Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (22-9, 12-6)
Bad Guys: Iowa State Cyclones (26-6, 12-6)
When to Watch: Thursday, March 12th @ 11:30 am
Where to Watch: T-Mobile Center | Kansas City, Missouri
How to Watch: ESPN
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Iowa State -5.5
Advanced Stats
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Christian Anderson (6-3/178) | 19.1 / 7.8* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jaylen Petty (6-1/168) | 9.5 / 3.9 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 13.6 / 3.3 |
| POWER FORWARD | LeJuan Watts (6-6/225) | 11.5 / 6.0 |
| CENTER | Luke Bamgboye (6-11/220) | 4.9 / 3.2 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Tyeree Bryan (6-5/215) | 3.8 / 2.7 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/225) | 4.5 / 3.6 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Marial Akuentok (6-11/240) | 1.4 / 2.0 |
| NINTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 2.4 / 2.0 |
| TENTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/180) | 0.6 / 0.3 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Nolan Groves (6-5/205) | 1.0 / 1.3 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/180) | 0.0 / 0.3 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | LaTrell Hoover (7-0/230) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | Out For Year |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Tamin Lipsey (6-1/200) | 13.3 / 5.0* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Killyan Toure (6-3/205) | 8.3 / 3.2 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Milan Momcilovic (6-8/225) | 17.0 / 3.1 |
| POWER FORWARD | Josh Jefferson (6-9/240) | 16.6 / 7.4 |
| CENTER | Blake Buchanan (6-10/235) | 8.2 / 5.8 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Jamarion Batemon (6-3/195) | 7.0 / 1.2 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Nate Heise (6-5/212) | 5.0 / 4.0 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Dominykas Pleta (6-11/240) | 4.4 / 2.2 |
| NINTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
| TENTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. It feels like we’ve been here just the other day. I don’t think we really saw the capacity of what Iowa State can do when Texas Tech played the Cyclones in Ames. They are an elite offense, a team that normally shoots lights out, 14th in the nation in 3-point shooting and 48th in the nation in 2-point shooting. They are 61st in turnover percentage adn 39th in offensive rebounding. The only thing that they don’t do well is shoot free throws, 332nd and that would maybe be something that keeps me from picking the Cyclones in the NCAA Tournament. Defensively, they are even better, they are 4th in turning teams over, 71st in opponent offensive rebounds, 32nd in opponent free throw rate and they typically hold teams to 56th in the nation in opponent 3-point shooting.
2. Scouting. Momcilovic is a pure shooter and we got to see a bit of that late against Texas Tech. The guy is making 50% of his 3’s and 55% of his 2’s, which is insane and he’s the lone guy that can shoot free throws, making 88%. He’s a scorer and doesn’t do much else, but that’s okay. Jefferson is the Swiss-army knife, does so many things well, the best rebounder on the team, best passer by a nose over Lipsey, high steal rate and is a decent shooter, 50% for 2’s and 35% from 3’s. Lipsey is the other facilitator and a good shooter, but has struggled from deep, just 30%. Buchanan does enough in the middle to rebound and is a good all-around player.
3. How They Match Up. All teams go through ups and downs and Texas Tech is, unfortunately, going through a bit of a rough stretch. If it makes anyone feel any better, Iowa State lost to TCU, BYU, Texas Tech, and Arizona within the last 8 games of the season and Texas Tech is sort of in that same spot having lost to TCU and BYU the last 2 games. We sort of know that the turnover bug didn’t affect Texas Tech against Iowa State, but I’d expect the Cyclones to press Anderson a bit because it works and you don’t want the ball in his hands anyway. Iowa State is a team that pounds the ball, they are only 195th in 3-point rate, and they are a team that rebounds really well. These have been issues against TCU and BYU and gives Texas Tech a chance to get better. I know that Texas Tech is capable.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Why Texas Tech basketball’s Tyeree Bryan says he ‘needed’ a difficult year to grow
Bryan’s teammates refused to let him shut down. As an only child, Bryan spent most of his time away from the court growing up, keeping to himself, hanging out at home as his mom worked to provide for the two of them. Bryan’s first reaction was to do the same, go to practice, get through it, and let things fall where they may.
McCasland has credited Bryan’s teammates for pulling him out of the hole. Donovan Atwell and Christian Anderson, in particular, have made sure Bryan feels part of the team. Redshirt freshman Jazz Henderson serves as a motivating mouthpiece for the Red Raiders on the bench and is someone Bryan looks to as a model for handling a lack of playing time.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Iowa State seeks revenge from Texas Tech basketball in Big 12 Tournament
Texas Tech Basketball: Anderson, Toppin earn The Sporting News All-America honors
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
The path to a championship begins for Texas Tech against Iowa State at the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament with a quarterfinal matchup at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center. The Red Raiders (22-9) earned a double-bye in the tournament after finishing in a tie for third in the conference standings with a 12-6 conference record and are the tournament’s fourth seed while the Cyclones (26-6, 12-6 Big 12) are the fifth seed and advanced with a 91-42 win over Arizona State on Wednesday in the second round. Both teams are nationally ranked with Iowa State at No. 7 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 while the Red Raiders are ranked No. 16 nationally.
“This is the best time of the year, not even close, being in March playing postseason basketball is a blessing,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “The Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City is remarkable. It’s a great opportunity for our team to take advantage of. The opportunity to compete in what I think is the best college basketball tournament outside of the NCAA Tournament is something I’m really looking forward to.”