Sunday will be a special day for the Texas Tech basketball program as the Red Raiders finally renew their rivalry with Texas A&M after 12 years. This is the game that was initially scheduled to take place in Lubbock on Black Friday but it was moved to December 8th in Forth Worth because the Aggies wanted to play in the Players Era Festival, an event that rewarded the winning team with money for its N.I.L. funds.
Still, this is a game that will be full of emotion, at least in the stands where a large contingent of Texas Tech fans are expected to show up given the huge alumni base the university has in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
However, to the players, this game might not mean much from a rivalry perspective given that they have grown up in an era without Tech and A&M meeting on the field or the court with any regularity. Instead, for head coach Grant McCasland and his team, this game will be critical because it will be a chance for an all-important Quad-1 win.
The Red Raiders have no more non-conference games of significance after playing A&M. Thus, putting this game in the win column would be massive for the team's NCAA Tournament resume.
Texas A&M comes into the contest ranked No. 22 in the polls and sitting at No. 39 in the NCAA NET Rankings. They are 7-2 on the season and have won their last three games and they have secured wins over Ohio State and Creighton, both of which were ranked at the time they lost to the Aggies.
A&M is led by guard Wade Taylor IV, a senior from Dallas, Texas who is averaging 15.8 points and 4.6 assists per game. Meanwhile, another senior guard, Zuric Phelps, is averaging 13.1 points per game.
This is one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year and the Red Raiders need to take advantage of this massive resume opportunity. Certainly, Tech fans will be dialed in for this game as the rivalry is renewed so let's take a look at everything fans need to know ahead of this non-conference showdown.
Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M Broadcast info
Tip: 2 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Texas Tech Sports Network
Streaming: Varsity Network
Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M series history
Texas Tech leads the all-time series 64-61.
Last meeting: Texas A&M won 47-38 on Feb. 14, 2012 in Lubbock
Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.com.
Favorite | Moneyline | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|
Texas Tech -1.5 | Texas Tech -130 | 141.5 |
Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M game notes
Notes courtesy of TexasTech.com.
- At Dickies Arena, Tech is 1-1 after a 76-54 win over Vanderbilt last year and a 64-53 loss to Houston back on Nov. 29, 2020
- Texas Tech is playing its first ranked opponent of the season.
- The two teams met for an exhibition last season in Denton with the Red Raiders taking an 89-84 win on October 29, 2023.
- The programs were Southwest Conference rivals from 1957-1996 and Big 12 adversaries from 1996-2012 until A&M left for the SEC. The Red Raiders won the first-ever contest in the series, 48-36, in College Station on December 17, 1941. Texas A&M has won the past six games in the series
- Tech and A&M are still scheduled to play a home-and-home series which will begin in Lubbock during the 2025-26 season.
- Texas Tech leads the Big 12 and is fifth nationally by shooting 51.6 percent from the field after its 76-62 win over DePaul on Wednesday. The Red Raiders are also leading the Big 12 by shooting 80.1 percent (117-for-146) at the free-throw line and are second in the conference and ninth nationally from 3-point range where the team is 76-for-186 (40.9 percent).
- Through eight games, Tech is scoring 86.9 points per game which is second in the Big 12 and 15th across the NCAA, and is at 17.4 assists per game and has a 22.3 scoring margin of victory
- The Aggie defense is currently second in the SEC by limiting opponents to 37.4 percent shooting, they lead the nation with 17.1 defense rebounds per game and are second nationally by averaging 43.8 rebounds per game.