Christian Anderson led Texas Tech to improve to 14-1 at home this season with an 80-68 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena. Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said they played together to pick up the win, but Anderson’s magnificent performance deserves a loud cheer.
Fans Hail Christian Anderson After a Dominant Performance Against Cincinnati
With Tuesday’s win, Anderson powered Texas Tech to end Cincinnati’s four-game winning run. He finished with 31 points (his eighth 25-plus-point outing of the season), a career-high 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
He became just the second Big 12 player this season to post those numbers in a single game, joining teammate JT Toppin. Anderson is also the third Big 12 player this year to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game, alongside AJ Dybantsa and Toppin.
Anderson came up three points short of matching his career-best 34-point performance from the opener against Lindenwood, but he surpassed his previous high of eight rebounds, which he set last season against Houston.
He also missed a triple-double by just three assists, which would have made him only the third player in Texas Tech program history to achieve the feat, according to Tech Athletics.
While fans were jumping with excitement to see Anderson in action, social media also flooded with praise for the Texas Tech star.
“Christian Anderson scoring masterclass against Cincinnati,” one handle wrote.
“If I needed to win a college basketball game tomorrow, I’d want Christian Anderson to be my point guard,” one wrote.
Entering the season, Texas Tech was viewed as one of the rare teams boasting multiple All-American contenders, but Toppin’s injury temporarily dampened those expectations.
However, Anderson has elevated his play in Toppin’s absence, averaging 26 points, eight rebounds, and 8.5 assists over the two games since his teammate suffered a season-ending injury.
Anderson’s squad is now 3-2 against top 10 teams this season, including the win over No. 1 Arizona. Also, as Anderson led Texas Tech to a 2-0 record in Toppin’s absence, fans have nothing but praise for the Red Raiders phenom.
“What a luxury it is to have a star who can step up after losing one of the best players in the country. That’s what Texas Tech is in Christian Anderson. He’s been great all year, but he’s been incredible these last two games. 31 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Back-to-back double-digit wins for the Red Raiders without Toppin,” Hoops writer Sean Paul wrote.
On Tuesday, Cincinnati opened the game red-hot, converting its first nine field goals before finally missing, but Texas Tech responded by seizing momentum and taking a 42-34 lead into halftime.
Anderson’s second three-pointer stretched the advantage to 55-46, and after he calmly sank free throws, the Bearcats never managed to cut the deficit to single digits again.
After the win, Anderson discussed how the team has adjusted to playing without Toppin. “We had a lot of emphasis in practice just, you know, being super disciplined losing JT,” Anderson said (0:50).
“We had a game plan on everybody having a team effort on both offense and defensively, rebounding the ball. So, I think that’s just what uh went into it tonight. It was a hard-fought win, especially when they came out blazing. But I think we stayed disciplined and focused.”
Anderson and Texas Tech will look to carry that same focus on the road when they face No. 4 Iowa State on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
