Texas Tech is victimized by the same kind of late rally that got the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — This time, Texas Tech gave up the game with a collapse down the stretch in the NCAA Tournament.
Two days after the Red Raiders’ furious comeback to beat Arkansas in overtime, they were on the other end of a rally by top-seeded Florida in an 84-79 loss in the Elite Eight on Saturday. Texas Tech missed a chance to reach the program’s first Final Four since losing the championship game to Virginia in 2019.
The third-seeded Red Raiders squandered a nine-point lead over the final 3:14. They came from 16 points down to beat Arkansas 85-83 on Thursday in the only OT game of the tournament.
Until the waning, crucial minutes, the Red Raiders (28-9) crashed the boards with authority to corral timely rebounds that led to extra scoring chances. They forced turnovers and capitalized on Florida’s miscues.
Then Walter Clayton Jr. took over the game for the Gators and Texas Tech went flat.
“I thought we could win it the whole game,” said JT Toppin, the Big 12 player of the year and newcomer of the year who missed all five of his free throws. “There wasn’t a doubt in my mind until the clock hit zero. Obviously, definitely some plays we could have changed, especially on free throws.”
Darrion Williams missed the pressure shots he made in crunch time against the Razorbacks. He led Texas Tech with 23 points but couldn’t convert two 3-pointers over the final 33 seconds. Florida, meanwhile, made four straight shots during a 12-2 run in the closing minutes, a spurt featuring two 3s by Clayton.
“It hurts right now,” Williams said. “We look back at it, feel like we could have went farther but I think overall we had a good season.”
Williams, Toppin and their supporting cast could have another chance at making a deep run for coach Grant McCasland next March if the team stays together.
But this one will sting for a while.
Williams played brilliantly before those two misses that he will wish he had back.
The Red Raiders did so much right, yet every missed opportunity at this stage is magnified. They held a 22-5 advantage in points off turnovers and led 23-8 in second-chance points.
Once the final buzzer sounded at Chase Center and Texas Tech had been oh so close, fifth-year senior Kerwin Walton stood with his hands on his hips as Florida and its well-traveling crowd, and not the Red Raiders, celebrated having earned a berth to the Final Four next weekend in San Antonio.
“I wanted to sit in that locker room forever, honestly,” McCasland said. “You get in these moments and a lot has happened in a short amount of time because the game has a scoreboard.”
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By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
