Despite a losing skid to close the season, the Red Raiders have earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and will face a formidable opponent in Round 1.
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech Red Raiders have lost three straight to close the regular-season and Big 12 tournament, but Grant McCasland's team has returned to the NCAA Tournament.
Texas Tech has drawn a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region and will play No. 12-seed Akron in Tampa, Florida. The Zips earned an automatic bid as the first team to win the MAC Tournament three times in a row.
Akron mounted a comeback win over Toledo to defend the conference crown after 49 points in the second half completed a 79-76 thriller to punch a ticket into the dance.
Senior guard Shammah Scott nailed a game-winning 3-pointer with just under seven seconds remaining to help the Zips (29-5) set a new school record for wins in a season.
The Red Raiders (22-10) closed the regular season with a three-game losing streak, including a conference tournament loss to an Iowa State team that had previously beaten, but officially making the March Madness bracket isn't the only bit of good news the team received this week.
It was reported that star guard Christian Anderson will not miss any time in the NCAA Tournament with the groin injury he sustained in the matchup with the Cyclones in Kansas City. He slipped on the controversial glass court of T-Mobile Center.
The moment caused panic for the Red Raiders as Anderson has been the heartbeat of the Texas Tech offense this season, averaging 18.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.
His breakout campaign earned him Big 12 Most Improved Player honors along with a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team, solidifying his role as one of the conference’s most dynamic backcourt players.
LeJuan Watts (ankle) was also injured in the game against Iowa State, but his status has not yet been confirmed. Both he and Anderson sat for the remainder of Tech's last game after getting hurt.
The Red Raiders will, of course, remain without All-American forward JT Toppin as he suffered a torn ACL earlier in the season, but his locker room intensity is sure to fuel what hopes to be another deep run after the Elite Eight berth last season.
