Texas Tech has some things to figure out before their season opener.

Texas Tech only had one chance to show the public what this team will look like before their season opener at home on November 2nd and the expectation is they will show out.

The loss to Kentucky on the road gave Grant McCasland and Co. plenty of film to evaluate, and certainly provided Texas Tech with many areas that need to be strengthened before the beginning of the season.

Efficiency in Guard Play

The Red Raider guards didn’t have the most efficient start in their first exhibition game against Kentucky. Starting guards Cruz Davis, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, and Donovan Atwell shot a combined 9-for-35, an ugly 25.7% rate.

I wouldn’t worry much about what the performance displayed, however. It seemed like it was just one of those nights for Texas Tech, as they continued to get good looks yet couldn’t get shots to fall. You’ll rarely see Atwell shoot that low a percentage this season, as the senior guard made 130 threes last season at a 45.8% rate.  

If Texas Tech wants to chase after the high expectations they have ahead of the season, they’ll need their backcourt to be one of the most elite units in college basketball, especially during the absence of JT Toppin.

Limit Simple Mistakes

In the exhibition loss to Kentucky, there were far too many simple mistakes, especially in the guard play. The Red Raiders only turned it over 11 times, but many of them could have, and should have, been easily avoided.

Most of the turnovers came from Cruz Davis and Donovan Atwell, who accounted for a combined 8 turnovers out of the team’s 11 total. Cleaner play up top from Cruz Davis will help this team go a long way, but I wouldn’t worry too much, as Davis averaged 2.5 turnovers per game last season, which is actually nearly one less per game than Christian Anderson’s output.

Defining Roles Among Roster

Finally, Texas Tech will need to define the roles among their roster ahead of the season opener. We talked about Cruz Davis leaning into a playmaking role for this team potentially, but many other players are in interesting situations.

Darrion Williams in particular is likely too short to match up well against other taller power forwards and would better fit as a small forward. However, Texas Tech’s roster doesn’t really allow for that, as Donovan Atwell and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn have the offensive ability that is needed in the starting lineup.

Identifying a primary scorer will be crucial as the season progresses, and Grant McCasland likely recognizes who that player should be. It will become clear who the primary scorer is.

Date: November 2, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. Central Time
Location: United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Texas
Last meeting: Texas Tech won 102-52 on Dec. 17, 2022, at Jackson State.

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