Texas Tech’s weekend slate brings two very different tests, but both carry the same basic question: can the Red Raiders keep rolling?
First up is the men’s basketball team, which hosts Stonehill on Saturday in Lubbock. Tipoff is set for 1:00 PM EST or Noon CT at United Supermarkets Arena, with ESPN+ carrying the game. Stonehill arrives at 1-2, and while the Skyhawks are not being framed as a throwaway opponent, Texas Tech is still expected to handle business.
The Skyhawks are in the middle of a transition of their own. They are set to move conferences next July, leaving their current league, where they are grouped with Fairleigh Dickinson, for the Metro Conference.
That move will put Stonehill alongside teams such as Iona, St. Peters, Siena, Niagra, and others.
The program has been a Division 1 men’s basketball team since the 2022-23 season, and this year’s roster features 11 new players.
Stonehill’s season has already included losses to Fordham and Columbia. The Skyhawks also opened with a win over the Curry Colonels, a non-Division 1 opponent.
Against Columbia, they led 36-34 at halftime behind forward Ewan Steele, who finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds, and guard Eli Greenberg, who had 6 assists. But the second half slipped away, even with Stonehill outscoring Columbia in the paint 24-18.
Early production has come from Jack Medalie, who is averaging 11.0 PPG, Devon Arlington at 7.0 RPG, and Greenberg at 4.3 APG.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, has looked sharp from the start. The Red Raiders are 3-0 after opening with home wins over Jackson State, 76-42, and Bethune-Cookman, 76-58, before knocking off No.
3 Illinois, 84-78, on Tuesday. Cruz Davis led the way in that win with 20 points and 5 assists, while Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 15 points, Donovan Atwell had 13 points and 5 steals, and Jamichael Stillwell posted 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Texas Tech forced 16 turnovers and came away with 13 steals in the upset.
Saturday night in Stillwater brings a much bigger spotlight for the football team. No.
12 Texas Tech heads to face No. 25 Oklahoma State at a sold-out Boone Pickens Stadium, with kickoff set for 9:30 PM EST on ESPN.
The Red Raiders are 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 play, and this one matters for both their CFP hopes and their push toward the Big 12 title game.
Thomas Castellanos has settled in as the full-time starter, and this will be his third game as the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback. He’s coming off a huge performance in last week’s 53-48 win over West Virginia, when he ran for 102 yards and threw for 362 yards and five touchdowns.
Texas Tech also brings a dangerous pass rush led by A.J. Holmes Jr., who has 7.5 sacks, and a steady ground game from J’Koby Williams, who has 954 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns and has topped 160 rushing yards in three of his last four games.
Oklahoma State has been just as explosive at home. The Cowboys are 4-0 in Stillwater under first-year head coach and former Texas Tech alum Eric Morris, and they’ve averaged 57.3 points over their last three games.
Last weekend’s 66-28 win over Kansas State was the latest example. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has piled up 2,962 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, while Justin Bowick has 790 receiving yards and 10 scores, Wyatt Young has 763 yards and 8 touchdowns, and Caleb Hawkins has become a Doak Walker Award contender with 1,081 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
Texas Tech has taken the last two meetings in the series, winning 56-48 in Stillwater in 2024 and 42-0 in Lubbock last season. That gives the Red Raiders a 25-24-3 edge all-time. Oklahoma State is listed as the home favorite, but Texas Tech’s recent form and national ranking make this look like another tight one.
The women’s basketball team also gets its turn, taking on Auburn on Saturday night. Texas Tech is 2-0, Auburn is 3-0, and the Red Raiders are expected to keep their undefeated start intact. The game is set for 6 PM.
In Other News...
TCU Just Added A Big Man Texas Tech Fans Should Notice
TCUs frontcourt got a notable late boost this week with the official signing of center Robbie Avila, a transfer from Saint Louis who arrives with an extra year of NCAA eligibility. For Texas Tech fans keeping an eye on the Big 12 landscape, it is the kind of move that can matter down the line, especially when a rival program adds a big man who is known for bringing more than just size to the floor.
Avilas arrival comes at a useful time for the Horned Frogs after junior center Luke Bamgboye was injured, leaving some uncertainty up front. TCU is clearly looking for versatility in that group, and Avila gives it another option as the roster takes shape. The timing of his move also adds a little extra intrigue, since his path to Fort Worth was shaped in part by Saint Louis being denied permission to add a 16th player to its roster. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Has Momentum Everywhere Except One Painful Question
Texas Tech has had no shortage of good news around campus lately, with several programs building momentum at the same time. The Lady Raiders are set to host Auburn and have already added three recruits to their 2027 class, the mens basketball team is coming off a win and getting ready to host Stonehill, and JKoby Williams has put himself in the national spotlight as a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award.
Even so, one of the more frustrating reminders of how quickly a season can turn came from the soccer pitch, where Texas Tech was knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in a 2-1 overtime loss to Baylor. It is the kind of result that lingers because the Red Raiders had plenty else to celebrate across the athletic department, yet the tournament exit leaves a painful question hanging over the program as the rest of the school keeps moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Big 12 Playoff Push
The Big 12s playoff conversation has picked up a different kind of heat lately, and Texas Tech is right in the middle of it. On a recent discussion, Josh Pate and Joel Klatt pointed to Utah, BYU and the Red Raiders as teams that could give the league a legitimate path into the College Football Playoff, a notable shift for a conference that has spent plenty of time trying to prove it belongs in the national picture.
What makes the discussion even more interesting from a Texas Tech perspective is the broader change in how the league is being viewed. Pate and Klatt suggested the Big 12 may have a stronger playoff resume than the Big Ten this season, and they even floated the possibility of the conference landing three bids. For a league that has often been fighting for respect, that kind of scenario would mark a real turning point. [Read more 🡒]