Three Key Takeaways from Texas Tech's NCAA Tournament Win over Akron Zips
In this story:
TAMPA, Fla. — Texas Tech dominated Akron for most of the game to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3: Petty, Atwell Show Out
Freshman guard Jaylen Petty combined with veteran backcourt mate Donovan Atwell's outside shooting was the main reason for the Red Raiders double-digit victory over upset minded Akron.
The Red Raiders had to play without their key player, JT Toppin, who was out with an ACL injury. To make up for the loss of their main inside threat, they relied on a fast-paced, three-point shooting attack. The two of them made nine of Texas Tech's 11 three-pointers, shooting 69% from beyond the arc.
Petty and Atwell hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the second half, even though the Red Raiders were only up by five points at the end of the first half. This swift 6–0 run quickly increased Texas Tech's lead to 11 points and forced Akron to abandon its original defensive plan.
Akron trimmed the lead to only four points (64–60) in the middle of the second half. Petty answered by hitting a huge three-pointer that stopped the Zips' momentum and got the Red Raiders' attack going again.
Because Atwell (who came into the tournament with a school-record 124 threes) and Petty were shooting so well, Akron's defense had to move out to the edges. This opened up driving lanes for Christian Anderson and Josiah Moseley, which helped Texas Tech shoot a scorching 64% from the field overall.
The game was effectively over by the time Petty sank his fifth three-pointer of the day, giving the Red Raiders a 16-point lead. Texas Tech didn't simply survive without Toppin; they dominated because they could hit high-pressure shots from beyond the three-point arch.
No. 2 LeJuan Watts and Christian Anderson played well on both ends of the court to help the Red Raiders win this game.
Petty and Atwell were the ones who made the long-range pyrotechnic type of shots from deep, but Christian Anderson and LeJuan Watts were the ones who kept the Red Raiders together. These two made plays and were strong inside, which helped them win.
Today, Anderson was the floor general on both ends. There were worries about Anderson's groin injury from the Big 12 tournament before the game, but he played almost the whole game (39 minutes) and put those worries to rest. He played aggressive defense, getting four steals, which was the most in the game, and helped the Red Raiders' transition game.
Anderson made a key steal after Akron trimmed the lead to 64–60 in the second half. The steal led to a Jaylen Petty slam and started the final 25–9 run that ended the game. He ran the offense calmly, with 5 assists and only 2 turnovers. This kept Tech Tech efficient with the ball, even though Akron was putting a lot of pressure on them.
In this game, Watts filled in for "Toppin Gap." With JT Toppin out, Watts had to provide Tech the toughness and rebounding they needed in the paint.
Watts was very effective, making 75% of his shots (6 of 8). He concentrated on getting high-percentage shots around the hoop to help balance Tech's outside shooting. He tied for the team lead with 6 rebounds, and he did an outstanding job stopping Akron's Amani Lyles from getting second-chance opportunities for the Zips. Even though he eventually fouled out, his aggressive play set the tone early on and helped Tech take a 12-point lead in the first half.
Petty and Atwell scored the most points combined for the Red Raiders, but Anderson's defense and Watts' efficiency kept Texas Tech balanced on both ends of the court. They showed that the Red Raiders could still be a "Sweet 16" caliber club without their best player, Toppin, being available, by playing great defense and scoring inside the paint.
No. 1 Texas Tech beat Akron 91–71 thanks to a strong second half in which they outscored the Zips 51–36.
The Red Raiders pulled ahead in the second half by making both tactical changes and great plays by individual players. There were three things that made their second-half performance the "main reason" for the victory.
One was that Texas Tech's 3-point blitz at the start of the second half stopped Akron's momentum right away. In the first minute of the period, Jaylen Petty and Donovan Atwell each made a three-pointer. This swift 6–0 run made the score go from 40–35 to 46–35. The Red Raiders had Akron play more actively on defense by quickly regaining a double-digit lead. This surge made it easier for other scorers to get to the basket.
The second crucial thing in the second half was getting through the storm in the middle of the second half. Evan Mahaffey of Akron made a three-point play that brought the score to 64–60. Texas Tech showed how to "close" a basketball game, and the Red Raiders went on a 14–2 run over the next four minutes.
During this time, Petty scored eight points in a row, including a fast-break dunk and a deep three-pointer that made the lead 16. After Akron's short surge, Tech's defense only let the Zips score seven points in the last 6:53 of the game.
The third important thing was how well the bench played, especially on defense in the second half. Akron relied a lot on two players, Amani Lyles and Shammah Scott, who scored 46 of Akron's 71 points. But Texas Tech's depth wore them down in the second half. In the second half, Josiah Moseley was the X-factor, scoring 10 of his career-high 16 points. Moseley's enthusiasm on the boards and two big dunks late in the half broke the Akron defense's spirit and gave Tech the inside scoring it needed with LeJuan Watts in foul trouble.
Latest Texas Tech News
Stay up to date on Texas Tech Athletics by bookmarking Texas Tech On SI and following us on X/Twitter.
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.