No. 13 Texas Tech was defeated by host Arizona State 72-67 in Tempe on Tuesday night and saw star forward JT Toppin go down with an injury late in the second half.
Toppin was heading toward the basket with 6:03 left when he fell, holding his right leg. The preseason All-America selection, who averaged 21.9 points, needed help limping off the court and did not return. He finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland confirmed the injury was to Toppin's lower leg, but was unsure of the severity.
“It's hard to say until we look at it closely,” McCasland said. “But I know he's really disappointed. He's a great competitor. We'll come back and take a look at him.”
Texas Tech, coming off a 78-75 overtime win at then-No. 1 Arizona: ended a three-game winning streak. The Red Raiders were obviously shocked when Toppin left the field. He sat on the bench for a while before returning to the locker room.
It was Arizona State's first win over a nationally ranked opponent since beating No. 23 West Virginia 65-57 on Jan. 21, 2025. It was also a big win for embattled coach Bobby Hurley, who has struggled to produce a consistent winner during his 11 years in the desert.
Hurley opened his postgame press conference by sending well wishes to Toppin.
“I hope he's OK, and I hate to see a guy come out of a game like that. He's one of the best players in the country,” Hurley said. “My heart goes out to him and I hope he returns soon for them.”
Texas Tech was trailing 61-56 at the time of the injury and fell behind 67-56 in the next few minutes. The Red Raiders regrouped and got within 70-67 in the final seconds, but Christian Anderson fumbled, costing them a chance to tie the score with a three-pointer.
“It kind of hit us on the heels a little bit,” McCasland said of Toppin's injury. “But, man, we have a competitive group and we found a way to get to a one-possession game. We gave ourselves a chance late, which is what you want. I told our team I loved the group that was on the court at the end and the fight.
“If we had done that for the previous 38 or 37 minutes, we would have put ourselves in a better position.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
