By R.L. Bynum
There was little reason for hope that Kerwin Walton would have much of a role at Texas Tech through the first six games, but he suddenly has become a key player for the Red Raiders.
It all changed in the 87–58 victory over Omaha on Dec. 6, when Walton scored a career-high 22 points and starter Devan Cambridge suffered a season-ending knee injury.
In his first start of the season Tuesday, taking Cambridge’s spot in the lineup, Walton scored 17 points and four 3-pointers, with four rebounds and three assists, as host Texas Tech (7–2) beat Oral Roberts to extend its program-record win streak in non-conference home games to 27.
Walton has made 11 of 15 3-point attempts in 63 minutes over the last two games after going 3 of 8 over 53 minutes in the six games. He’s already scored more than half the number of points (50) and 3-pointers (14) that he scored all of last season (98 points, 23 3-pointers).
Podcast host RC Maxfield commented on X (formerly known as Twitter) that to call Walton’s play the last two games “a complete 180 from what we saw from him last year at Texas Tech would be a drastic understatement. He’s not just shooting at a high rate; he’s doing a lot more on both ends of the floor.”
One Texas Tech fan tweeted, “We’re entering into the Kerwin Walton era.”
“What I’ll tell you about Kerwin is his size and the way he’s moving really is big,” first-year Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “And what we’ve challenged him on is the defensive intensity and rebounding.”
McCasland praised Walton’s effort in every practice and game.
“That’s why he’s playing so good,” McCasland said. “But the one thing I thought was underrated — he made the right plays. It wasn’t just shooting threes. He was driving in the paint and making simple plays, and making open passes. And, other than that stretch at the very end, I thought our ability to get Kerwin moving — and he was attacking the basket — was a big lift.
He seized his opportunity from the start with a team-leading eight points as Texas Tech took a 38–34 halftime lead. Walton’s third 3-pointer of the game with 7:30 left pushed Texas Tech’s lead to 68–58 and his fourth gave the Red Raiders a 75–64 advantage.
Dontrez Styles scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to lead Georgetown to a 71–54 home victory Tuesday over Coppin State.
Styles was 7 of 16 from the floor, made 3 of 6 3-point attempts, and collected five rebounds, two steals and a team-high four assists.
Styles has scored three 3-pointers four times this season after never hitting more than one in any game during his two seasons at Carolina.
He’s scored in double figures six times after a high of nine points (against Baylor in the 2022 NCAA tournament) as a Tar Heel. He played a UNC-high 25 minutes in that Baylor game, but has played more minutes than that in all but one Georgetown game this season.
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His 3-pointer with 6:18 left in the first half expanded Georgetown’s lead to nine, and he had two 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half as the Hoyas opened up a 23-point lead.
Kennedy Todd-Williams, coming off the Ole Miss bench for the second consecutive game, scored in double figures for the first time in eight games with 10 points in the Rebels’ 84–56 home victory Tuesday night over Mississippi Valley State.
Todd-Williams was 4 of 11 from the floor and had four rebounds, two assists and a block for Ole Miss (7–3), which was No. 12 in the preseason AP Top 25 women’s poll but fell out of the poll at the start of December.
Dawson Garcia missed his second consecutive Minnesota game, a 101–65 Tuesday home win over IUPUI, with a left ankle sprain.
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan guard
6–1, 180 pounds | Junior | UNC 2023–25 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starter
Season statistics — 38 games, 38 starts, 10.2 points, 41.6 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 69.4 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists
Team record: 35–3; Rank: No. 3
Friday: 90–77 win Midwest Regional Sweet 16 in Chicago vs. No. 18 Alabama — Started; 33:37, 17 points, 6–14 FG, 3–8 3FG, 2–5 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 fouls, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 1 block, +15
Sunday: 95–62 win Midwest Regional final in Chicago vs. No. 23 Tennessee — Started; 34:20, 8 points, 3–7 FG, 1–2 3FG, 1–2 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 10 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 steals, +30
Next game — 8:49 p.m. Saturday vs. No. 2 Arizona at Final Four in Indianapolis, TBS
Trayanna Crisp, Mississippi State guard
5–8 | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starter
Season statistics — 30 games, 30 starts, 8.7 points, 38.3 FG%, 37.1 3P%, 84.6 FT%, 2.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Team record: 18–13
Season ended with SEC tournament loss
RyLee Grays, Tulsa forward
6–4 | Junior | UNC 2023–24 (1 season)
Roster situation — One of four forwards competing for time
Season statistics — 30 games, 2.3 points, 43.6 FG%, 4–10 3FG, 69.7 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 8 blocks, 12 steals
Team record: 19–12
Season ended with loss in American Conference tournament
Ian Jackson, St. John’s guard
6–5, 195 pounds | Sophomore | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starter, sharing time in a point-guard-by-committee mix
Season statistics — 36 games, 19 starts, 9.4 points, 40.9 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 90.0 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Team record: 30–7; Rank: No. 13
Friday: 80–75 loss in East Regional Sweet 16 in Washington vs. No. 1 Duke — Didn’t start; 16 minutes, 5 points, 2–8 FG, 1–7 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, 2 assists
Season ended with loss to Duke
Puff Johnson, Ohio State
6–8, 190 pounds | Graduate | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
Roster situation — Reserve
Team record: 21–13
Season statistics — 9 games, 1 start, 2.3 points, 33.3 FG%, 3–7 3FG, 6–9 FT, 1.1 rebounds
Season ended with first-round NCAA tournament loss to TCU
Teonni Key, Kentucky forward
6–4 | RS senior | UNC 2022–24 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starting forward
Season statistics — 28 games, 28 starts, 11.4 points, 51.2 FG%, 2–15 3FG, 69.8 FT%, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks
Team record: 25–11; Rank: No. 17
Saturday: 76–54 loss in Fort Worth Regional 1 Sweet 16 vs. No. 3 Texas — Started; 31:31, 10 points, 2–8 FG, 0–1 3FG, 6–6 FT, 9 rebounds, 4 fouls, 2 assists, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal, 1 block, -17
Season ended with loss to Texas
Ven-Allen Lubin, N.C. State forward
6–9, 250 pounds | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting center
Season statistics — 34 games, 34 starts, 13.6 points, ACC-leading 66.8 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 73.3 FT%, 7.1 rebounds
Team record: 20–14
Season ended with NCAA First Four loss to Texas
Tyler Nickel, Vanderbilt wing
6–7, 220 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting forward
Season statistics — 36 games, 36 starts, 13.5 points, 44.4 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 84.7 FT%, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Team record: 27–9: Rank: No. 22
Season ended with loss to No. 4 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament
Paulina Paris, SMU guard
5–9 | Senior | UNC 2022–24 (2 seasons)
Season statistics — 20 games, 12 starts, 9.6 points, 39.9 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 69.7 FT%, 2.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Team record: 9–21, 2–16 ACC
Season ended with left foot injury in February
Will Shaver, Samford center
6–10, 265 pounds | RS junior | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Roster situation — Reserve minutes
Season statistics — 30 games, 2.6 points, 47.6 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 59.3 FT%, 2.6 rebounds, 17 blocks, 7 steals
Team record: 18–14
Season ended with loss in Southern Conference tournament
Cade Tyson, Minnesota wing
6–7, 180 pounds | Senior | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starter
Season statistics — 31 games, 32 starts, team-leading 19.6 points, 50.0 FG%, 42.2 3P%, 82.6 FT%, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Team record: 15–17
Next game — 10:30 Wednesday at College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas vs. Baylor, FS1 (first game since March 11)
Jalen Washington, Vanderbilt center
6–9, 240 pounds | Senior | UNC 2022–25 (3 seasons)
Roster situation — Backup center
Season statistics — 36 games, 9 starts, 8.9 points, 56.3 FG%, 29.4 3P%, 74.1 FT%, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
Team record: 27–9; Rank: No. 22
Season ended with loss to No. 4 Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA tournament
Photo via @TexasTechMBB
