With Donovan Atwell back in the fold, Texas Tech’s roster is essentially set, pending reversals in the courts. And on paper, it’s a monster: at least nine deep with high-end talent and, as the source puts it, the saltiest team in program history.
That hasn’t stopped the national chatter from underselling the Red Raiders. ESPN, according to the source, is acting like it somehow missed Texas Tech landing the top shooter in college hoops, and Joey Lunardi has the Red Raiders sitting at an eyebrow-raising No. 5 seed in his current bracketology.
The idea here is that the skepticism could end up helping Texas Tech, not hurting it. If the preseason buzz stays muted, the pressure that comes with being ranked in the very top tier may never fully land on this group.
At full strength, though, this team doesn’t look like it should be taking a backseat to anybody - not even Duke or Florida. The projected starters are Cruz Davis at point guard, Donovan Atwell at shooting guard, Darrion Williams at small forward, and JT Toppin at power forward once he comes back from injury.
Davis is one of the more interesting pieces in the group. If his assist-to-turnover ratio holds and he shows up every night, he could be an upgrade over Christian Anderson even without the flashier numbers.
Anderson had plenty of talent, but the source says he was often swallowed up by bigger defenders and never figured out how to deal with double teams and screen blitzes. Davis, by contrast, is described as steadier under pressure and less likely to fold against physical defenders.
That matters because Atwell’s game could explode next to him. Texas Tech knows exactly what it has in Atwell as a shooter - he’s called arguably the best 3-point shooter in program history - and the more dangerous the interior becomes, the harder it gets to run him off the line.
Last season, the Red Raiders had one major inside force in Toppin. This year, they could have three: Toppin, Williams and Bassala Bagayoko.
If Davis handles pressure better than Anderson did, Atwell may be in line for a huge season.
And Atwell’s value isn’t just about offense. The source says he was an absolute lock-down defender last year, shutting down top Big XII scorers, including high NBA draft picks. That side of his game, the article argues, hasn’t gotten nearly enough credit.
Behind Davis and Atwell, Texas Tech has more options in Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Dakari Spear. Both could start some games depending on the matchup.
Gibbs-Lawhorn is viewed as an instant-offense type, while Spear is expected to back up Davis at the point and could grow into a strong defender. In plenty of seasons, those two would have been clear-cut starters in their own right.
The frontcourt is where things get really nasty. Toppin and Williams are the familiar names, and Toppin’s return date is still unknown.
When he’s healthy, the source calls him quite possibly the best big man in college basketball. He’s nearly automatic with the baby hook in the midrange, attacks the offensive glass relentlessly, and brings real force to the paint.
Williams gives Texas Tech another bruising presence. He’s described as the older guy in the YMCA who nobody can stop: not flashy athletically, but strong, reliable from the standstill three, and clutch when the game tightens. Together, he and Toppin make a formidable one-two punch.
Then there’s Bagayoko, a 6-foot-10 athlete who runs the floor like a guard and jumps like a spring. At minimum, he’s a lob threat on offense and a rim protector on defense.
If he shares the floor with Toppin, the source says attacking the rim becomes a dangerous proposition. Bagayoko is also coming back from a knee injury that was even worse than Toppin’s, and how quickly both bigs return to form may decide whether Texas Tech reaches the Elite Eight or wins it all.
Texas Tech’s depth doesn’t stop there. Jamichael Stillwell and Josiah Moseley, both 6-foot-8 forwards, add even more to the mix.
Stillwell was one of UCF’s best players last season and brings a physical, aggressive style inside, along with surprising ball skills for someone his size. The source says it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup.
Moseley is a returnee who started to emerge late last season after coming back from injury. He played only 14 games, but shot 69 [!]
percent from the floor, averaged six points and four rebounds, and even looked comfortable from three. With a full offseason and more hard basketball under his belt, the source suggests his ceiling could rise quickly.
Add it all up, and Texas Tech looks loaded nine deep with players who can swing games, with a few who may end up in the NBA. The source’s bottom line is simple: this group should steamroll most opponents. The biggest challenge for Grant McCasland may be keeping them sharp and uncomfortable, because if they stay on edge, there won’t be many teams in college basketball that can survive the matchup.
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