Texas Tech’s exhibition at Kentucky offered a pretty clear glimpse of how Grant McCasland may piece together his lineup when the Red Raiders open the season at home against Jackson State.
The most stable part of the rotation appears to be the backcourt. Hofstra transfer Cruz Davis is set to handle the point as Texas Tech’s primary floor general in 2026-2027.
He comes in after averaging more than 20 points per game last season for the Pride and helping lead them to an NCAA tournament berth. The scoring is real, but Texas Tech will need more than that from him.
If Davis can become a reliable distributor for the players around him, he should fit the role McCasland needs. Even so, the Red Raiders will count on his ability to put the ball in the basket, and it would be a surprise if he didn’t play 30-plus minutes a night.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Damarion Dennis are the next options at the point, but Davis looks like the steady hand.
McCasland also added another high-volume scorer in Gibbs-Lawhorn, a UNLV transfer who arrives with a track record of putting up 20-plus points per game. Texas Tech won’t be short on offensive options with him in the mix.
Dennis should also have a meaningful role after handling himself well in the exhibition against Kentucky. Expect Gibbs-Lawhorn and Dennis to live around the 25-minute range.
On the wing, Donovan Atwell looks locked in as the starting small forward. He averaged 13.5 points last season and shot 45.6 percent from beyond the arc, which makes him difficult to keep on the bench for long stretches. Against Kentucky, he logged a little over 30 minutes, and that usage feels like a fair preview of what’s coming.
Darrion Williams is back in the starting five after his one-year run at NC State, and his importance may be even greater early on with JT Toppin and Jamichael Stillwell still out in the frontcourt. Williams played 37 minutes in the exhibition, a strong sign of how much Texas Tech needs him right now.
At 6-foot-6, he’s undersized for a power forward, but his physicality and versatility give the Red Raiders options all over the floor. Josiah Moseley is the main backup there and should help relieve him when needed.
The biggest swing spot remains center. Bassala Bagayoko is the likeliest starter, but he and Moseley are expected to split the work fairly evenly. Until Toppin and Stillwell are available, the frontcourt is the part of this roster that still carries the most uncertainty for Texas Tech.
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Jeff Traylor keeps coming up whenever the conversation turns to Texas Techs long-term coaching future, and it is easy to see why. He has built a strong profile at UTSA and has already passed on previous opportunities, including Texas Tech, which only adds to the sense that his next move would have to be the right one. For Red Raiders fans, his name stays in the mix because he represents the kind of proven Texas coach who can fit into bigger-picture conversations around the state.
The broader question is whether Traylor ever decides to leave the Group of Six grind for a higher-profile job in Texas, or even a landing spot such as Baylor if the timing lines up. UTSA has given him a platform, but it also comes with the realities that come with coaching at that level, where sustaining success can be a different challenge than chasing it at a Power Four school. Until he makes a move, though, his future remains one of the more intriguing threads in the states coaching market. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Red Raiders, the pressure point is obvious even before kickoff. Arizona has shown some vulnerability to interior pass pressure, and Texas Techs defense will need to hold up in the middle while the offense stays balanced enough to avoid letting the game speed up. If the Red Raiders can control tempo and force Arizona out of rhythm, they can make this a much more manageable night, but the margin for error is thin in a Big 12 race this tight. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Exit Puts Utahs Next Chapter In New Hands
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For Texas Tech and the rest of the league, the timing matters because Yormark is still expected to stay on through at least January 2027, giving the Big 12 a runway before its next era begins. Even so, his decision to move on to a role outside college sports puts the conferences next chapter in someone elses hands, and the search for what comes next will shape the league well beyond one more season. [Read more 🡒]