JT Toppin's health concerns overshadows Texas Tech's bad loss at Arizona State

Tuesday night proved to be a wild night when it comes to upsets. Saint Louis lost its first game in A-10 play at Rhode Island, San Diego State lost at home to Grand Canyon, and Nebraska, NC State, Louisville, and Wisconsin all suffered defeats as ranked teams.

Yet the biggest and maybe most consequential defeat came in the last game of the slate. Texas Tech took on Arizona State late night and had an early lead. But the Sun Devils pushed back to take a 1-point halftime lead, before pushing it up to 10 points in the second half in a clear upset bid.

The Red Raiders stayed within range but late in the game, star forward JT Toppin went down with a lower-leg injury and needed help to get off the court. Texas Tech would finish the game without Toppin and went on to lose, 72-67. Toppin led the team with 20 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes played, but there’s a chance that he can be out for a while, based on the injury he suffered.

On the season, the junior forward has been one of the best players in the country, leading the Red Raiders with 21.9 ppg and 11 rpg. The former Big 12 Player of the Year is coming off a 31-point and 13-rebound performance in the team’s overtime win over previous No. 1, Arizona.

If Toppin is out for any extended period of time, it could be a fatal blow for Texas Tech Basketball. Yes, they still have another All-American candidate in Christian Anderson (19.1 ppg and 7.7 apg), along with two other double-digit scorers in Donovan Atwell and LeJuan Watts. 

There’s no way to replace Toppin’s two-way ability, but the Red Raiders do have some options with the potential of stepping up. 6’10 sophomore forward Luke Bamgboye has played just 13 games with a prior injury, but did play 20 minutes off the bench against Arizona State, and is a solid interior defender inside. Josiah Moseley has also dealt with injuries, but is another frontcourt player in the rotation, while Tyeree Bryan, a former double-digit scoring wing from Santa Clara, could find his way back into the fold after early struggles in the year.

The ideal scenario is that Toppin's injury isn’t too serious and he can play again this season. If not, Texas Tech’s odds of making a run in March dwindle by a lot.