The Texas Tech Red Raiders are headed back to the NCAA Tournament and will open March Madness against the Akron Zips on Friday morning.
The No. 5-seeded Red Raiders will face No. 12-seeded Akron at 11:40 a.m. CST Friday in a Midwest Region First Round matchup at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. The winner of the game will advance to the Second Round on Sunday, where they will face either No. 4 Alabama or No. 13 Hofstra.
Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said the program expects to be playing in March and understands the challenge that comes with it.
“It’s an expectation here that we are playing in the NCAA Tournament,” McCasland said. “Not only to play in it, but to win and make a run. These 5-12 games are always dangerous. Akron is a really strong team, and our focus is simply getting better every day as we prepare.”
Strong Region Awaits Red Raiders
The Midwest Region features several powerhouse programs. Michigan earned the No. 1 seed, followed by Iowa State (No. 2) and Virginia (No. 3). Other notable teams in the region include Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia.
Akron enters the tournament with an impressive 29-5 overall record, including 17-1 in Mid-American Conference play. The Zips earned their tournament berth by winning the MAC Tournament, defeating Buffalo, Kent State, and Toledo. Akron comes into Friday’s matchup riding a 10-game winning streak, including a 79-76 win over Toledo in the conference championship game.
Friday’s game will mark the first-ever meeting between Texas Tech and Akron.
Red Raiders Back in the Dance
Texas Tech enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-10 record and will make its third consecutive tournament appearance and the 22nd in program history.
The Red Raiders have experienced significant postseason success in recent years. Over the past decade, Texas Tech has reached the NCAA Tournament eight times and compiled a 14-7 record in the tournament.
Highlights of the program’s recent success include:
- Elite Eight appearances in 2018 and 2025
- National Championship Game appearance in 2019
- Sweet 16 appearance in 2022
Last season, the Red Raiders advanced to the Elite Eight, defeating UNC Wilmington, Drake, and Arkansas before falling to Florida, which went on to win the national championship.
McCasland has now led Texas Tech to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons as head coach.
A Season of Big Wins
Texas Tech has been ranked nationally throughout the season and was ranked No. 10 in the preseason AP Top 25, the highest preseason ranking in program history. The Red Raiders enter the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 16 nationally, along with a No. 19 NCAA NET ranking and No. 20 in KenPom ratings.
The Red Raiders have recorded several major wins this season, including:
- A neutral-site victory over No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden
- A home win over No. 6 Houston
- Road wins over No. 1 Arizona and No. 4 Iowa State
Texas Tech finished the year 4-3 against Top 10 teams and 3-1 against Top 5 opponents, marking one of the strongest resumes in program history.
Key Players Leading the Way
Texas Tech has been powered this season by standout performances from Christian Anderson and JT Toppin, both of whom earned All-Big 12 First Team honors.
The duo are also the only teammates in the nation both named to the Wooden Award ballot, recognizing the nation’s top college basketball players.
Unfortunately, the Red Raiders will enter the tournament without Toppin, who suffered a season-ending injury on February 17. At the time of the injury, Toppin was having a remarkable season, ranking among the national leaders with:
- 21.8 points per game
- 10.8 rebounds per game
- 16 double-doubles
Meanwhile, sophomore point guard Christian Anderson continues to lead the Red Raiders offense. Anderson averages 18.9 points per game and leads the Big 12 with 7.6 assists per game, ranking fourth nationally. He has also set a Texas Tech single-season record with 236 assists.
Sharpshooter Donovan Atwell has also been a major contributor, averaging 13.5 points per game while shooting 45.4 percent from three-point range. Atwell enters the NCAA Tournament having made 124 three-pointers this season, breaking the school’s single-season record.
Other contributors include:
- LeJuan Watts: 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game
- Freshman Jaylen Petty: 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game
Together, Anderson and Atwell have combined for 229 made three-pointers, the most by any pair of teammates in the nation this season.
One of the Nation’s Best Three-Point Teams
The Red Raiders have built their offense around strong perimeter shooting.
Texas Tech has made 369 three-pointers this season, the second-most in program history, and ranks:
- 1st in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (11.5)
- 5th nationally in three-pointers made per game
- 6th nationally in three-point shooting percentage (39.3%)
The Red Raiders have hit 10 or more three-pointers in 25 of their 32 games this season and have shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc in 17 games.
Texas Tech enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 80.4 points per game while holding opponents to 72.6 points per contest.
McCasland’s Tournament Experience
Friday’s game will mark the 104th game of Grant McCasland’s tenure at Texas Tech, where he currently holds a 73-30 record.
Overall, McCasland owns a 284-119 career record as a head coach and has now led four different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
He also previously guided North Texas to a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Purdue in 2021, and served as an assistant coach at Baylor, where he helped the Bears reach the Elite Eight in 2012 and the Sweet 16 in 2014.
Now the focus turns to Friday morning’s matchup with Akron, where the Red Raiders hope to begin another deep March run.