The Duke basketball program already owns four ranked wins and sits with a 10-0 overall record, but its grueling non-conference slate isn't over yet. Coming off a road victory over No. 9 Michigan State, which is likely the most impressive win on the Blue Devils' resume thus far, Duke has a buy game against Lipscomb before heading to Madison Square Garden to take on No. 16 Texas Tech on December 20th. The Red Raiders came into the year as one of the top contenders in the Big 12, led by National Player of the Year candidate JT Toppin.
Grant McCasland's club just set the tone for their marquee date against Duke, as the Red Raiders' star duo of Toppin and guard Christian Anderson put together an extremely impressive outing against No. 17 Arkansas on December 13th. Texas Tech fell to John Calipari's Razorbacks 93-86, but Anderson and Toppin did their work in the ranked contest, setting the tone for a huge non-con matchup with third-ranked Duke.
Texas Tech's elite duo of Christian Anderson and JT Toppin just gave Duke basketball a glimpse of what to expect on December 20th
The Red Raiders struggled defensively in the second half and went just 3-for-10 from the free throw line, but Toppin and Anderson showed they'll be a handful for the Blue Devils.
Against the Razorbacks, the pair combined for 56 points and 15 rebounds, making up 65% of the team's total points. Toppin went for 30 points, marking his third 30-point outing of the 2025-26 campaign, while Anderson dished out 11 assists and shot 5-of-11 (45.5%) from three-point range.
McCasland only played six guys against Arkansas, which could pose issues against a deep Duke team that boasts elite defensive versatility and length. The Red Raiders have been a difficult team to evaluate, as they entered the season ranked No. 10 in the preseason AP Poll, but don't have any quality wins yet. Texas Tech owns just one Quadrant 1 victory at the moment, an 82-58 neutral court victory over LSU. The Red Raiders are now 7-3 on the season, with losses to No. 13 Illinois, No. 6 Pursue, and now Arkansas.