Down 17 in the second half, Texas Tech roared back behind Christian Anderson, JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts to shock No. 3 Duke 82-81 at MSG.
Texas Tech showed up to Madison Square Garden bruised, shorthanded and under fire.
It walked out with one of the biggest wins of the college basketball season and a not-so-subtle warning to the rest of the Big 12 that the Red Raiders are absolutely for real.
Entering Saturday, Texas Tech’s season had been defined as much by nagging injuries and defensive inconsistency as preseason title dreams.
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Without injured center Luke Bamgboye and facing unbeaten No. 3 Duke, the Red Raiders looked overmatched early. The Blue Devils built a 17-point second-half lead, their stars cooking and their defense seemingly in control.
Then everything flipped.
Christian Anderson detonated in the second half, scoring 23 of his 27 points after the break to drag Texas Tech back from the dead.
He hit shots at every level, attacked closeouts, and turned MSG into his personal stage. Every time Duke tried to steady itself, Anderson had an answer.
Inside, All-American forward JT Toppin was walking a tightrope. He picked up his fourth foul with more than 11 minutes left but stayed on the floor and stayed aggressive, finishing with 19 hard-earned points.
His ability to defend without fouling while still being a scoring threat kept Tech's offense and defense from collapsing under the weight of Duke's size.
The third member of Texas Tech's newly formed Big Three, LeJuan Watts, delivered the kind of two-way performance that changes a season. Known first for his defense, Watts has quietly been trending up on offense, and against Duke he erupted for 20 points, six rebounds and three assists in just 27 minutes.
His physical style bullied the Blue Devils and gave Tech another mismatch to exploit.
On the other side, Cameron Boozer (23 points) and Cayden Boozer (13) did their part, but Duke's offense vanished at the worst time, managing just three points in a critical five-minute stretch late.
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Even worse, the Blue Devils' elite defense disintegrated, surrendering 1.48 points per possession in the second half ... by far their worst half of the season.
Texas Tech's 82-81 stunner doesn't just dent Duke's perfect record; it reshapes the Big 12 picture.
With Iowa State and Arizona rolling, Houston surging, and BYU and Kansas boasting elite playmakers, the league is setting up to be a full-on bloodbath.
And now everyone knows that at full throttle, Texas Tech's best 40 minutes can beat anybody, anywhere ... even an unbeaten top-three Duke team under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.