Texas Tech assistant Jeff Linder set to face his old program, Wyoming
Wyoming got the game -- three, to be exact -- and the money. Texas Tech got coach Jeff Linder.
Now an assistant for the Red Raiders, Linder will reconvene with his former team on Wednesday when the Cowboys visit Lubbock, Texas.
Linder was Wyoming's head coach for four seasons before suddenly departing in May, reportedly suggesting that the lack of name, image and likeness opportunities within the program was a major factor. He joined longtime friend Grant McCasland's staff at Texas Tech.
It was later revealed that in exchange for losing Linder, Wyoming would receive a $300,000 guarantee from Texas Tech for playing one game in Lubbock this season and another one next season. Wyoming will also receive $500,000 for playing at Texas Tech in football in 2028.
The Cowboys quickly found a new coach in Sundance Wicks, who was the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year at Green Bay last season.
Having spent three seasons (2020-23) as Linder's assistant at Wyoming, Wicks said there are no hard feelings toward his former boss.
"I just love him. He's the reason why I'm here," Wicks told Pokes Insider. "I'll never take that for granted. Highly grateful, will always be. I love his family. His kids are great, wife's great."
Coming off last year's 15-17 finish, the Cowboys are 2-0 this season after solid wins over Concordia-St. Paul and Tennessee State. Guard Obi Agbim leads Wyoming with 24.5 points per game and has made 7 of 9 3-point attempts, while Jordan Nesbitt averages 13 points and 11.5 rebounds.
Texas Tech (2-0) received votes in Monday's AP Top 25 poll after cruising to home wins over Bethune-Cookman and Northwestern State. The Red Raiders have won 32 straight nonconference home games.
New Mexico transfer JT Toppin, the younger brother of NBA veterans Obi (Indiana) and Jacob (New York), has averaged 22 points and 7.5 rebounds for Texas Tech. Kerwin Walton scores 16 points per game and Darrion Williams has 17 assists this season.
"I love our team and we'll keep getting better," McCasland said after Friday's 86-65 win over Northwestern State. "(It) was a figure-it-out type of game. Find a way to win the game in a gritty way and let's get on to the next one."
--Field Level Media
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:41 |  | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 7:42 |  | Â | Abou Magassa turnover (offensive goaltending) | Â |
| 7:42 | | Â | Abou Magassa offensive rebound | Â |
| 7:42 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt misses two point layup | Â |
| 8:01 | | Â | Cole Henry defensive rebound | Â |
| 8:01 | | Â | JT Toppin misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â |
| 8:01 | | +1 | JT Toppin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-32 |
| 8:01 | | Â | Scottie Ebube shooting foul (JT Toppin draws the foul) | Â |
| 8:25 | | Â | JT Toppin defensive rebound | Â |
| 8:27 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 8:41 | | Â | JT Toppin turnover (Scottie Ebube steals) | Â |
| 8:55 | | Â | Kevin Overton defensive rebound | Â |
| 8:57 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 9:21 | | +2 | Kevin Overton makes two point layup | 13-31 |
| 9:28 | | Â | JT Toppin defensive rebound | Â |
| 9:30 | | Â | Cole Henry misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 9:43 | | Â | Cowboys 30 second timeout | Â |
| 9:43 | | +2 | Chance McMillian makes two point layup | 13-29 |
| 9:50 | | Â | Touko Tainamo turnover (Chance McMillian steals) | Â |
| 10:08 | | +2 | JT Toppin makes two point layup (Chance McMillian assists) | 13-27 |
| 10:33 | | Â | Kobe Newton turnover (Kevin Overton steals) | Â |
| 10:41 | | Â | Touko Tainamo offensive rebound | Â |
| 10:43 | | Â | Oleg Kojenets misses two point layup | Â |
| 11:03 | | +2 | JT Toppin makes two point layup | 13-25 |
| 11:05 | | Â | JT Toppin offensive rebound | Â |
| 11:07 | | Â | JT Toppin misses two point layup | Â |
| 11:23 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt turnover (out of bounds) | Â |
| 11:37 | | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 11:37 | | Â | JT Toppin turnover (traveling) | Â |
| 12:01 | | Â | Chance McMillian defensive rebound | Â |
| 12:03 | | Â | A.J. Wills misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 12:22 | | +3 | Chance McMillian makes three point jump shot (Christian Anderson assists) | 13-23 |
| 12:32 | | Â | Obi Agbim personal foul | Â |
| 12:37 | | Â | Obi Agbim turnover (Christian Anderson steals) | Â |
| 12:54 | | +2 | JT Toppin makes two point hook shot | 13-20 |
| 13:07 | | +1 | Jordan Nesbitt makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-18 |
| 13:07 | | +1 | Jordan Nesbitt makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 12-18 |
| 13:07 | | Â | Darrion Williams shooting foul (Jordan Nesbitt draws the foul) | Â |
| 13:13 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt defensive rebound | Â |
| 13:15 | | Â | Darrion Williams misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 13:26 | | Â | Federiko Federiko defensive rebound | Â |
| 13:28 | | Â | Touko Tainamo misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 13:52 | | +2 | Darrion Williams makes two point jump shot | 11-18 |
| 14:02 | | +1 | Kobe Newton makes technical free throw 2 of 2 | 11-16 |
| 14:02 | | +1 | Kobe Newton makes technical free throw 1 of 2 | 10-16 |
| 14:02 | | Â | Dontaie Allen turnover (offensive foul) | Â |
| 14:02 | | Â | Dontaie Allen technical foul | Â |
| 14:02 | | Â | Elijah Hawkins turnover (offensive foul) | Â |
| 14:02 | | Â | Elijah Hawkins technical foul | Â |
| 14:02 | | Â | Obi Agbim turnover (Darrion Williams steals) | Â |
| 14:05 | | +2 | Darrion Williams makes two point layup | 9-16 |
| 14:12 | | Â | Obi Agbim turnover (Darrion Williams steals) | Â |
| 14:16 | | Â | Cowboys 30 second timeout | Â |
| 14:20 | | +3 | Christian Anderson makes three point jump shot (Elijah Hawkins assists) | 9-14 |
| 14:20 | | Â | Abou Magassa turnover (Darrion Williams steals) | Â |
| 14:30 | | Â | Abou Magassa offensive rebound | Â |
| 14:30 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â |
| 14:30 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â |
| 14:30 | | Â | Kevin Overton shooting foul (Jordan Nesbitt draws the foul) | Â |
| 14:43 | | Â | Scottie Ebube defensive rebound | Â |
| 14:45 | | Â | Elijah Hawkins misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 14:53 | | Â | Federiko Federiko defensive rebound | Â |
| 14:55 | | Â | Jordan Nesbitt misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 15:21 | | +1 | Kevin Overton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-11 |
| 15:21 | | Â | Kevin Overton misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | Â |
| 15:21 | | Â | Scottie Ebube shooting foul (Kevin Overton draws the foul) | Â |
| 15:30 | | Â | TV timeout | Â |
| 15:30 | | Â | Cowboys turnover (shot clock violation) | Â |
| 15:59 | | +2 | JT Toppin makes two point layup | 9-10 |
| 16:04 | | Â | JT Toppin offensive rebound | Â |
| 16:06 | | Â | Darrion Williams misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 16:21 | | Â | Obi Agbim personal foul | Â |
| 16:39 | | +3 | Kobe Newton makes three point jump shot (Obi Agbim assists) | 9-8 |
| 17:07 | | Â | JT Toppin personal foul | Â |
| 17:07 | | Â | Touko Tainamo defensive rebound | Â |
| 17:09 | | Â | Kerwin Walton misses two point jump shot | Â |
| 17:30 | | +3 | Touko Tainamo makes three point jump shot (Jordan Nesbitt assists) | 6-8 |
| 17:59 | | +2 | Devan Cambridge makes two point layup (Darrion Williams assists) | 3-8 |
| 18:06 | | Â | Touko Tainamo turnover (JT Toppin steals) | Â |
| 18:21 | | +2 | Chance McMillian makes two point layup | 3-6 |
| 18:33 | | +1 | Kobe Newton makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 3-4 |
| 18:33 | | +1 | Kobe Newton makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 2-4 |
| 18:33 | | +1 | Kobe Newton makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 1-4 |
| 18:33 | | Â | Devan Cambridge shooting foul (Kobe Newton draws the foul) | Â |
| 18:54 | | +2 | Darrion Williams makes two point jump shot | 0-4 |
| 19:02 | | Â | JT Toppin defensive rebound | Â |
| 19:04 | | Â | Obi Agbim misses two point layup | Â |
| 19:13 | | Â | Kobe Newton defensive rebound | Â |
| 19:15 | | Â | JT Toppin misses two point hook shot | Â |
| 19:23 | | Â | Kobe Newton turnover (JT Toppin steals) | Â |
| 19:38 | | +2 | JT Toppin makes two point hook shot | 0-2 |
| 19:46 | | Â | Darrion Williams offensive rebound | Â |
| 19:48 | | Â | JT Toppin misses three point jump shot | Â |
| 20:00 | | Â | Abou Magassa vs. JT Toppin (Red Raiders gains possession) | Â |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
|
 | Abou Magassa turnover (offensive goaltending) | 7:42 |
|
 | Abou Magassa offensive rebound | 7:42 |
|
 | Jordan Nesbitt misses two point layup | 7:42 |
|
 | Cole Henry defensive rebound | 8:01 |
|
 | JT Toppin misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | 8:01 |
| |
+ 1 | JT Toppin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 8:01 |
|
 | Scottie Ebube shooting foul (JT Toppin draws the foul) | 8:01 |
|
 | JT Toppin defensive rebound | 8:25 |
|
 | Jordan Nesbitt misses three point jump shot | 8:27 |
|
 | JT Toppin turnover (Scottie Ebube steals) | 8:41 |
|
 | Kevin Overton defensive rebound | 8:55 |
| Team Stats | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Points | 13 | 32 |
| Field Goals | 2-11 (18.2%) | 14-21 (66.7%) |
| 3-Pointers | 2-5 (40.0%) | 2-4 (50.0%) |
| Free Throws | 7-9 (77.8%) | 2-4 (50.0%) |
| Total Rebounds | 8 | 10 |
| Offensive | 3 | 3 |
| Defensive | 5 | 7 |
| Team | 0 | 0 |
| Assists | 2 | 4 |
| Steals | 1 | 8 |
| Blocks | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 3 |
| Fouls | 5 | 5 |
| Technicals | 1 | 1 |
|
| Team Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
94.5 PPG | 51.5 RPG | 18.5 APG |
|
|
90.0 PPG | 45.5 RPG | 15.0 APG |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| K. Newton | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 5/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Tainamo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| J. Nesbitt | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0/4 | 0/2 | 2/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| O. Kojenets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| O. Agbim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| K. Newton | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 5/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Tainamo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| J. Nesbitt | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0/4 | 0/2 | 2/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| O. Kojenets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| O. Agbim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| S. Ebube | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Magassa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Wills | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D. Allen | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Henry | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Roberson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Belic | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| N. Cook | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| L. Brown | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| G. Spielman | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Starwood | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2/11 | 2/5 | 7/9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 5 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Toppin | 11 | 5 | 0 | 5/8 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| C. McMillian | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3/3 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| D. Williams | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3/5 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D. Cambridge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Walton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Toppin | 11 | 5 | 0 | 5/8 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| C. McMillian | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3/3 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| D. Williams | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3/5 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D. Cambridge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Walton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| K. Overton | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Anderson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E. Hawkins | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F. Federiko | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Green | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Francis | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| L. Horner | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 32 | 10 | 4 | 14/21 | 2/4 | 2/4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
