No. 12 Texas Tech has used its grit and overall depth to make plenty of statements through its first 18 games of the season.
The Red Raiders hope to continue their good fortune on Tuesday when they square off with struggling Baylor in a Big 12 Conference clash in Waco, Texas.
Texas Tech (14-4, 4-1 Big 12) enters the matchup on the heels of a rousing 84-71 home win over then-No. 11 BYU on Saturday. Star forward JT Toppin collected 27 points and 12 rebounds to record his seventh straight double-double and 12th of the season.
Seventeen of Toppin’s points came in the second half as he spurred Texas Tech’s comeback from nine points down with 9:26 left. A 22-4 run over the ensuing seven minutes pushed the Red Raiders to a 74-65 lead and Tech finished off the game by making eight free throws over the final two-plus minutes.
“We were making mistakes that was getting us down,” Toppin said after the win. “We just told ourselves to stay together. We’ve been in tough situations like that in (nonconference play) and are kind of used to it. We stayed together and the outcome was great.”
Christian Anderson added 22 points and seven assists for the Red Raiders while LeJuan Watts racked up 20 points and eight rebounds. Texas Tech has won three straight games and seven of its past eight outings.
“Our guys believed we were going to win the game but we had to do it in a very defensive way,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “The last 10 minutes we probably played the best defense we’ve played this year. For as many minutes as our guys played, the grit shows a ton about the compete level. We are believing we can win no matter what it takes.”
All four of the Red Raiders’ losses this season have been to teams ranked in the top 17 of the AP poll, with three of those by a combined 15 points.
The Bears (11-6, 1-4) head home after an 80-62 loss at Kansas on Friday. Baylor has dropped four of its past five games and finds itself in an unfamiliar position near the bottom of the conference standings.
Cameron Carr led the Bears with 24 points and five 3-pointers in Friday’s setback, while Tounde Yessoufou added 18 points. Both Yessoufou and Carr have scored in double figures in every game this season.
Baylor shot 36.1% from the field and was dominated in close range shots and points in the lane.
“You’re not going to win any games anywhere when you’re outscored 42-18 in the paint,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Winning conference games is on our mind right now. We have got to get better, and we have to learn to finish and win close games.
“In the second half we didn’t get stops and when we missed shots were didn’t get offensive rebounds. For us to be good we have to be really good defensively and we weren’t for the most part (against Kansas). Our margin of error is not great so at the end of the day we have got to keep getting better.”
Texas Tech has won the past two games in the series with the Bears — both at home — in March 2024 and February 2025, respectively. Tuesday’s contest is the only one between the teams this season.
–Field Level Media
