Texas Tech’s season ended in the NCAA Tournament with a 90-65 loss to Alabama as the Red Raiders finished 23-11 after a third straight March Madness trip.
Texas Tech’s NCAA Tournament run came to a hard stop Sunday night as Alabama overwhelmed the Red Raiders 90-65 in the Midwest Region second round, ending Tech’s season at 23-11 and denying Grant McCasland’s team a trip to the Sweet 16.
For a Texas Tech team built on toughness, shot-making and perimeter confidence, this one never found a rhythm.
The Red Raiders entered the game as one of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams, but Alabama flipped the script early and never let up.
Tech hit just 4 of 25 from long range, while the Crimson Tide buried 19 3s and controlled the glass from the opening minutes.
“What a tough night for our team,” McCasland said afterward.
“Alabama was awesome. I thought they were so much more aggressive on both ends of the floor. They got after us defensively. They disrupted us, and then they were downhill on every action. I just thought they were in attack mode. Ran into a team that I thought was more determined, that was tougher than we were, and that’s always our standard for winning.”
LeJuan Watts led Texas Tech with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Donovan Atwell added 12 points in the final game of his senior season.
Leon Horner chipped in 10 off the bench, and Christian Anderson finished with seven points, three assists and four steals.
Anderson closed a standout sophomore year, averaging 18.5 points and 7.4 assists per game, while Atwell finished the season with a program-record 130 made 3-pointers.
But Alabama’s pressure and relentless work on the boards defined the night.
“It started with offensive rebounding,” McCasland said. “We just couldn’t grab the ball in a stretch there. It was impressive. It really was.”
The loss stings, but McCasland made clear the bigger picture still matters.
“I told these guys, games like this make you kind of go, is it worth it,” he said. “I told them it is. It’s always worth giving everything you have, no matter what.”
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