Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland did not buy into any of the March Madness discussions that make college basketball one of the most dynamic sports in the world ahead of his team's first-round win over Akron.
McCasland, who joined Texas Tech after six successful seasons at North Texas, has seen both sides of the spectrum. The 49-year-old called it “dumb” to analyze matchups based on seeding, saying he focused only on the task at hand.
“We didn't talk about [the upset talk],” McCasland said in his post-game presser. “I've played in this tournament as a 13-seed. I just tried to show them the realities of this. This team is stinking good. They can put pressure on you.
“Let's not make this more than what it is. If you put the number by somebody's name and you try to determine how hard you're going to play based on a number, then you're dumb… We focused on game plan, effort and how we execute on every possession and let y'all talk about all these seeds and numbers.”
"If you put the number by somebody's name and try to determine how hard you're gonna play by a number, then you're dumb."@TexasTechMBB head coach Grant McCasland responds to conversations surrounding upsets and how the team approached today's game vs. Akron. pic.twitter.com/5arkQ5FIDT
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 20, 2026
Texas Tech and Akron were in a dogfight for a while before the Red Raiders pulled away in the second half. McCasland's team out-scored the Zips 51-36 in the second half en route to its 91-71 victory.
Texas Tech executed on both ends, shooting 64 percent from the floor while holding Akron to just 43 percent. Amari Lyles had a game-high 26 points in the loss, while the rest of the Zips combined for just 45 points on 38.6 percent shooting.
Freshman guard Jaylen Petty led Texas Tech with 24 points, while Christian Anderson and Donovan Atwell combined for 33. Atwell looked to be on his way to a career game before taking his foot off the gas pedal once the lead grew.
