Takeaways From Texas Tech's Monumental Overtime Win Over No. 1 Arizona Wildcats
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The No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders officially entered their name into the conversation for one of the nation's best teams on the hardwood Saturday afternoon with a huge 78-75 overtime win over the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats in Tucson.
Tech took full advantage of Arizona star Koa Peat going down with an injury early in the first half, and it proved to be detrimental to the team, and it resulted in Tech moving up to 9-3 in conference play and also to No. 13 in the AP rankings.
With all of the momentum going in Tech's direction following the huge win, here are a few takeaways from the victory, now that the toughest part is in the past now.
Takeaways From No. 16 Texas Tech's Upset Over No. 1 Arizona
JT Toppin Shines Again
The defending Big 12 Player of the Year could very well be on his way to a second straight naming, especially after his performance against the Wildcats on Saturday.
Following his season-high 18 rebounds during the win over the Colorado Buffaloes last Wednesday, Toppin repeated his efficiency on the glass with 13 boards and 31 points, his highest point total since he scored just as much in Tech's win over the Houston Cougars last month.
Toppin now averages 21.9 points (eighth in country) and an even 11 rebounds (sixth), certifying himself as one of the country's top players and a hot commodity in the 2026 NBA draft should he decide to forgo his final year of college.
Smooth Sailing Still?
Having won their biggest battle in the season, the Red Raiders now have six games left, and only two of their opponents are currently in the Top 25 rankings, No. 6 Iowa State on February 28, and No. 23 BYU to close out the regular season on March 7.
Their other opponents include the Kansas State Wildcats and the TCU Horned Frogs, two teams that are near the bottom of the Big 12 rankings.
Obviously, there is no such thing as an easy path to success, but with Tech's success this season against ranked teams that has also seen them defeat No. 3 Duke and No. 6 Houston, one could argue that the Cyclones are the only big competition that the Red Raiders have left in the schedule.
Then again, their most recent loss was to No. 11 Kansas and before then was against an unranked UCF Knights team, further proof that anything can happen from here on out, but if Tech can come out and play like they did against the now former No. 1 team, then the team is set up well for a deep run in both the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments.
The Red Raiders now sit third in the conference standings and take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe Tuesday night at 10:00 PM on ESPN2.
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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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