2 Texas Tech Players To Pay Attention To Against Houston

After the Red Raiders lost to the Cougars less than a month ago, these two players are going to try to do what they couldn’t in round one.

Jan 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) reacts after a play during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Round two.

It’s Houston hitting the road this time to play Texas Tech.

After the Cougars hosted the Red Raiders at the Fertitta Center, this time the scene flips to the United SuperMarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. It isn’t going to be a friendly environment after a bitter taste of losing already once to the Cougars, so the attitude is much different, as it is all business.

Can these two players create opportunities to force breakdowns in the Houston defense, which has been super disciplined and tough to go against, or will it be the same story written all over again?

The world finds out on Saturday, with College Gameday in town to showcase a thriller in the Big 12 that will have major implications for the standings and seeding in the tournament.  Watch for these guys to have an impact.

JT Toppin, Forward

Texas Tech players JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts look on after a play against BYU during a Big 12 Conference men's basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last time JT Toppin faced Houston, he had 18 points on the night and shot 64.3 percent from the field, which was the second-best he’s been all season. He nailed 9 of his 14 field goal attempts but didn’t make any 3-pointers or free throws, which might change the second time around.

What the Cougars will have to do better is limit the number of blocks he records, because he was a problem on defense. He had five blocks in that 69-65 loss to go along with 11 rebounds, which gave him a double-double.

Does he make bigger plays this time and distribute the ball to his guys when he gets into trouble? He’ll have to hope some of his teammates can step up so he doesn’t tally nearly a third of the points the Red Raiders had.

Christian Anderson, Guard

One of Texas Tech’s best players on the floor is Christian Anderson, and the minutes he gets each game prove why he is vital to the offensive success. As someone who is close to playing all 40 minutes, he is at 38.4 minutes across 18 games.

When Anderson appeared in the contest against the Cougars, he was very quiet, with only seven points, which isn’t always going to help win games when a player is on the court that long. During that span, he was 3 of 11 on his field goal attempts, going 27.3 percent from the field. Those numbers have to go up to defend home court, or Houston will do the exact same thing again. Dominate defensively.

Listed at 6-foot-3, the sophomore is making the best of his time under coach Grant McCasland with 19.8 points per game to go along with his 3.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists. From the field, he is an elite shooter at 48.6 percent. He’ll have to prove those numbers are an accurate depiction of how well he can play because the Cougars are coming in hot and hungry, and the Red Raiders weren’t that last time.