Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland gestures to his team against TCU during a Big 12 Conference men’s basketball game Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at United Supermarkets Arena. Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland knows he needs to find a way for his team to be physical as the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments approach.
The 10th-ranked Red Raiders (22-8, 12-5 Big 12) have struggled on the interior since junior forward JT Toppin tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a Feb. 17 game against Arizona State.
Tuesday’s game was the latest for Texas Tech, which came back from a 73-65 loss to TCU in its home finale to win 39-25.
The loss dropped the Red Raiders from a projected No. 3 seed to a No. 4 seed in CBS’ bracket projection.
Texas Tech will try to get back on track when it travels to Provo, Utah, Saturday to take on BYU (20-10, 8-9) in the Big 12 regular-season finale for both teams.
“I think when you play a really physical team, it takes a lot away from us because we have skill,” McCasland told SI.com. “If you were to characterize our players, you wouldn’t say we are a physically impressive team. We are physically gifted, but we are also good at scoring and shooting from the perimeter and guard spots.”
The Red Raiders were able to shine from outside on Tuesday, making 11 of 32 3-point attempts, but they scored just eight points on second-chance points and were outscored 38-22 in the paint by TCU.
Texas Tech won its first three games with Toppin out, but the Red Raiders will soon have to figure out their inside play.
“They rebounded and got to the free throw line,” McCasland said. “I love that we get exposure now and can learn from it. That’s what I’m excited about. This has been our deal. When we can be scrappy on the glass and get 50-50 balls and come up with a play up the middle, we’re awesome. And when we don’t, this is what we get.”
Toppin led the Red Raiders with 21.8 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Christian Anderson now leads the team with 19.1 ppg, while junior forward LeJuan Watts leads the team with just 5.9 rebounds per game.
A major injury has left the Cougars 1-4 since losing senior guard Richie Saunders in mid-February.
BYU has fallen out of the top 25, and Tuesday’s 90-68 loss at Cincinnati didn’t help matters. CBS still projects the Cougars as a No. 7 seed despite a 4-9 record after starting 16-1.
“We were in trouble to start the game with a bad offense, down by 13 points in the first half, with turnovers,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “Less than two weeks ago we beat Iowa State, a good team, one of the best in the country. But I think our confidence has been shaken a little bit. We have to play with a little more inner belief. We have to manage the ups and downs during the season.”
The Bearcats, who led by 12 at halftime, outshot the Cougars 50% to 41.4% and committed just seven turnovers. Cincinnati had 10 stolen bases, while BYU had only 2 steals.
Freshman AJ Dybantsa led the Cougars with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists. He also became the third freshman to play more than 1,000 minutes at BYU.
–Field level media
