Texas Tech, without their best player, but on a show in the second half of their contest against Akron in the NCAA Tournament. JT Toppin is out for a long time with a torn ACL injury, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders must proceed without him. On Friday, they certainly did.
Texas Tech defeated Akron 91-71 after scoring 51 points in the second half. Akron trailed by as few as four points with plenty of time remaining in the game. Instead of the Zips forcing a potential upset, Texas Tech ran away with the game. Tech ended up shooting 64% from the floor and held Akron to 43%. The Red Raiders' 55% from deep made it almost impossible for Akron to upset. 3-point shooting is usually how the lower seed has to win.
Five players scored at least 15 points for the Red Raiders. Jaylen Petty led the way with 24 points for his team on 9-14 shooting. Petty also finished 5-7 from beyond the arc. Donovan Atwell was 4-6 from 3-point range and scored 15 points. Christian Anderson scored 18, and Lejuan Watts scored 14. Off the bench, Josiah Moseley scored 16 points on 7-8 shooting. Moseley averages just 4.6 points per game.
After the game, Petty explained how they were able to pull ahead and dominate Akron.
“We just came into the game ready to compete… They all trust me, and they were all ready to pour into getting the job done,” Petty said. “Just gotta stay confident and level-headed.”
"We just came into the game ready to compete… They all trust me and they were all ready to pour into getting the job done."
— @TexasTechMBB guard Jaylen Petty spoke with @AJRoss_TV after advancing to the second round pic.twitter.com/tHB2ewKfQj
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2026
Texas Tech will now wait for the winner of the Alabama and Hofstra game taking place right now.
