Donovan Atwell Sends Warning to NCAA Tournament as Texas Tech Advances
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TAMPA, Fla. — Texas Tech senior guard Donovan Atwell sent a warning to the NCAA tournament after the No. 5 seed Red Raiders took down the No. 12 seed Akron Zips to advance to the round of 32.
"It's going to be hard for teams to stop all of us," Atwell said following his 15-point performance that featured two rebounds, three assists and a steal.
There was much concern for the Red Raiders heading into Friday's matchup with Akron, one of the best offensive teams in the country. Despite being the higher seed, everyone doubted Tech's ability to advance in the NCAA Tourament without All-American big man, JT Toppin.
Those doubts were laid to rest Friday when Tech took down the Zips 91-71.
"This says that we have resolve. We know that people need to step up. I've been saying it all year, we have so many threats offensively and defensively," Atwell said. "We had multiple guys in double figures tonight. It's going to keep happening. That's going to be hard for team to stop us, especially in transition.
"We're a tough team to beat."
"It's going to be hard for teams to stop all of us."
— KAMC News (@KAMCNews) March 20, 2026
Texas Tech senior guard Donovan Atwell on the Red Raiders' complete performance in their NCAA Tournament debut. pic.twitter.com/ijWV83MBLQ
It was a complete performance by the Red Raiders, who had double-figure scoring from five players. Freshman Jaylen Petty recorded a whopping 24 points to lead Tech in scoring.
Both teams were considered one of the elite 3-point shooting teams in the country. Texas Tech ranked fourth in three-point percentage and fifth in made threes per games. Akron was 12th in three-point percentage and 10th in made threes per game.
After Texas Tech and Akron went head to head, it was evident the Red Raiders won the battle at the arc. The Zips went 5-for-19 from three, while the Red Raiders were 11-for-20.
"Tremendous respect for Coach (John) Groce for a great season," Texas Tech head coachGrant McCasland said. "What an awesome team they have. One of the most fun teams I've ever scouted. The way they can put pressure on you with the way they score, their pace, their next action ability. We challenged our team to get better defensively and to finish with rebounds. We felt if we could take away rhythm 3s and rebound, we could win. We got some great contributions from different guys."
Now, the Red Raiders are set to take on No. 4 seed Alabama in the round of 32 Sunday. Although Tech is the lower seed in the contest, the Red Raiders know it's never smart to underestimate a team going into the matchup.
McCasland discussed why Tech never looked at Akron as the inferior opponent heading into Friday's matchup.
"If you put the number by somebody's name and try to determine how hard you're gonna play by a number, then you're dumb," he said.
The Red Raiders have an uphill battle in the NCAA Tournament without Toppin, who was in the National Player of the Year conversation before suffering a season-ending injury.
Tech did its job Friday, but they'll have to continue finding ways to win without Toppin starting Sunday against the Crimson Tide.
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Valentina Martinez is an On SI writer. She has in depth knowledge of the college sports community and has covered professional sports extensively. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and covered Sun Devil Football, Men's Basketball, Baseball, Women's Volleyball and Softball.