Men’s Basketball | December 25, 2022
LUBBOCK, Texas – With the start of Big 12 play looming, the Texas Tech men’s basketball team will host South Carolina State on Tuesday at the United Supermarkets Arena to begin a week that will culminate by playing at No. 20 TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth. The Red Raiders are currently on an overall 28-game home winning streak with a 7-0 home record this season.
Tech (9-2) is coming off an 111-67 win over Houston Christian last Wednesday while the Bulldogs (2-12) dropped a 104-77 game to Longwood in their last game. The Red Raiders led the all-time series 1-0 with the only other matchup resulting in a 101-39 win by Tech on December 17, 2014.
Kevin Obanor leads the Red Raiders through 11 games with 15.9 points per game after he had 22 points and nine rebounds against HCU, while Daniel Batcho is averaging 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds after recording a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the game. De’Vion Harmon added a season-high 22 points and a career-high nine assists and is now leading Tech with 3.9 assists per game to go along with 12.0 points per game. Pop Isaacs had a career-high six assists and four steals in the win over HCU and is now averaging 9.9 points and 3.0 assists while also leading the team with 22 3-pointers. Jaylon Tyson comes into this week against SC State averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game after scoring 11 points in the wins over JSU and HCU.
The Red Raiders will host No. 4 Kansas on Tuesday, January 3 in their first Big 12 home game after going 9-0 at home last season against conference opponents. Tech will play one more non-conference game, travelling to play at LSU after eight conference games in January.
RED RAIDER NOTABLES
• Mark Adams is in his second season leading the Texas Tech program where he is now 36-12 overall and 25-0 at home… A 1979 Tech graduate, Adams led the Red Raiders to a 27-10 overall record, 12-6 conference mark, to the Big 12 Championship final and the NCAA Sweet 16 in his first season as the head coach… He was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year… His 27 wins last season were the most by a first-year Tech head coach
• Tech is currently on a season-best five-game winning streak… It started the season with three straight wins before falling against Creighton in Maui
• Tech’s last home loss came on February 9, 2021, against No. 14 West Virginia in an 82-71 defeat… The Red Raiders were ranked No. 7 in the nation in that game
• Tech had not scored over 100 points in two straight games since 1996 in a 111-101 win over Fresno State and a 122-105 loss to New Mexico State… The Red Raiders are now 70-4 all-time when scoring over 100 points… Tech has not scored 100+ points in three straight games since the 1965-66 season… The 111 points against HCU were just outside the top-10 scoring performances in program history… The most points scored in a game is 128 against Texas in 2004
• Tech is coming off a season where it did not lose back-to-back games under Adams
• Tech returned only one starter (Kevin Obanor) and three lettermen (Daniel Batcho, KJ Allen and Obanor) from last year’s team while welcoming in five transfers (D’Maurian Williams, Fardaws Aimaq, Jaylon Tyson, De’Vion Harmon, Kerwin Walton) and five true freshmen (Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, Elijah Fisher, Robert Jennings, CJ Williams)
• The Red Raider starters for the first seven games this season was Obanor, Batcho, Isaacs, Tyson and Harmon… They are 5-2 as a starting unit
• Tech is hitting 49.8 percent of its shots this season; opponents are being limited to 39.5 percent… The Red Raiders limited Louisville to only 22.4 percent shooting and also held Northwestern State to only 28.4 in their best defensive efforts of the season
• Tech forced a season-high 30 turnovers from Jackson State and scored 47 points off those turnovers… Tech had 19 steals in the game led by Obanor who had four while Isaacs, Washington and Williams had three steals each… The program record for steals in a game is 24 against Nicholls in 2002… The 19 matched the second-most ever for a Red Raider team
• The 50-point win over JSU was the 14th time in program history a Tech team has won by 50 or more
• Tech has won five games by 20 or more points this season, including the 50-point win over JSU, topping HSU by 44 and a 34-point win over Louisville in Maui… The Red Raiders have held five opponents under 60 points, two under 50 and one under 40 with Louisville scoring only 38 points
• Tech is currently scoring 75.9 points per game and is limiting opponents to 61.0 ppg.
• Tech overcame an 11-point deficit against Nicholls for its largest comeback this season
• Creighton won by 11 for Tech’s only double-digit loss this season
• Tech is currently 67-for-194 (34.5 percent) on 3-pointers… Isaacs leads the team with 20 3-pointers (20-for-52 / 38.5%) while Tyson is shooting 48.0 percent (12-for-25)
• Batcho is 44-for-67 from the field (65.7%) and Obanor is 62-for-116 (53.4%) to lead Tech in field-goal percentage
• Tech is 184-for-249 (73.9 percent) at the free-throw line after going 22-for-28 at the line against HCU… Tech had a season-high 29 free-throws made against Nicholls
• Before going 13-for-28 on 3s against JSU, Tech had made a season-best eight 3-pointers against Georgetown; The Red Raiders made seven 3s in wins over Nicholls, Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State
• As a program, Tech is coming off a season where it reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight time – a new Tech record… The Red Raiders advanced to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 Championship Final, 2021 Second Round and 2022 Sweet 16… Tech has an 11-4 record over the past four tournaments… The program has made the Sweet 16 in three of the past four tournaments
• The Red Raiders finished No. 1 in defensive efficiency for the second time in four seasons last year… After nine games, the Red Raiders are 29th in the category on Kenpom… Tech also topped the Kenpom.com category in 2019 and were No. 9 in 2020
• Tech started last season with a 6-0 record before a loss at Providence College in the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle… It was the eighth time in program history to begin a year with six straight wins… The Red Raiders began the 1929-30 season with a 12-0 record for the best start in program history and were 10-0 to begin the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden
• Corey Williams returned as an assistant coach for his second season at Tech while Steve Green and Al Pinkins joined the staff as assistant coaches during the offseason… Pinkins returned to Tech after four seasons at Florida following working at Tech from 2016-18… He was the interim head coach at Florida in the 2022 NIT… Green was at South Plains College for the past 23 seasons where he was a national champion… Adams has built a staff that also includes: Rick Cooper (chief of staff), Taylor Sinclair (director of operations), Sean Sutton (advisor), Darryl Dora (player personnel), Matt Scherbenske (director of recruiting), George Neilson (director of scouting), Darby Rich (strength & conditioning), John Bloom (assistant strength & conditioning), Luke Adams (player development), Cooper Anderson (coordinator of operations), Jamaal Scott (academics) and Briana Whitaker (executive associate)
• Tech went 18-0 at home last season, including 9-0 in Big 12 play… The team is scheduled to play 17 home games this season and is currently 6-0
• Tech’s program record is 35 straight home victories… That streak started with four wins at the end of the 1993-94 season before a pair of 13-0 runs (1994-95 and 1995-96) and then five home wins to start the 1996-97 season
• Tech finished with an 18-0 record at home in 2021-22 season which was only matched by Kentucky going 18-0 at Rupp Arena… Tech outscored opponents 79.7 to 58.8 per game with opponents shooting 39.1 percent… 16 of the 18 home wins were by double-digits with the only ones not by 10 or more being victories over Kansas (75-67, +8) and Kansas State (73-68, +5)
• The matchup against Creighton was the third of five regular-season games on a Monday for the Red Raiders with the final two coming in the Big 12 schedule… Tech is currently 2-1 on Mondays… The final game of the NCAA basketball season is on Monday, April 3 in Houston, Texas
• The Red Raiders had a sell-out (15,098) for their 2022-23 season-opener against Northwestern State after they finished 11th nationally in average attendance last season with 13,973 fans per game and 251,515 total… Tech had five sell-outs last season and established a new program record by exceeding capacity at 15,300 fans in attendance against Texas… There were 12 games of 14,000+ in attendance and all 18 exceeded 12,000… Tech is averaging 12,992 fans through its seven homes this season
ROSTER REPORT
• Kevin Obanor has started all 48 games since he joined the Red Raiders last season and is leading the team with 15.9 points per game after going for 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over Houston Christian last week… He has now scored in double figures in 10 straight games, 99 in his career and is shooting 62-for-116 (53.4 percent) from the field this season… Obanor season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Eastern Washington for his first double-double of the season and then scored 16 against Jackson State in his hometown of Houston… He went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and was 8-for-15 shooting in his highest scoring performance at Tech in the win over EWU and then hit a season-high three 3-pointers against JSU… It was his first double-double of the season and the 36th in his career… The performances followed him scoring 20 points against Nicholls where he was 7-for-13 from the field with two 3-pointers… He now has 545 points as a Red Raider and 1,851 points through 134 games in his career… He had a previous season-high 19 points against Ohio State and 15 against Louisville in Maui… Obanor has scored in double figures in 10 straight games after having nine points in the season-opener against Northwestern State… He finished last season with double-doubles in each of the three NCAA Tournament games against Montana State (10 points/11 rebounds), Notre Dame (15/15) and Duke (10/10)… Obanor, who is a Houston native, started his college career with three seasons at Oral Roberts before transferring to Tech last season… Obanor earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season and is on the All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention list along with the Julius Erving Award Watch List to start this year… Last season, he scored a season-high 23 points and also had 13 rebounds in the home win over Baylor before going for 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16.
• Daniel Batcho returned after missing two games due to injury to record a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Houston Christian… It was his third double-double of the season and the fourth game with 10 or more rebounds this season… A 6-foot-11 sophomore from France, Batcho recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and his second career double-double with 15 points against Georgetown before having 14 points and nine rebounds against Nicholls… Batcho, who has led Tech in scoring in three games and in rebounding in seven, has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time in his career… He had a career-high 21 points against Ohio State where he was 7 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free-throw line in Maui… He also added six rebounds in the game after he had established a previous career-high with12 rebounds in the win against Louisville along with having nine points, three blocks and three steals… He is averaging 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game through nine games played… He had scored a career-high 17 points against Creighton in Maui where he was 7-for-12 from the field in 24 minutes on the court before his 21-point performance against the Buckeyes… Batcho recorded a career-high six blocks in the win over LA Tech where he also added nine points and seven rebounds in the team’s last home game… His six blocks in a game are tied for the third most in program history with Tariq Owens owning the single-game record with eight in a win over Memphis in 2018 and Will Flemons second with seven against Texas A&M in 1990… A reserve in 33 games last season at Tech, he came into this season with a career-high 11 rebounds in the overtime win over Tennessee last season at Madison Square Garden in the 2021 Jimmy V Classic… He would go off for four blocked shots, six points and three rebounds against West Virginia for his best Big 12 game.
• De’Vion Harmon went for a season-high 22 points and had a career-high nine assists in the win over Houston Christian last week… He has scored in double figures in three straight games and now leads the Red Raiders with 3.9 assists per game… A senior in his first season at Tech, Harmon was coming off a season-high 19 points and career-best six steals in the win over EWU before hitting 8 of 10 shots with two 3-pointers for his 22 against HCU… In 102 career games, he has scored 1,060 points after also scoring 18 in the win over Georgetown where he also had four steals and two assists… Harmon had five assists and three points against Nicholls… He had matched his career-best with six assists against Ohio State in Maui and has had three or more assists in seven of 10 games… Through 11 games, he’s averaging 12.0 points, a team-high 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals… He had matched a career-high with six assists and four steals in the win over LA Tech to go along with a season-high 15 points by going 6-for-8 from the field before traveling to Maui… Harmon, a Denton, Texas native who was a Class 6A All-State performer at Guyer HS, has played in 102 games in his college career where he also now has 229 assists… Harmon averaged 10.8 points per game and had 71 assists last season for the Ducks after averaging 12.9 points per game for the Sooners as a sophomore… Harmon started 34 of 35 games last year and a season-high 21 points coming against Stanford… His career-high 23 points came in his first game as a freshman at Oklahoma against UTSA on November 5, 2019, and then again as a sophomore for the Sooners against Oklahoma State on February 27, 2021.
• Jaylon Tyson went for 11 points in the past two games against Jackson State and Houston Christian and is now averaging 9.9 points, 1.3 steals and 4.5 rebounds per game… He had a career-high 18 against Georgetown where he was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers… A starter in 10 of 11 games, Tyson scored a previous career-high 13 points in the win over Texas Southern in the second game of the season… He transferred to Tech at midterm last season but did not play in a game for the Red Raiders… Tyson is currently 13-for-26 (50 percent) on 3-pointers and has made at least one 3-pointer in 8 of 10 games played… Against Northwestern State, Tyson made his first collegiate start and was 3-for-4 from the field, including going 2-for-3 on 3-pointers to finish with eight points… His 3-pointer on Tech’s second possession of the season-opener was the first basket this season for the Red Raiders… He began his career at the University of Texas where he played in eight games with freshman season-high 11 points coming against Houston Christian last season.
• Pop Isaacs is averaging 9.9 points, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals as a starter in all 11 games to begin his freshman season… Isaacs had a career-high six assists and four steals in the win over Houston Christian while also scoring six points… He had matched a career-best with three steals and added six points in the win over JSU after he had scored 15 points with three 3-pointers against EWU… A freshman from Las Vegas, he scored a career-high 24 points and five 3-pointers in the win over Nicholls… His 24 points were the most by a Red Raider in a game this season before Obanor went for his 25 against EWU… Isaacs had scored in double figures in three straight games and in five this season before his six points against JSU… He has 21 assists in the past six games after having six against HCU, two against JSU, three against Nicholls, four on Georgetown and five against Ohio State in the Maui finale…Isaacs had a previous career-high four 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 13 points against Creighton… He has made at least one 3-pointer in 9 of 11 games … He comes into the matchup against South Carolina State shooting 22-for-58 (37.9 percent) on 3-pointers this season.
• Robert Jennings has started the past three games and is coming off matching his career-highs with eight points and five rebounds against Houston Christian… A freshman from Desoto, he had recorded career-high eight points against Louisville in Maui after he went 3-for-5 from the field and also hit two free throws in 15 minutes of work… He’s currently averaging 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game… Through 11 games, his first season started with him scoring six points in 10 minutes against Northwestern State in the opener before having three rebounds and two points against Texas Southern.
• Lamar Washington established a career-high with 12 points and five assists in the win over Nicholls after going 12-for-17 from the free-throw line and followed it with a team-high four assists in the win over EWU… He matched his season-best with three steals against Houston Christian and also scored seven points… Through 11 games as a key reserve, he is averaging 2.4 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 3.8 points to begin his freshman season… A freshman from Portland, Oregon, he went for eight points, three steals, two assists and three rebounds in the win over JSU in Houston… His career-best 12 points against Nicholls was the first time he scored in double figures and came with him going 0-for-1 from the field shooting… He also matched a career-best with seven rebounds in the win after he also had seven rebounds in the win over Louisville in Maui… Along with his career-high five assists against Nicholls, he had four assists against EWU, Louisville and Northwestern State… Washington was the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year while playing at Jefferson High School as a junior before playing at Compass Prep in Arizona last season as a senior… He produced 2,135 points, 705 rebounds and 823 assists during his high school career.
• KJ Allen went off for a career-high 15 points in the win over Jackson State by shooting 7-for-10 from the field before scoring six against Houston Christian… A junior from Los Angeles, Allen had a season-high seven rebounds and scored five points in the win over EWU in 18 minutes off the bench… He is in his second season at Tech and is currently averaging 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this season… He had a previous season-high five rebounds against Creighton in the first game in Maui… Allen contributed four points and four rebounds in the win over Texas Southern after he had two points in 11 minutes against Northwestern State in the opener… He played in 19 games as a reserve last season for the Red Raiders with a season-high six points coming in games against Kansas State and Omaha… Allen added a career-high eight rebounds in the conference game against Kansas State… He finished his first season in Lubbock by going 16-for-30 from the field… Allen was featured on the Netflix documentary Last Chance U while playing at East Los Angeles College where he averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game… He was Adams’ first signee.
• D’Maurian Williams hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 17 points in the win over Jackson State with all 17 coming in the second half… A junior from Arizona, Williams made his first start at Tech against Nicholls in place of Tyson who was injured… He played against JSU as a reserve, going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers after coming into the game with only three made 3-pointers through eight games played… Williams scored a previous season-high 10 points against Louisville after hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-5 at the free-throw line… He is currently averaging 4.8 points this season after scoring two against Houston Christian… Williams now has 779 points, 140 assists, 63 steals and 231 rebounds through 67 games in his career… He is in his first season at Tech after transferring from Gardner-Webb where he played the past two seasons…Williams won a national championship after high school at Putnam Science Academy (Connecticut)… He averaged in double-figures both seasons at Gardner-Webb, going for 10.8 points per game as a freshman before averaging 14.5 points per game last season as a sophomore.
• Kerwin Walton has scored eight points in the past two games against Houston Christian and Jackson State and is averaging 3.5 points through 10 games played as a Red Raider reserve… He did not appear in the game against EWU but would respond by going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc in the games against JSU and HCU… Walton led the Tech bench with nine points and four rebounds against Northwestern State in the season-opener and had five points against TSU and LA Tech… He had not scored in the previous five games before his eight against JSU and HCU… Walton played the last two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Tech during the summer… He has made 85 3-pointers through 69 games in his career with a career-high five 3-pointers made in a game against Louisville in his freshman season… Walton is 87-for-224 (38.8 percent) from beyond the arc for his career, including making a UNC freshman 3-point percentage record with 58 3-pointers where he started 20 games during his first season in Chapel Hill… Walton, a Hopkins, Minnesota native, averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman for the Tar Heels with a career-high 19 points coming in that game against Louisville… He experienced the Final Four last season as a member of UNC which finished as the national runner-up.
• Fardaws Aimaq is an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention selection and is also on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List for the top center in college basketball. … Aimaq is a key part to the Tech roster this season but will be sidelined with a foot injury to begin the season with no official timetable for his return… A transfer from Utah Valley, Aimaq has recorded 1,056 points, 918 rebounds, 99 blocked shots and 41 double-doubles in his career… His 41 double-doubles are the fifth most for an active player in the nation… He earned the 2020-21 WAC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore after leading the nation with 15.0 rebounds to go along with 13.9 points per game and is coming off a junior season where he went for 18.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game… He was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasons… During his career, he’s averaged 11.1 rebounds per game which is the third best career mark nationally.
• Elijah Fisher scored a season-high eight points after going 3-for-4 from the field against Jackson State before scoring five at home against Houston Christian in the past two games… He is now averaging 3.3 points per game with a previous season-best seven points coming against Texas Southern in the second game of the season… A reserve in all 11 games, he is 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) from the field this season… Along with his eight points, Fisher added a career-best three rebounds in the game… His first-year resume also includes scoring three points and having two rebounds in the loss to Ohio State… A Toronto, Ontario, Canada native, Fisher averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds during his junior season… Fisher was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked No. 15 by ESPN for the 2023 class… He reclassified to play this season and enrolled at Tech a year early.
• CJ Williams scored his first career points against Louisville with a pair of free throws… A freshman guard, he has played in three games this season after making his debut in the opener against Northwestern State… He is the son of Tech assistant coach Corey Williams
RANKINGS
• Tech fell out of the AP Top 25 in the 11/28 rankings after its losses in Maui and has remained unranked the past three weeks… The Red Raiders have received votes each week
• Tech had moved up two spots in the AP Poll (11/21) for the second straight week and was at No. 21 entering the Maui Invitational
• The Red Raiders were No. 23 in the first release of the season (11/14) after a No. 25 preseason ranking
• Tech entered the season at No. 24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll
• Tech has now earned a preseason ranking three times in program history
• Tech is currently 0-1 against ranked opponents this season with its loss to No. 10 Creighton… The Bluejays moved up to No. 7 in the 11/28 poll but have since dropped out
• Tech was 3-2 against Top-10 teams last year in the regular season… The Red Raiders dropped a 69-55 game to No. 5 Gonzaga last December in Phoenix before earning wins over Baylor which was at No. 1 (65-62 in Waco) and No. 7 (83-73 in Lubbock) at the time of the victories and also a 75-67 home win over Kansas when it was No. 6
• Tech has beat a top-10 opponent in eight straight seasons, a top-5 opponent in seven straight and has 27 wins over top-10 teams in program history
• Tech went 7-5 last season against Top 25 opponents, including a 57-52 overtime win over No. 13 Tennessee on December 7 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden… The Red Raiders were 1-1 against Top 25 teams in their non-conference schedule with the loss to Gonzaga following the win over the Vols
• The Red Raiders opened the 2019-20 season at No. 13 after reaching the Final Four for their highest preseason ranking and were No. 14 to begin the 2020-21 season
• Tech was unranked to begin last season before entering the polls at No. 25 following an overtime win over Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic
• It took Tech five weeks before it earned the ranking last season but remained ranked for the rest of the season
• Tech was as high as No. 9 during February and finished the season at No. 14
• Tech’s highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)… The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final
DOMINATING THE PAINT
Texas Tech has started this season by outscoring 10 of 11 opponents in the paint and by a 402-238 combined margin… Nicholls is the only team to outscore Tech inside the paint this season. (TTU 56 – HCU 24; TTU 42 – JSU 18; TTU 40 – EWU 18; NIC 30 – TTU 26; TTU 38 – GU 16; TTU 34-OSU 28; TTU 70-LOU 38; TTU 38-CU 30; TTU 26-LT 24; TTU 42 – TSU 30; TTU 28 – NWST 8)… The Red Raiders outscored 35 of 37 opponents inside the paint last season by a combined 1,230-654 scoring advantage.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME REPORTS
• GAME ELEVEN (9-2): Tech rolled to its five straight win with a 111-67 victory over Houston Christian. Obanor and Harmon had 22 points each in a game where all 12 available players scored. Obanor added nine rebounds to fall one short of a double-double, while Harmon had a career-high nine assists to fall one short of a double-double. Batcho had missed the previous two games with an injury but returned to record his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylon Tyson added 11 points to give Tech four double-figure scorers in the game.
• GAME TEN (8-2): Tech rolled to a 102-52 win over Jackson State in a neutral-court game in Houston with D’Maurian Williams scoring 17 points with five 3-pointers and Kevin Obanor going for 16 points with three 3-pointers. Tech hit a season-high 13 3-pointers in the game with 10 coming in the second half. Williams had his season-high scoring performance with all 17 points coming in the second half. KJ Allen added a career-high 15 points and matched his season-best with seven rebounds while Tyson and Harmon both scored in double figures to give Tech five double-figure scorers in the game – three starters and two reserves. Tech led 52-17 at halftime.
• GAME NINE (7-2): Obanor recorded his first double-double of the season and 36th in his career with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 77-70 win over Eastern Washington, while Harmon added six steals and a season-high 19 points. Tech outscored EWU 48-41 in the second half after the teams were tied at 29 going into halftime. The Red Raiders owned a 40-18 scoring advantage in the paint, forced 21 turnovers and were 19-for-22 at the free-throw line to extend their home winning streak to 27 straight games.
• GAME EIGHT (6-2): Isaacs scored a career-high 24 points with five 3-pointers and Obanor had a season-best 20 points as Tech overcame an upset bid by Nicholls. Tech trailed by as many as 11 points in the game but would secure its 26th straight home win. Washington had a career-high 12 points with all 12 coming from the free-throw line. The Red Raiders were 29-for-46 at the free-throw line.
• GAME SEVEN (5-2): Tyson had a career night against Georgetown with 18 points (four 3-pointers) and nine rebounds, while Batcho recorded his second career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Harmon joined Tyson for the team lead with 18 points in a game where Obanor scored 11 points and Isaacs had 10 as all five starters scored in double figures in the same game for the first time this season. Tech shot 50.9 percent from the field while limiting the Hoyas to 44.6 percent. The Red Raiders hit a season-best eight 3-pointers with Tyson going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
• GAME SIX (4-2): Batcho posted a career-high 21 points and added six rebounds in an 80-73 loss to Ohio State in the final game in Maui. Obanor would add 19 points, while Harmon and Tyson both scored 10. The Buckeyes shot 51.9 percent from the field, made eight 3-pointers and owned a 10-2 scoring advantage on fastbreak points. Tech trailed at halftime for the first time this season (41-37) and never led in the second half.
• GAME FIVE (4-1): Obanor led Tech with 15 points while Batcho went off for a career-high 12 rebounds, nine points, three blocks and three steals in the dominating 70-38 victory over Louisville. Tech limited the Cardinals to 17.4 percent shooting in the first half and to 22.4 percent for the game. The Red Raiders owned a 32-12 scoring advantage in the paint and went on an 11-0 run after Louisville had started the game with a 3-pointer. The 38 points allowed were the fewest for a Tech team since the 2018-19 team held Incarnate Word to 37 and also fell one point short of the all-time Maui Invitational record. It was also the fewest points by a Louisville team since the 1981 season.
• GAME FOUR (3-1): Batcho went off for a career-high 17 points in the loss against Creighton where he was 7-for-12 from the field and added five rebounds. The game was tied 31-all at halftime before the No. 10 Bluejays pulled away in the second half. Isaacs also had a career-high with 13 points after going 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, while Harmon scored 12 and Obanor added 10 to give the Red Raiders four double-figure scorers for the first time this season.
• GAME THREE (3-0): Harmon and Obanor each finished with 15 points as Tech earned a 64-55 win over Louisiana Tech last Monday… Harmon matched career-highs with six assists and four steals in the game while Batcho had a career-high six blocked shots… Tech led by as many as 15 and never trailed in the game.
• GAME TWO (2-0): Obanor led Tech with 13 points and seven rebounds in the 78-54 win over Texas Southern on Thursday, Nov. 10… It was the 90th game Obanor scored in double figures and he also reached 900 career rebounds in the game… He was joined in double figures by Tyson who had a career-high 13 points and Harmon who had 12 points and a team-high three assists… Tech won the game by 24 points and only trailed for 42 seconds
• GAME ONE (1-0): Batcho led Tech with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the season-opening win over Northwestern State on Nov. 7… It was his first career start, first double-double, career-high in scoring and third career game in double-figure rebounds… Obanor and Walton had nine points each in the win, while Tyson had eight points and five rebounds
OFF AND RUNNING
• Tech has now won 23 straight season openers and is 71-27 in the first game of a season all-time after its win over Northwestern State on November 7 in Lubbock
• This year was the 25th straight season Tech opened its season at home
• Tech’s last loss to begin a season came against Indiana on November 19, 1999… That game was the first-ever in the USA which was then known as United Spirit Arena
RED RAIDER 20-WIN SEASONS (16 in 97 seasons)
1939-40: 21-7 – Berl Huffman
1948-49: 21-9 – Polk Robison
1953-54: 21-5 – Polk Robison
1975-76: 25-6 – Gerald Meyers
1976-77: 20-9 – Gerald Meyers
1984-85: 23-8 – Gerald Meyers
1994-95: 20-10 – James Dickey
1995-96: 30-2 – James Dickey
2001-02: 23-9 – Bob Knight
2002-03: 22-13 – Bob Knight
2003-04: 23-11 – Bob Knight
2004-05: 22-11 – Bob Knight
2006-07: 21-13 – Bob Knight
2017-18: 27-10 – Chris Beard
2018-19: 31-7 – Chris Beard (most wins in a season)
2021-22: 27-10 – Mark Adams
2022-23 AWARDS/WATCH LIST
Kevin Obanor: Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention; Julius Erving Award Watch List
Fardaws Aimaq: Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List
Daniel Batcho: Maui Jim Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team
LOOKING BACK | 2021-22 AWARDS / WATCH LISTS
Mark Adams: Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year; Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Bryson Williams: All-Big 12 1st Team; Big 12 All-Newcomer Team; Associated Press All-Big 12 1st Team; Big 12 Newcomer of Week (1/31, 2/21)
Kevin McCullar: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist; Academic All-Big 12 (1st Team)
Kevin Obanor: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (1/24)
Adonis Arms: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Terrence Shannon: Academic All-Big 12 (1st Team)
Marcus Santos-Silva: All-Big 12 Honorable Mention; Academic All-Big 12 (2nd Team)
Clarence Nadolny: Academic All-Big 12 (2nd Team)
LEGACY
Texas Tech spent the first and second day of October in Stanton, Texas at its annual team retreat working to continue building strong bonds for the season. The Red Raiders were at the Circle 6 Camp for two days with a theme of legacy that was designed to connect the past with the current team. Adams, shown holding up boxing gloves, talked with the current team about past players who helped build the program and also about how each of the current players owes it to themselves and the program to work hard every day to continue building the legacy that many have worked to build. The team opened up to each other through discussion and also had fun with multiple team-building activities.
RED RAIDERS IN THE NBA / G-LEAGUE
Adonis Arms: Grand Rapids Gold
Jarrett Culver: 2-Way (Atlanta Hawks/College Park Skyhawks)
Mac McClung: Delaware Blue Coats
Norense Odiase: Greensboro Swarm
Jahmi’us Ramsey: Oklahoma City Blue
Davion Warren: College Park Skyhawks
Bryson Williams: Ontario Clippers
TEXAS TECH FEATURE LINKS
Define Yourself – Video Series
Harmon – Feature
Aimaq – Feature
Pop Isaacs – Feature
Tyson – Feature
Obanor – Feature
Big 12 Media Day – Four Journeys
Formative Conversation – Players
Formative Conversation – Coaches
