Without JT Toppin, Texas Tech sliding into 5 vs. 12 match with Akron
Texas Tech does not enter the NCAA Tournament at its best.
The Red Raiders were building quite a resume with four wins over top-11 opponents -- including Duke and Arizona -- before losing JT Toppin to a torn ACL on Feb. 17. They held things together for a time without Toppin, who was named an AP first-team All-American on Tuesday, but they haven't been the same of late.
Texas Tech (22-10), the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, brings a three-game losing streak into Friday afternoon's NCAA Tournament opener against 12th-seeded Akron in Tampa, Fla.
The Red Raiders are coming off a one-and-done performance in the Big 12 tournament, falling 75-53 to Iowa State last Thursday in the quarterfinals. Texas Tech trailed by just three at halftime before shooting 22.2% from the floor and managing just 20 points in the second half.
It was the third straight game the Red Raiders were outscored by double digits after halftime -- a testament to being without the consistency of their leading scorer (21.8 points per game), rebounder (10.8) and shot-blocker (1.7) in Toppin.
"We jumped out on Iowa State and I think we played well. The compete level just needs to stay high. That's what we're going to work on," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. "We got knocked off-center in that Iowa State game and it led to a lot of mistakes."
The Zips (29-5) were overshadowed in the Mid-American Conference by Miami (Ohio), which entered the MAC tournament 31-0. However, they were no slouches either, finishing conference play with only one loss.
When the RedHawks were upset in the MAC quarterfinals, that opened the door for Akron, which rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Toledo 79-76 in the title game and earn its third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid under John Groce.
With Miami earning an at-large bid, the MAC is a multi-bid league for the first time since 1999.
The Zips, who have won 19 of their last 20 games, are helmed by MAC leading scorer Tavari Johnson (20.1 ppg), who was also fifth in the league in assists per game (5.0). Amani Lyles adds 14.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for Akron, which ranks seventh nationally in scoring offense (88.4 ppg) and 10th in field-goal accuracy (50.3%).
The good news for Texas Tech is that it won't be as limited as feared even after two more players left the Iowa State game with injuries. Christian Anderson, now the team's leading scorer (18.9 ppg) and assist leader (7.6 apg), sustained an apparent groin injury when slipping on the Big 12's glass court. Starting forward LeJuan Watts (11.5 ppg, team-high 6.0 rebounds) also left the game with a foot injury.
Texas Tech announced Saturday that Anderson will be available for the NCAA Tournament. McCasland shared more recently that Watts is practicing and expected to play.
Even without Toppin, the Red Raiders have shown their high ceiling. They won 82-73 on Feb. 28 at then-No. 4 Iowa State in their third game without him.
The Zips are 0-3 in NCAA Tournament games under Groce, while Texas Tech made the Elite Eight last season and has made four Sweet 16s in the past eight seasons.
"I know Grant McCasland and he's done a great job," Groce said. "His teams are always physical, they're tough, they're competitive."