Red Raider Review

Social Media Reactions to Texas Tech's Road Win over No. 1 Arizona

The Red Raiders have done it again, defeating a highly ranked team, as they have now done it four times this season. This time they went on the road and defeated No. 1 Arizona.
Ryan Kay|
Texas Tech Red Raiders' LeJuan Watts celebrates with teammates after they won against the Arizona Wildcats at the end of overtime. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
Texas Tech Red Raiders' LeJuan Watts celebrates with teammates after they won against the Arizona Wildcats at the end of overtime. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

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Texas Tech's social media had a flurry of activity after the No. 16-ranked Red Raiders defeated No. 1 Arizona 78-75 in overtime. They defeated a top-ranked team for just the third time in Tech's basketball history. They went on the road in front of a packed McKale Memorial Center and pulled off the upset.

"Wreck 'Em" pride, Valentine's Day jokes, and awe at the remarkable performance on the basketball court were all present on social media.

JT Toppin, a forward who had an incredible game with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and no turnovers, received the majority of the individual social media posts with a "season-defining win," according to national experts Matt Norlander and Jeff Goodman. Many said that Toppin was the first player to achieve those numbers against a top-ranked team in almost two decades.

Toppin was "on a different level," according to the "Big 12 Conference" report, and many Lubbock fans agreed.

Texas Tech head football coach Joey McGuire joined in on the festivities on X (formerly Twitter) by posting his signature tweet, "Let's gooooooooooooo!!!! #WreckEm."

The team's three significant victories this season—on a neutral court against Duke, on their home court against Houston, and now on the road against Arizona—were immediately cited by fans and college basketball media analysts. They claimed their team had three of the most impressive victories in the nation, and that doesn't include their victory against BYU. Another slogan that became viral on social media was "The Toughest Team Wins." People heard McCasland's catchphrase everywhere. Because Tech outscored Arizona in overtime, fans used the hashtag #TTW to highlight how difficult the victory was.

Many supporters commented that after resolving the team's defense issues from the beginning of the season, Grant McCasland had "arrived" as a top-tier coach. He received a lot of positive comments on social media.

Here now is a look at some of the most viewed social media posts.

What is next for Texas Tech following their win over Arizona?

Their next three games are very manageable. They travel to play Arizona State on Tuesday in a game that they will be favored to win, as the Sun Devils are only 4-8 in conference play. The Red Raiders then host Kansas State on Saturday, which should be a win due to the Wildcats having only won one Big 12 game this season. Their third game will be against Cincinnati and even though that will be the most challenging game of this three-game stretch, Texas Tech will be favored at home, as the Bearkats have a losing record in conference play.

Where does Texas Tech stand among the various metrics and analysis rankings?

KenPom Ranking (2/15): 16

ESPN's BPI Ranking (2/15): 19

NET Ranking (2/15): 16

T-Rank (Barttorvik) (2/15): 11

Evan Miya Ranking (2/15): 11

Texas Tech has solidified a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament at this time and the latest bracketology reports will reflect it. The Red Raiders have seven Quad 1 victories as well as three wins over teams in the top four on the NET rankings. They have quality losses against Kansas, Houston, Purdue, and Illinois. The Red Raiders should win their next three games before they travel to Iowa State to get another potential top-five win.

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Ryan Kay
RYAN KAY

Ryan Kay is a journalist who graduated from Michigan State in 2003 and is passionate about covering college sports and enjoys writing features and articles covering various collegiate teams. He has worked as an editor at Go Joe Bruin and has been a contributor for Longhorns Wire and Busting Brackets. He is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI.

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