Texas Tech entered this season believing it had the pieces to win a national championship, but so far, its defense had not been up to par and injuries have ravaged the Red Raiders’ ability to coalesce. Texas Tech entered Saturday’s showdown against No. 3 Duke short-handed, bruised and off-kilter.
It will leave Madison Square Garden with one of college basketball’s biggest wins of the season. Texas Tech erased a 17-point, second-half deficit to stun Duke 82-81 and notch a resume-boosting win that sends a message to the rest of the Big 12 that this group is as dangerous as ever.
JT Toppin played the final 11-plus minutes of the game with four fouls and managed to stay in the fight. The Red Raiders’ All-American finished with 19 points, but it was Christian Anderson who sored 23 of his 27 points in the second half points to spark the comeback. LeJuan Watts also chipped in 20 massive points to help Texas Tech (9-3) stay above water without injured center Luke Bamgboye.
Duke (11-1) got 23 points from Cameron Boozer and 13 more from twin brother Cayden, but the Blue Devils’ offense scored just three points in a five-minute span down the stretch to breathe life into Texas Tech’s rally.
With the loss, Duke fell from the unbeaten ranks. Only Michigan, Iowa State, Arizona, Vanderbilt, Nebraska and Miami (Ohio) remain unblemished.
Let’s dive into some takeaways of Texas Tech’s upset of Duke.
Texas Tech’s Big Three emerges
We knew Toppin and Anderson were expected to be brilliant, and so far, that duo has been up to the task. Saturday was no different. One of the nation’s best inside-out duos combined for 46 points against a Duke defense that had been vicious all year.
But Watts has become a revelation offensively in recent weeks after focusing exclusively on … his defense? The basketball Gods have blessed Texas Tech’s bootyball machine, who racked up 20 points, six rebounds and three dimes in 27 minutes against the Blue Devils.
When Toppin, Anderson and Watts are cooking, Texas Tech’s offense is an incredibly tough cover.
Duke learned that the hard way.
Duke’s defense disintegrates at the wrong time
Duke’s defense picked a brutal time to play its worst defensive half of the season. The Blue Devils allowed 1.48 points per possession in the second half.
Overall, it was the worst showing for Duke’s defense this year … by a country mile.
Big 12 race is shaping up to be a banger
Texas Tech has certainly proven its best 40 minutes can knock off anybody, and it’s setting the stage for an all-time Big 12 race. Iowa State and Arizona are unbelievable. Houston, fresh off dismantling Arkansas, is starting to play very well. BYU and Kansas have two elite talents.
A bloodbath awaits.
