College Basketball Preseason Rankings: No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Top-25 College Basketball: Texas Tech Projected Roster & Outlook

In this series, we'll be taking a closer look at RotoWire's preseason college basketball top-25, with an in-depth roster analysis and projected rotation for the 2025-26 season for each team. Today's feature will be the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

11. Texas Tech

The second year of the Grant McCasland era at Texas Tech was one to remember. The Red Raiders mixed in a great transfer class that included JT Toppin, who won Big 12 Player of the Year honors, and Elijah Hawkins who was one of the top assists men in the country. That all said, there will be as sour taste in the mouth of all the returning players after they blew a late lead to eventual champion Florida in the Elite Eight. 

Coach McCasland got some great news that Toppin would return to the fold for his junior season, and he should be in the running for the Naismith Award. Christian Anderson will also return after a strong freshman campaign that saw him average double digits. 

The Red Raiders will have to replace three starters in Darrion Williams (15.1 PPG), Chance McMillian (14.2 PPG) and Elijah Hawkins (9.1 PPG, 6.5 APG), however. 

The good news is that they added some very nice pieces in the portal this cycle led by LeJuan Watts from Washington State. Watts is basically a carbon copy of Williams and should fit in seamlessly. They also added two great perimeter threats in Donovan Atwell and Tyeree Bryan, who should start on the wings. 

The one concern is that this team doesn't have a true point guard, and Christian Anderson will have to really change his play style to make all these pieces fit together. They also have a pretty unproven bench, albeit with a number of talented pieces who have a year under their belts in McCasland's system. 

When it's all said and done, however, Texas Tech will be one of the best offenses in the country that will be hard to keep up with for a lot of Big 12 teams.

Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.

2025-26 Texas Tech Basketball Projected Starting Lineup:

PG: Christian Anderson (10.6 PPG)

SG: Donovan Atwell (13.3 PPG, 3.0 3PM at UNC-Greensboro)

SF: Tyeree Bryan (10.4 PPG, 2.1 3PM at Santa Clara)

PF: LeJuan Watts (13.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.4 APG at Washington State)

C: JT Toppin (18.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.5 BPG)

Key Reserves: Josiah Moseley (2.0 PPG at Villanova), Luke Bamgboye (3.8 PPG at VCU), Corbin Green (Redshirted), Marial Akuentok (Redshirted), Nolan Groves (3-star Freshman), Leon Horner (Redshirted), Jazz Henderson (Redshirted)

Following another active transfer portal period, RotoWire's college basketball depth charts are updated with the latest in roster movement.

2025-26 Full Preseason College Basketball Top-25

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11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
12. Auburn Tigers
13. Arkansas Razorbacks
14. UCLA Bruins
15. Alabama Crimson Tide
16. Iowa State Cyclones
17. Arizona Wildcats
18. Michigan State Spartans
19. Gonzaga Bulldogs
20. Kansas Jayhawks
21. Tennessee Volunteers
22. North Carolina Tar Heels
23. Oregon Ducks
24. Illinois Fighting Illini
25. Wisconsin Badgers