Texas Tech basketball focusing on depth, defense as Red Raiders prepare for 2024-25 season

The first week of practice has everybody on the Texas Tech basketball team feeling good about the season ahead.

That’s usually the case in September when all the pieces start coming together and games are still six weeks out. On the surface, Grant McCasland has a much deeper team in his second year as head coach of the Red Raiders, who tied for third in the Big 12 standings before falling to eventual Final Four team NC State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

McCasland also knows that on paper, and on court, are two very different things.

“Every coach thinks they’re deep this time of year,” McCasland said after Thursday’s practice, “and then you get to the season and you realize you need more. I do think we’re at a great start in regards to guys that understand what we’re trying to do as a team. When you have that and they are excited about being a part of this, I do think you see how the depth would be an advantage for us. With this group, up to this point, we can go deep than what we did last year and it’s a credit to these guys because of their work.”

Getting players like Darrion Williams — a third team all-Big 12 selection last year — plus sharpshooters Chance McMillian and Kerwin Walton back for another year was a great starting point for McCasland. From there, he and his staff hit the transfer portal to build around them, bringing in point guard Elijah Hawkins (Minnesota), guard Kevin Overton (Drake), and big men Federiko Federiko (Pittsburgh) and JT Toppin (New Mexico).

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Tech also got a late commitment from four-star guard Christian Anderson, who has already generated some buzz in the preseason. Anderson helped lead Germany to the FIBA U18 Eurobasket championship during the summer. He had 31 points and five assists in the title win over Serbia in early August.

“Christian’s a winner and it’s evidenced by his whole career,” McCasland said. “… Just to win gold and do what he did, you can tell he really understands how to play and as a freshman, I think if you’re going to make an impact, that’s probably the most significant thing you need to have is an understanding of what everybody does. And then he’s just got a great composure. He’s a good athlete and a great basketball player.”

Williams — while trying to avoid McMillian causing a ruckus during his interview session — said the biggest thing this year’s Texas Tech team needs to improve is its defense, especially at the beginning of the year.

“I think towards the end we got better,” Williams said. “Injuries kind of held us back a little, but I think just coaches have put a big emphasis on defense this summer and moving into official practice now.”

The Red Raiders also added a new player to the roster this week in the form of Corbin Green from Air Force. McCasland said Green showed up to campus and, along with his mom, met with the coach hoping to find a place to continue his basketball career.

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A 6-foot-5 junior, Green appeared in 12 games for the Falcons last year, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He made 12 starts in 24 games as a freshman when he was fourth in the Mountain West in total blocks (34).

McCasland said Green’s arrival adds some more depth, and provides another body as Devan Cambridge continues to work his way back from his season-ending knee injury suffered last December. Cambridge is currently going through non-contact workouts, such as 5-on-0 and team shooting drills. McCasland said back in June the hope was to have Cambridge at full strength by the time Big 12 play rolls around in late December.

Texas Tech basketball learns Big 12 Conference schedule

Speaking of conference play, the Big 12 Conference officially released its schedule for the 2024-25 season.

Playing a 20-game league schedule on the men’s side this season, Texas Tech will begin conference play Dec. 31 at home against UCF with the regular-season finale set for March 8 at Arizona State. The Big 12 tournament is scheduled for March 11-15 in the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

The Red Raiders have a tough slate to end January and begin February, a four-game stretch that sees Tech hosting TCU, visiting Houston, welcoming Baylor back to United Supermarkets Arena and heading to Tucson for a matchup with Arizona in succession.

Other key games include Houston’s trip to Lubbock on Feb. 24, home games against Iowa State (Jan. 11) and Arizona (Jan. 18) and the lone matchup with Kansas, which comes March 1 in Lawrence.

Find the complete Texas Tech men’s basketball schedule for the 2024-25 season below.

2024-25 Texas Tech men’s basketball schedule

• Nov. 5: Bethune-Cookman, 7 p.m., ESPN+

• Nov. 8: Northwestern State, 7 p.m., ESPN+

• Nov. 13: Wyoming, 7 p.m., ESPN+

• Nov. 18: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 7 p.m., ESPN+

• Legends Classic — Barclays Center, Brooklyn

  • Nov. 21: Saint Joseph’s, 8 p.m., ESPN2

  • Nov. 22: Texas or Syracuse, TBD, ESPNU

• Nov. 29: Northern Colorado, 7 p.m., ESPN+

• Big 12-Big East Battle — United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock

• US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge — Dickies Arena, Fort Worth

• Dec. 16: Oral Roberts, 7 p.m., ESPN+

• Dec. 21: Lamar, noon, ESPN+

• Dec. 31: UCF, TBD

• Jan. 4: at Utah, TBD

• Jan. 7: at BYU, TBD

• Jan. 11: Iowa State, TBD

• Jan. 14: at Kansas State, TBD

• Jan. 18: Arizona, TBD

• Jan. 21: at Cincinnati, TBD

• Jan. 26: Oklahoma State, TBD

• Jan. 29: TCU, TBD

• Feb. 1: at Houston, TBD

• Feb. 4: Baylor, TBD

• Feb. 8: at Arizona, TBD

• Feb. 12: Arizona State, TBD

• Feb. 15: at Oklahoma State, TBD

• Feb. 18: at TCU, TBD

• Feb. 22: West Virginia, BD

• Feb. 24: Houston, TBD

• March 1: at Kansas, TBD

• March 5: Colorado, TBD

• March 8: at Arizona State, TBD

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Defense a focus for Texas Tech basketball in 2024-25 campaign