Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-3, 1-0)
Bad Guys: Houston Cougars (13-1, 1-0)
When to Watch: Tuesday, January 6th @ 8:00 pm
Where to Watch: Fertitta Center | Houston, Texas
How to Watch: FS1
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Houston -6.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | HOUSTON |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Christian Anderson (6-3/178) | 20.5 / 7.5* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jaylen Petty (6-1/168) | 8.5 / 3.6 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 11.3 / 2.9 |
| POWER FORWARD | LeJuan Watts (6-6/225) | 14.1 / 5.8 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | 21.2 / 10.8 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 3.8 / 2.9 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Tyree Bryan (6-5/215) | 5.5 / 3.5 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Nolan Groves (6-5/205) | 1.4 / 1.6 |
| NINTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/180) | 0.4 / 0.6 |
| 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 | Kingston Flemings (6-4/190) | 15.6 / 5.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Milos Uzan (6-4/195) | 11.6 / 4.4* |
| SMALL FORWARD | Emanuel Sharp (6-3/205) | 15.9 / 3.0 |
| POWER FORWARD | Joseph Tugler (6-8/230) | 7.9 / 5.1 |
| CENTER | Chris Cenac Jr. (6-11/240) | 9.0 / 7.4 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Isiah Harwell (6-6/220) | 4.8 / 2.7 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Ramon Walker Jr. (6-5/215) | 3.9 / 2.9 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Kalifa Sakho (6-11/230) | 2.0 / 2.7 |
| NINTH MAN | Mercy Miller (6-4/200) | 4.7 / 1.4 |
| TENTH MAN | Chase McCarty (6-5/215) | 3.4 / 2.3 |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. Last time Texas Tech was in Houston, JT Toppin was ejected and Texas Tech won. I don’t think that can happen tonight. Houston is a pretty good offensive team, the one thing they don’t do well is get to the free throw line and they aren’t necessarily a good shooting team, 141st in 2-point shooting and 149th in 3-point shooting. But they are so good in the other areas. They are 17th in turnover percentage, 27th in offensive rebounding, 52nd in free throws percentage, and 10th in not getting that shot blocked. Defensively it seems unfair. The Cougars are 20th in opponent 3-point percentage, 38th in 2-point percentage, and 5th in forcing opponent turnovers. That’s enough to be a great defense.
2. Scouting. Texas Tech tried like heck to get Flemings, but he went to Houston and is having a really good year for a freshman. Flemings is a high assist and high steal player who is making a ton of shots, 58% of 2-point shots and 44% of 3-point shots. Sharp is another really good shooter, 50% from the field and 39% from deep. Uzan is taking a ton of shots from deep, but he’s not connecting, just 29%, but he is a high assist and low turnover player. The presence inside is Tugler and freshman Cenac, both are strong rebounders.
3. How They Match Up. Bamgboye, Moseley, and Akuentok are all still out for the game. That’s not good because Houston is big, but I’ve had to type that a handful of times recently and everything has turned out okay. Both of these teams could end up taking a bunch of jump shots, Houston nor Texas Tech get to the line a ton. I also think it will be interesting, teams just don’t have a guy like Anderson and wonder how someone like Flemings will guard him. I should also mention that Houston’s one loss to Tennessee, they were pretty bad at getting to the line and defensively, they didn’t force turnovers and allowed a ton of offensive boards and put the Vols on the line.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Awards keep finding JT 🙌
Last year’s @Big12Conference Player of the Year. This week’s Big 12 POTW. pic.twitter.com/8y6p240whZ
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) January 5, 2026
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
For the sixth straight time, Texas Tech and Houston are set to clash with both teams being nationally ranked. The first of two matchups this month between the No. 14-ranked Red Raiders and No. 7 Cougars is set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Fertitta Center in Houston after the Red Raiders (11-3, 1-0 Big 12) opened conference play with a 102-80 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in Lubbock while the Cougars (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) began their conference slate with a 67-60 road win at Cincinnati. Tech and Houston split their games last season with the Red Raiders taking an 82-81 overtime road win on Feb. 1, 2025 before the Cougars claimed a 69-61 win in Lubbock on Feb. 24, 2025. The two teams are set to meet again in Lubbock on Saturday, January 24 at United Supermarkets Arena.
Tech is coming off a game against OSU where it matched the program/season record by making 17 3-pointers and scored its second most points in a conference game. The 102 points scored were the most this season for the Red Raiders who had scored 101 in a non-conference win over Northern Colorado. The Red Raiders lead the Big 12 by making 11.1 3-pointers per game and have made 10-or-more in 10 games this season. The team is currently shooting 155-for-407 (38.1%) on 3-pointers for the season which ranks fourth in the conference and 25th nationally. The Red Raiders were 17-for-37 (45.9%) from beyond the arc in the 22-point win over OSU and had six players make at least one 3-pointer. The 17 made 3-pointers matched the 17 makes in the season opener against Lindenwood which established a new program record. Tech is currently on a four-game winning streak while Houston has won seven straight since a 76-73 loss to Tennessee back on November 25 in Las Vegas.