Despite the snow-ridden roads around Lubbock, Red Raider fans showed up Saturday afternoon to witness No. 12 Texas Tech upset No. 6 Houston 90-86.
The Cougars were a 3-pointer away from tying the game with 22 seconds, and guard Kingston Flemings airballed a contested 3-point shot. However, it initially appeared as a foul against guard Christian Anderson but was then ruled a turnover. The sequence forced Houston to foul the remainder of the game in an attempt to keep up. Texas Tech guard Donovan Atwell went 3-for-4 on his late free throws to put the game on ice.
Referees were active in the contest, calling 40 fouls. Fifteen were against Texas Tech and 25 were against Houston. Both teams shot 80% or better from the charity stripe, but the referees’ repeated involvement ignited the student-heavy audience.
Fleming dropped a career-high 42 points in the loss, while Texas Tech forward JT Toppin added his 13th double-double of the year on 31 points and 12 rebounds. The 6-9 forward went 0-5 from three.
Sports Roundup
With another upset victory under their belt, here are three takeaways from the Red Raiders’ ranked win:
Red Raiders add to momentum-filled month
Texas Tech is on a five-game win streak since losing to Houston earlier in the month, with two ranked victories and a rise in three-point efficiency. The Red Raiders have two road games against top-10 opponents, including No. 1 Arizona, in February.
Younger players, such as guard Jaylen Petty, have come to life over the stretch. The true freshman finished Saturday with 18 points, including a string of critical contested three-pointers. He was also joined on the court by Villanova transfer Josiah Mosely for the first time this season.
Moseley had dealt with a lower-leg injury heading into the season, but was activated Saturday. He finished with an effective six points and six rebounds in 10 minutes. Texas Tech has used its starting five consistently due to a handful of bench injuries, and Moseley was expected to be a critical rotation player for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech goes to UCF next before a home game against No. 19 Kansas, so stealing conference games is critical as the title race tightens. With the win, Texas Tech is second in the Big 12.
Lack of shooting depth hurts Houston
Flemings and guard Emanuel Sharp accounted for 70% of the Cougars’ 60 shots Saturday afternoon. No other Cougar took more than six shots, and only two other Cougars had more than one make.
Flemings finished with a career-high 42. His prior career high was set against Tennessee, which was Houston’s only other loss.
Houston guard Kingston Flemings (4) collides with Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson (4) during the second half in an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas.
Annie Rice / AP
In moments when Flemings struggled, the Cougars gave away leads or allowed Texas Tech leads to swell. There was a three-minute stretch in the second half in which Flemings went cold, and Texas Tech went on a short 6-0 run to retake the lead.
Sharp finished with 20 and was the only other Cougar to reach double-digit scoring.
Red Raiders get hot to end half
Texas Tech had trailed from the 5-2 mark all the way until 5:28 left in the opening half at 39-37. A 3-pointer by guard Jaylen Petty ignited a 13-0 scoring run for the Red Raiders, which included three made three-pointers.
Petty accounted for two in the shutout run but added a third to push Texas Tech up 50-39 before a timeout. Houston quieted the arena back down over the final three minutes to retrace back to a six-point deficit heading into the half.
The Red Raiders’ 55 first-half points were also the most they have scored against Houston in a half since the Cougars joined the Big 12 in 2023. Excluding Texas Tech’s lone victory over Houston in the Big 12 era, the Red Raiders’ early efforts helped them eclipse their total scoring in the prior games by the 13:00 mark in the second half.
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