Texas Tech basketball is celebrating its 100th year as a program this season, with the official anniversary of the Red Raiders’ first game coming Jan. 25.
In a century of Red Raider basketball, there have been plenty of names associated with the program, from its first coach Grady Higgenbotham to current leader Grant McCasland. Texas Tech has gone from games against Daniel Baker College to annual games against Kansas and a 2019 trip to the NCAA final.
In commemorate the anniversary, we took a look at the top seasons and players in program history. It was no easy task whittling the lists down to a Top 10, but we had to cut it off somewhere.
Top 10 seasons in Texas Tech basketball history
1. 2018-2019
Highlights: Led by Lubbock native Jarrett Culver and head coach Chris Beard, these Red Raiders won the most games in program history (31) to claim their first Big 12 title, earn at No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advance to their first Final Four and reach the national championship game.
2. 1995-96
Highlights: NCAA records won’t reflect part of this season. Texas Tech vacated its NCAA Tournament appearance for using ineligible players but went 30-2, won the final Southwest Conference regular-season and tournament titles and made the Sweet 16.
3. 2017-18
Highlights: As a precursor to Texas Tech’s 2018 national runners-up, this was the program’s first Elite Eight team, finishing 27-10 and tied for second in the Big 12 standings.
4. 2021-22
Highlights: The 2021-22 team had the same record as No. 3 on our list (27-10) but only got to the Sweet 16 (amateurs). Mark Adams’ first Texas Tech team did go 18-0 at home and 12-6 in Big 12 play to finish third.
5. 1953-54
Highlights: The first NCAA Tournament team in program history, back the field included only 24 teams. The Polk Robinson-led Red Raiders went 21-5 and 11-1 to win the Border Conference and claim an NCAA bid.
6. 1960-61
Highlights: The 15-10 record isn’t sparkling but these Red Raiders claimed the program’s first Southwest Conference title and Sweet 16 appearance in Robinson’s final season.
7. 2001-2002
Highlights: Hired to bring Texas Tech out of NCAA sanctions, Bob Knight immediately turned things around. The Red Raiders’ 14-win improvement led to a 23-9 mark, a third-place finish in the Big 12 — the program’s best since the league was formed — and their first NCAA bid in six years.
8. 1975-76
Highlights: The only team in the program’s first 70 years to reach 25 wins also delivered Tech’s first NCAA victory — a 69-56 win over Syracuse in a Midwest Region quarterfinals in Louisville.
9. 2004-05
Highlights: Ronald Ross and Jarrius Jackson did the heavy lifting for a team that reached the Sweet 16 by upsetting Gonzaga, which featured future NBA players Ronny Turiaf and Adam Morrison.
10. 1925-26
Highlights: We can’t close the list without including the team that started it all, going 6-8 in its inaugural season behind head coach Grady Higgenbotham. The Red Raiders’ first game ever was a 37-25 loss to Daniel Baker College, which was consolidated with Howard Payne University in 1953.
Honorable mentions: 1931-32; 1984-85; 2003-04; 2015-16; 2023-24
Top 10 players in Texas Tech basketball history
1. Andre Emmett (2001-04)
Highlights: Tech’s all-time leader in points and made field goals and ranks sixth in steals and free throw attempts,, seventh in rebounds, eighth in career double-doubles and made free throws and 13th in field goal percentage. Emmett was inducted into the Tech hall of fame and Tech basketball ring of honor. He was a consensus all-American for the 2003-04 season.
2. Rick Bullock (1973-76)
Highlights: A two-time Southwest Conference player of the year, Bullock holds the record for career double-doubles and is third in points, rebounds and blocked shots. He also earned conference freshman of the year and led the Red Raiders in scoring all four years. Bullock had a stretch of 10 games with 20 points as a senior.
3. Jim Reed (1953-56)
Highlights: A hall of fame and ring of honor member, Reed holds the Tech career rebounding record and is 10th in scoring. He was a first team all-American selection by the Associated Press and was the Border Conference player of the year. Reed ranks sixth in career field goal makes and attempts and holds three of the top four highest season rebounding averages.
4. John “Dub” Malaise (1964-66)
Highlights: The only Red Raider to score 50 points in a game, Malaise was a three-time all-Southwest Conference first-team selection, helping Tech win the 1965 conference title. A native of Odessa, Malaise ranks 20th in career scoring, second in career scoring average and had 13 games scoring 30 points or more.
5. Jarrett Culver (2018-19)
Highlights: Culver was part of the most successful two-year run in program history. The Coronado grad led Tech to the 2018 Elite Eight and 2019 national championship game, earning Big 12 player of the year. He was a Wooden Award finalist as a sophomore. Culver compiled 1,119 points, 420 rebounds, 209 assists and 98 steals in two years.
6. Tony Battie (1995-97)
Highlights: Before there was Jarrett Culver, there was Tony Battie, the first Red Raider selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and still the highest pick in program history. Battie is the career leader in blocked shots and ranks ninth in rebounding. He is the only Red Raider to average a double-double in the Big 12 era.
7. Jason Sasser (1993-96)
Highlights: Sasser was a three-time all-Southwest Conference first team honoree and the conference player of the year as a senior. He was the first Red Raider to become a Wooden Award finalist. Sasser ranks fourth in career scoring and his 71 straight games in double figures are a school record. He is second in made free throws, first in free throw attempts and fifth in rebounds.
8. Will Flemons (1990-93)
Highlights: Flemons, a native of Paducah and current Lubbock-Cooper basketball coach, was a two-time Southwest Conference player of the year after earning the conference’s freshman of the year award. He’s Tech’s career leader in field goal percentage, ranks fourth in blocks and rebounds and is 11th in scoring.
9. Jarrius Jackson (2004-07)
Highlights: Jackson is the only other Red Raider aside from Emmett to be named a first team all-Big 12 multiple times and was a Wooden Award finalist as a senior. He’s second in career scoring, third in made field goals and fifth in made 3-pointers and free throws made.
10. John Roberson (2008-11)
Highlights: Playing in darker days of Texas Tech basketball, Roberson’s accolades can sometimes be overlooked. He still holds the school record for made 3-pointers and assists and is seventh all-time in scoring, ninth in steals and 10th in free throw percentage.
Honorable mentions: Cory Carr (1995-98); Keenan Evans (2015-18); Greg Lowery (1970-72), Ronald Ross (2002-05); Martin Zeno (2005-08).
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ranking best Texas Tech basketball seasons, players in program’s 100 years
