3 Takeaways From Texas Tech's Redeeming Win Against West Virginia
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It's been a tough past two games for the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball team with losses to No. 11 Kansas and UCF, but the team finally added another tally in the win column Sunday afternoon with a 70-63 road victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers.
It was an overall return to form for the Red Raiders team, as they got off to a near double-digit lead midway through the first half and never trailed at all during the contest.
With Tech's confidence back up and running, here are a few takeaways from the team's road win.
Three Takeaways From Tech's Road Win Over West Virginia
JT Toppin Returns To Prime Form
Monday's loss against the Kansas Jayhawks saw the Red Raiders' star big man nearly shut down completely, as he narrowly scored in double digits and was held to five makes on 18 field goal attempts, including 0-3 from beyond the arc.
Sunday afternoon saw a performance that aligned much better with what Toppin has established himself capable of, scoring 22 points and finishing one rebound shy of a double-double, while shooting 8-for-17 from the field, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
The 6'9 junior out of Dallas also recorded two assists, a block, and a steal, showing off his versatility during Tech's win.
Master 1, Protege 0
Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland and West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge know each other quite well.
While McCasland was the head coach at Arkansas State, as well as throughout his tenure with the North Texas Mean Green, Hodge was his assistant coach and even took over head coaching duties for the Mean Green in place of McCasland when he made the move to Lubbock in 2023.
McCasland was able to best his former assistant, currently in his first campaign with the Mountaineers, in their first meeting, giving him a 1-0 record against Hodge for the time being.
Texas Tech Nearing Big 12's Driver Seat?
The Red Raiders still have come challenges in their eight remaining games in the 2025-26 season, including the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats this upcoming Saturday night, but aside from that and two other ranked matchups, Tech could be on a roll heading into the Big 12 and later the NCAA Tournament.
Those five teams that aren't ranked are near the bottom of the Big 12's standings, including the TCU Horned Frogs, the Arizona State Sun Devils, and the Colorado Buffaloes, the latter of whom the Red Raiders host Wednesday night in Lubbock.
Tech and Colorado are set to tip off at 7:00 PM from the United Supermarkets Arena in what will be their second meeting in 2026, as the Red Raiders bested the Buffs last month 73-71, and since then, Colorado has lost six of their last eight games after winning their first eight games of the season.
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Aaron Raley is a writer covering the Texas Tech On SI. Born and raised in Northeast Texas, Aaron earned a degree from Texas A&M University in journalism, with minors in history and sports management. Aaron’s writing abilities are driven by his love and passion for various sports, both at the collegiate and professional levels, as well as his experience in playing sports, especially baseball and football.
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