Texas Tech basketball must navigate without JT Toppin following his devastating ACL tear. That includes pursuing the Big 12 Conference title amid the setback.
Fortunately the Red Raiders remain nationally ranked at No. 13 overall. Yet TTU is picking up the pieces after Arizona State stunned them.
Toppin's injury rises as one flaw facing an aspiring conference title winner. But that's not the fatal flaw that faces the Red Raiders.
Here's the flaw that could cost a Big 12 title on the Lubbock campus.
Depth rises as a concern for Texas Tech
Head coach Grant McCasland rotated eight players each night.
Toppin's injury damages the depth. This forces the veteran head coach to develop an eighth player who hasn't earned much minutes.
But it also means the potential for fatigue down the road.
Teams that roll with as many as 10 deep on the court will avoid wearing down. Especially the ones aspiring to cut down the nets at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis after the Final Four.
Toppin averaged 34.8 minutes a night — making him the most overused forward on the Red Raiders. Meanwhile, three different guards in Christian Anderson, Donovan Atwell and Jaylen Petty all earn more than 29 minutes on the floor. Anderson leads TTU with 38.7 MPG among the trio.
Yet again, someone will need an increase in minutes and it may need to be Luke Bamgboye. But he's averaging just 3.9 points per game and will need to increase his scoring effect if he's tabbed to fill for Toppin.
How Texas Tech can mask flaw ahead of Big 12 Conference title game
McCasland has created one of the conference's best defenses.
Toppin's presence allowed TTU to produce one of the top perimeter units. Offenses struggle with hitting from long range against them. Rebounding rises as another major strength here as TTU ranks No. 5 in cleaning the glass.
TTU's offense then wears down teams with its pick-and-roll approach. Toppin, however, was a go-to option for that famed play. Now it means someone must step up as the catalyst for the pick-and-roll.
The Red Raiders also struggled against better teams with a high scoring percentage. ASU emerged as the latest to expose the Red Raiders. And TTU is allowing an average of 72.3 points per game, placing them in the middle among Big 12 teams.
McCasland must rely on rebounding, perimeter defense and improving the depth moving forward before everyone heads to the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City come March 10.
