Preview: Illinois Basketball vs. Texas Tech (Game 3)

• Who: Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0) vs. Texas Tech (2-0)
• What: Non-conference matchup
• When: Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. CT
• Where: State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois
• TV/streaming: FS1
• Radio/audio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (Champaign: WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM; Chicago: WLS 890 AM); Fighting Illini Productions; Varsity Network App
• Last season: Illinois went 22-13 (12-8 Big Ten) in 2024-25, earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and winning a first-round game against Xavier. Texas Tech went 28-9 (15-5 Big 12) last season and were only knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by eventual national champion Florida in the Elite Eight.
• Series history: Illinois and Texas Tech have never played one another.

What to know about Texas Tech

In his third season in Lubbock, Grant McCasland has already worked wonders with the Red Raiders' program. He has led Texas Tech to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two years on the job – including an Elite Eight run last season – and is only the third coach to notch a 20-win season in school history. A former assistant under Scott Drew at Baylor, McCasland has constructed his first Red Raiders clubs with an architectural eye similar to that of his old boss in Waco.

Texas Tech is built on a foundation of positional size and superior talent on the wings and efficient, well-executed offense, embodied by forward JT Toppin (averaging 31.0 points and 14.0 rebounds through two games) and guard Christian Anderson (26.0 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 steals). Perhaps the most interesting sidebars in this story will be how well the Red Raiders keep up with the Illini's blistering pace and match up with their frontcourt (especially on the boards). For a deeper dive on the matchup, though, check out our Illinois on SI First Look at Texas Tech.