McCasland details Texas Tech's disciplined defensive masterclass against BYU and their critical second-half surge, highlighting player growth and a newfound team identity.
Texas Tech didn’t just beat a top-15 team Saturday night - it announced who it wants to be in the Big 12.
In an 84-71 win over No. 11 BYU, the Red Raiders flipped the script with toughness, discipline and a defensive edge that would’ve been unrecognizable a few months ago.
Head coach Grant McCasland sounded less surprised than satisfied, like a teacher watching a student finally ace a concept they’ve been drilling all semester.
The headliner was the defensive job on BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa. Tech held the projected NBA lottery pick to a season-low 13 points, and McCasland made sure the credit landed where it belonged.
“Give Don credit,” McCasland said of Donovan Atwell. “If you take from the first day of practice to now, every game, every practice, Donovan Atwell has been the guy that’s shown up every day… tried to guard the other team’s best player.”
That effort wasn’t about highlight blocks or steals. It was about discipline. Dybantsa lived at the free-throw line most of the season - until Saturday.
“AJ drew one foul and got to the line one time,” McCasland explained. “That’s the nuance of defending great players — contest straight up, give space, don’t bail them out.”
But defense alone didn’t swing the game.
Down nine midway through the second half, Tech ripped off a blistering 27-6 run that turned the arena into chaos. McCasland warned against treating that surge like a breakthrough moment.
“In our league, you better double down on what puts you in position to win and not think you’ve arrived,” he said. “On the road, you can get beat by anybody - and get beat bad.”
For McCasland, the biggest takeaway wasn’t the scoreboard. It was the evolution since early-season struggles.
“Take us back to the Illinois game - we could score, but we couldn’t guard,” he said. “Now our guys are yelling ‘defense’ in the huddles. They’re communicating.”
He saved his strongest praise for JT Toppin.
“He used to be upset about missing free throws,” McCasland said. “Now he’s upset about not playing good defense. That shows you how far we’ve come.”
Texas Tech didn’t win this game because it got hot. It won because it grew up - and in the Big 12, that might matter more than anything else.