Texas Tech looks to extend its 44-game non-conference home win streak vs. Northern Colorado before a top-3 showdown with Duke at Madison Square Garden.
The No. 19 Texas Tech Red Raiders are entering a make-or-break stretch that could define their non-conference slate, and it all starts Tuesday night in Lubbock.
Riding a dominant 44-game non-conference home win streak, the Red Raiders will host Northern Colorado at United Supermarkets Arena, where head coach Grant McCasland boasts a flawless 21-0 record in out-of-conference play.
Tech is a perfect 5-0 at home this season and hasn't lost a non-conference home game since a 2020 thriller vs. No. 15 Kentucky.
Tuesday's matchup serves as a tune-up before the marquee showdown with a Saturday clash against No. 3 Duke in New York. But Northern Colorado isn't walking into a scrimmage ... Tech is looking to bounce back from a 93-86 loss to Arkansas in Dallas, their most porous defensive performance of the year.
Still, the Red Raiders have firepower.
JT Toppin ranks second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in scoring at 21.8 points per game. Christian Anderson is feeding the offense with 7.6 assists per contest, best in the Big 12 and fourth in the country, and adds nearly 20 points per night.
Supporting cast? No problem.
LeJuan Watts, Donovan Atwell, Tyeree Bryan, and Jaylen Petty all bring scoring depth. Atwell just hit the 1,000-point career mark, and Watts is nearly averaging a double-double.
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game (10.9) and has already buried 17 in a single game this season, a program record. They're hitting 37.1 percent from deep and boast a 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tuesday's game tips off at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. For McCasland’s squad, the goal is clear in protecting the fortress, locking in defensively, and sending a message before the national spotlight hits the Garden this weekend.