129th in opponent 3-point shooting and 152nd in opponent 2-point shooting.
2. Scouting. Roy is the leader of the team. A really fantastic shooter, 42% from deep, 52% inside the arc, and a terrific free throw shooter, 93%. He’s the highest usage player for the Pokes and he also doesn’t turn the ball over. Miller is the other sharpshooter, 57% inside the arc and 50% from outside. Texas Tech will have to guard those two players incredibly carefully. Curry is the main passer and he’s also a low-turnover guy and he’ll be a pest defensively with a decent steal rate. Fallah and Ahmed are the best rebounders for a pretty tall team. There’s also a Andrijia Vukovic who didn’t play the last game that’s 6’11” and is a good rebounder and playing about 35% of all minutes. As an aside, OSU has figured out a way to shoot really well inside the 3-point line, Roy, Miller, Curry, Fallah, Coleman, and Vukovic all shoot extremely well so they are generating some nice offense.
3. How They Match Up. Texas Tech is at a pretty severe disadvantage from a size perspective . . . yet again. Now that conference play has started, Texas Tech is required to post the availability of players and Moseley, Bamgboye, Akuentok, and Hoover are all out (we knew that Hoover isn’t going to play this year). Aside from that, Oklahoma State isn’t shooting a ton of 3’s and is allowing a high rate of 3’s so maybe that bodes well for Atwell, Anderson, and Petty. You’ll note that I have absolutely no clue about who will start. The last game against Winthrop, Petty started so I’ve put him in the lineup along with Watts as I am unsure about Bryan’s true availability (he’s apparently available) or if he will start. Texas Tech will absolutely need the additional “size” of Bryan and Horner. Texas Tech will obviously need all the help they can get with Toppin being the biggest player. I also wanted to mention that Texas Tech’s offense is really firing on all cylinders, 16th in T-Rank’s offensive efficiency with the only thing holding them back being free throw percentage, just 269th in the nation.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Lady Raider Basketball: Arizona up next for No. 21 Lady Raiders
The No. 21 Texas Tech Lady Raiders continue Big 12 play with a game against the Arizona Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3 in the United Supermarkets Arena. The all-time series between Tech and Arizona is tied 2-2, with the Wildcats winning the last game by a 66-57 score in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 25, 2025.
With their win against UCF, the Texas Tech Lady Raiders (15-0, 2-0 Big 12) tied for the best start in program history with the 2003-04 team, a team in which Coach Gerlich was the assistant coach. Tech’s 2-0 start in conference play is also the best start in conference since the 2011-12 season. A win against Arizona would give the Lady Raiders a new best start to a season in program history.
Lady Raider Basketball: Lady Raiders sign 7-foot-1 center, Stephanie Okechukwu
The No. 21-ranked Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball team just got even better. Head coach Krista Gerlich has announced the addition of Stephanie Okechukwu to this year’s roster, a 7-foot-1 center from Umunneochi, Nigeria.
“Stephanie has finally arrived in Lubbock and she was worth the time, effort and teamwork that went into getting her here,” Coach Gerlich said. “She brings an element to our team that is an instant impact. Her ability to protect the rim and alter shots will be unique to one. She has great hands and touch around the basket and clearly will provide a big inside target at the rim. She has a team-first mentality and ready to contribute in any way possible. She is a great fit for our program and culture, and we are overjoyed that she has arrived in Lubbock. Our staff is continuing to work with the NCAA on her initial eligibility.”
The tallest women’s college basketball player in the history of the sport, Okechukwu attended high school at Fukuchiyama Seibi in Kyoto, Japan, where she gained some of her basketball experience. Able to speak three languages (English, Igbo and Japanese) and planning on majoring in business, Okechukwu is set to join the Lady Raiders this semester. Texas Tech University is awaiting the NCAA’s response to determine Stephanie’s initial eligibility status, which will help determine when she will first play in the Scarlet and Black.
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
Eighteen rounds of the Big 12 fight begins this weekend with No. 15 Texas Tech hosting Oklahoma State at 12 p.m. on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena before the Red Raiders play their next two conference games on the road. Tech (10-3) is 7-0 at home this season after extending the program’s second longest non-conference home winning streak to 46 games with an 87-57 win over Winthrop on Sunday. The Cowboys (12-1) will be playing their first true road game of the season and have won three straight after rolling to a 103-77 win over Bethune-Cookman in their non-conference finale on Monday night in Stillwater. The showdown at noon on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN2 and is the only scheduled game during the regular season between Tech and Oklahoma State.
“Their pace of play and physicality at every possession,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “From point guard to forward, they are an aggressive team with multiple guys who can play and score in different ways. It’s the pace they flood you with offensively and defensively. Their attack mentality is impressive. We’ll have to match that effort.”