The No. 13 Red Raiders' double-double machine is out for the season.
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech Men's Basketball announced Wednesday that All-American forward JT Toppin suffered a torn ACL in the Red Raiders' 72-67 loss at Arizona State on Tuesday.
Toppin will miss the rest of the season for the No. 13-ranked Red Raiders. He held averages of 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds, a stellar second season in Lubbock that was filled with double-doubles and a campaign for National Player of the Year candidacy.
Toppin once again led the way statistically against the Sun Devils, pouring in 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds. He added four blocks and two steals, flashing his all-around impact before exiting with the injury with six minutes remaining in the game.
The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year drove to the left side of the lane and appeared to lose his balance as his lower leg twisted into a defender.
The loss to ASU puts Texas Tech at 19-7 on the season and 9-4 in Big 12 play.
Toppin accounts for 34.8 minutes per game as a two-way threat with a relentless motor on the inside. His absence was notable for head coach Grant McCasland's squad in Tuesday's late-night affair.
"To their credit, I thought the way they hung in there with each other over the course of the game really said a lot about their team," McCasland said. "The biggest stat for me was just our inability to take care of the ball, which led to some transition baskets.
"We had some moments where we got divided, and we just didn't have the competitiveness that it took to win on the road, so it's disappointing. I've got to do better to help our team in these road environments. We've always been a good road team and we fought and obviously had some success, but this wasn't good enough."
Christian Anderson delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. He knocked down 4-of-7 from 3-point range and converted both of his free throws. Donovan Atwell added 12 points and hit four 3-pointers, tying Cory Carr’s long-standing single-season Texas Tech record with 94 made threes.
Despite shooting an efficient 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from beyond the arc and 10-of-13 at the free-throw line, Texas Tech couldn’t overcome its giveaways. Arizona State (14-12, 5-8 Big 12) capitalized repeatedly, especially in transition.
The game tightened in the final minute when Anderson came up with a steal and a fastbreak layup to cut the deficit to two with 27 seconds remaining. However, a turnover on the next possession ended Tech’s hopes of forcing overtime.
Texas Tech now returns to Lubbock for a critical two-game home stand at United Supermarkets Arena. The Red Raiders are 12-1 at home this season and 42-6 on their home floor under McCasland, making Saturday’s matchup with Kansas State pivotal as they look to regain momentum in the Big 12 title race.
They'll begin their five-game slate to end the regular season without the services of their All-American big man.