Game Links:
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: Chris Anderson with 19 points on 7 of 15, 3 of 7 from deep, with 13 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal and a helluva block to end the half in a sloppy exchange. Anderson was terrific with those 13 assists, finding open teammates who were trying to double him and finding the open man with regularly. Houston is probably going to rush Anderson like Oklahoma State, but the Cougars’ rotations are likely to be significantly better. Can’t wait.
The Motion:
- Maybe the most important thing that happened was Tyeree Bryan getting some positive minutes. He’s been in a funk, and I thought he passed up some easy shots only to then take much tougher shots initially. Bryan is a big part of this team and the fact that they celebrated a guy who scored 9 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and had a block says something about what he means to the team.
- There was a point in this game when JT Toppin was 3 of 11 from the field, missing a bunch of close shots. Toppin finished 10 of 19 from the field with 14 rebounds, 7 in each half and only had to play 30 minutes. Well, he only had to play 30 minutes and he had a bit of foul trouble, 4 for the day.
- The starting 5 was pretty much unstoppable. Collectively, they scored all but 14 of the total points. The “worst” shooting performance was Donovan Atwell who was 5 of 12 and of course he was 5 of 10 from deep.
- Texas Tech out-rebounded Oklahoma State by 12, which is a huge amount considering that OSU was so much bigger. Texas Tech had 14 offensive boards and 18 2nd chance points, largely because of Toppin’s work on the boards, but Watts had 4 offensive boards as well.
- The defense was improved, 43% from the field and the Cowboys continued to be what they are, not a great shooting team from outside, just 31%. Part of that problem was that their guards were not getting the ball to the guys who were scoring, but that’s not my problem. Their starting guards went a combined 2 of 14.
- LeJuan Watts probably doesn’t get enough praise because of how good Anderson and Toppin are, but he’s in a really good groove, 6 of 11 with 9 boards, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. He didn’t need to pass the ball, but
- Jaylen Petty being inserted into the starting lineup I think helps Anderson significantly. I don’t know if this is helping Anderson, but Petty being able to guard a smaller opponent guard is going to be key for Anderson being able to play a full game (not that he wasn’t before, but he also doesn’t have a choice because he was the only ball-handler). Petty’s shot is so different. That leg kick-back is just not something you see, but he gets high on his jump shot which makes up for his lack of size.
- Head coach Grant McCasland: “That’s how you want to start. Our team is improving. We’re not perfect but we’re getting better and are scrappier. We’re a tough team to defend, so if we keep sharing the ball and keep making strides defensively then we can be a team that can compete in this league. This was a good start. I do feel like this team is capable of doing this every night. The question is, when the ball isn’t going in, can we still defensively fight the way we need to. The way the ball was going in tonight and the way the guys were sharing it is what I think we can do.”
- Advanced Stats: Anderson +5.3; Petty +4.2; Bryan +2.2; Toppin +0.6; Atwell -0.5; Watts -0.2; and Horner -0.2.
- Up next? Texas Tech will be in Houston on Tuesday, January 6th with tip-off at 8:00 p.m. and the game on FS1.
Highlights
.@tyeree7 appreciation post 🙌 pic.twitter.com/T8cvKuCavZ
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 3, 2026