Texas Tech On a Roll But Wary of Oklahoma State’s Defense

Texas Tech Basketball vs. Oklahoma State Press Conference

Fresh off arguably the most surprising performance on the opening day of Big 12 Conference play, Texas Tech gets back to work against an opponent who nearly pulled off the same kind of effort.

The Red Raiders entertain Oklahoma State in the second game of the league season on Tuesday in Lubbock, Texas, and both teams have cause for early optimism.

Texas Tech went to Austin and knocked off then-No. 20 Texas 78-67 on Saturday for a seventh win in a row with a strong performance from start to finish.

In Stillwater, Oklahoma State lost a late lead to then-No. 18 Baylor and fell 75-70 in overtime despite a stout defensive effort.

Cowboy guard Bryce Thompson missed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left in OT, marking the fifth time this season the Cowboys (8-6, 0-1 Big 12) have missed potential game-tying or game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds.

That came after an OSU turnover with 19 seconds to go when Baylor was clinging to a 71-70 lead.

“That was probably the best 40 minutes of basketball we have played this year,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said. “We’re still continuing to grow.”

The Red Raiders (12-2, 1-0) appear to have hit their growth spurt under first-year coach Grant McCasland.

With a restructured roster featuring several transfer portal additions and a handful of returnees led by Pop Isaacs, Texas Tech has gained momentum and hasn’t lost since the last weekend of November. The challenge last week was working through the news of a civil lawsuit for sexual assault filed against Isaacs.

Isaacs, who has been cleared to play by the university for now, scored 21 points against the Longhorns and notched six of the last nine points to help Texas Tech extend the lead.

Joe Toussaint and Warren Washington each provided 15 points for the Red Raiders, Toussaint with 13 in the first half to help build a lead that Texas could never overcome.

Oklahoma State couldn’t close out a tough defensive performance against Baylor despite leading 60-56 with 1:56 left in regulation after Brandon Garrison‘s jumper, part of his career-best 20 points.

The Cowboys flustered Baylor into a 2-for-15 shooting performance from the 3-point arc and their backcourt defense has McCasland’s attention.

“They really guard the ball and get after it defensively,” McCasland said of Oklahoma State. “There is a lot of urgency with this game and knowing how they compete, we have to come out ready to match their intensity.”

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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