Grant McCasland is back to lead the Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball team into his second season and has a team built to compete in the Big 12.
He got the Red Raiders back into the NCAA tournament in his first season, as Texas Tech went 23-11 overall and finished in a tie for third in the Big 12 with an 11-7 record.
Now, McCasland has his sights set on getting the Red Raiders an NCAA Tournament win this season.
The Red Raiders have a roster with a little bit more stability this season, as McCasland was able to hang on to six of last year’s players, including his best interior player from last season, who suffered a season-ending injury in December.
He was able to lean more into prep recruiting in this cycle, though he also brought in four new transfers.
Here’s a preview of the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ upcoming season.
Odds
BetOnline’s opening odds gave the Red Raiders +8000 odds to win the national title. The Big 12 coaches picked Texas Tech to finish seventh in the preseason poll. The Red Raiders were not ranked in the AP preseason Top 25.
Three Players to Watch
F Devan Cambridge: One of last year’s top transfers (from new Big 12 member Arizona State) only played eight games but averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. He should have his injury issues behind him and will give the Red Raiders an immediate jolt in the frontcourt.
G Darrion Williams: He finished with an impressive season, as he averaged 11.4 points. He was one of several sharp-shooters from outside, as he finished the year firing 45.8% from the 3-point line. The Red Raiders are going to work to get him the basketball as often as possible.
F JT Toppin: He could be the most impactful transfer in the class. The New Mexico forward was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season after he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. Toppin looks like a natural starter as the season is set to begin.
Biggest Strength
Three-point shooting. This is something the Red Raiders have struggled with the past several years, but they shouldn’t struggle with it this year. Williams made an obvious impact last season. But the Red Raiders have two other guards that can fill it up from distance and stretch out the opposing defense. Chance McMillan, one of the Red Raiders’ top bench players was 39% from distance. Kerwin Walton shot 47.8% from the arc and made as many as Williams. Combined they averaged 19 points per game. Transfer guard Elijah Hawkins can fill it up, too. This group will compete with any in the conference from distance.
Biggest Weakness
Frontcourt depth. Cambridge should slide back into the starting lineup and Toppin should start as well. After that? Well that’s an interesting question. Williams is listed as a forward but is really a guard. Federiko Federiko, a transfer from Pitt, is probably the first forward or center off the bench and the Red Raiders may only need to get 8-10 minutes from him. But the Red Raiders likely want to avoid a high workload for both Cambridge and Toppin early in the season. The development of sophomore forward Eemeli Yalaho could be critical to easing the workload for the starters.
Season Prediction
The Red Raiders should be in the mix to be a Top 4 team in the Big 12 this season. While five teams are ranked in the AP Preseason Top 10 and Cincinnati is a trendy Top 25 team, McCasland has built a quality team with great outside shooting and a potential tandem of Cambridge and Toppin inside. The frontcourt depth is of some concern, especially if Cambridge gets hurt again. But looking ahead this is a team with a baseline of 20 wins and a range up to 23 wins going into the Big 12 Tournament in March.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
