Texas Tech enters the season with plenty to like, but one issue keeps staring back at Grant McCasland’s group: size.
The Red Raiders are leaning small early, and that makes the rebounding battle the clear concern. Bassala Bagayoko, at 6’10”, is the tallest player projected to play meaningful minutes.
Even that changes once Jamichael Stillwell is back in the rotation, pending his eligibility. If Stillwell starts at the five, Texas Tech would not have anyone in the lineup taller than 6’8”.
That leaves the Red Raiders asking a lot from a pair of smaller guards in Cruz Davis and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, listed at 6’3” and 6’1”. Against bigger Big 12 opponents, that kind of size gap can show up fast on the glass.
Texas Tech was merely average in rebounding last season, and this year’s setup could make that area even harder to manage. The simplest answer is to hold on until JT Toppin returns. Before his injury, he averaged 10.8 rebounds per game, and his presence changes the equation immediately.
Until then, the burden shifts to the rest of the frontcourt. Bagayoko will be especially important in the opening stretch. He may not bring the most physical style in the paint, but his length gives Texas Tech a fighting chance against teams with more size.
The goal isn’t for the Red Raiders to overwhelm anyone inside. They just need to survive the early stretch and stay competitive until they are whole again. That could make non-conference games like Illinois and Duke tougher, but Texas Tech’s talent and experience may help offset some of the disadvantages created by the roster’s lack of height.
Darrion Williams, working as a smaller power forward at 6’6”, will also have to do his part. He has shown he can handle physical work on the perimeter and around the basket, and that toughness will matter if Texas Tech is going to mask its size issue.
For now, there’s no reason to panic. But the height shortage is real, and it will be one of the first things to watch when the Red Raiders tip off against Jackson State on November 2nd. If this team brings enough physicality and intensity, it can help make up for what it lacks in size, and the frontcourt should settle in more by the time conference play arrives.
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His absence has shown up most clearly in short-yardage and red-zone situations, where the Red Raiders have struggled to finish drives. Getting Dickey back should give Texas Tech a better chance to convert those chances into points, even if it does not solve every issue in an offense that has still been searching for rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona will lean on Noah Fifita, who is set to make his 42nd consecutive start and remains the steadying force of the offense, while Texas Tech is hopeful to get running back Cameron Dickey back from injury. For the Red Raiders, that potential return matters because depth and balance could prove decisive against a team that has already shown it can handle Big 12 pressure, and this one should tell plenty about how far Tech has come in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech's New-Look Roster May Need One Thing To Survive Early
Texas Tech is heading into the season with a roster that barely resembles last years group, and the early returns are likely to be shaped as much by chemistry as by talent. Nine newcomers are in the mix, including eight first-time Red Raiders, and the rebuilding process comes with an immediate wrinkle: injuries to key post players JT Toppin and possibly Jamichael Stillwell leave the team thinner inside than it hoped to be when camp opened.
That means the Red Raiders may have to lean heavily on the perimeter just to get through the non-conference stretch, a risky place to live with several opponents bringing strong frontcourts. For a team still trying to sort out roles and rotations, the early schedule could turn into a stress test for how well this group can space the floor, defend bigger lineups and survive before the roster gets closer to full strength. [Read more 🡒]