Sports

Slippery Big 12 Basketball Court Might’ve Officially Ended Texas Tech’s National Title Chances

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by Last Updated

© Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


The Texas Tech basketball team fell to league rival Iowa State in Big 12 Tournament action on Thursday. The loss was not the main concern after the game.

Injuries are mounting for a squad once viewed as a title contender. If unable to get healthy, their championship hopes are squashed.

The Red Raiders won 22 games this season and finished in a three-way tie for third in the conference standings. They boast the most impressive group of wins in college basketball.

Texas Tech took down Duke, Kansas, Iowa State, Houston, Arizona, and BYU this year. Four of those teams are currently ranked inside the Top 10 nationally.

They’ve proven a threat to beat any team on any given day when at full-strength. Unfortunately, they’ll be without their best player in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas Tech basketball’s injuries are mounting.

JT Toppin spurned the NBA Draft to return to Lubbock this offseason. He was on his way to potential national player of the year honors before suffering a season-ending injury.

Toppin averaged just under 22 points and 11 boards a night. He was the best player on the roster. Without his presence on the floor, the Red Raiders have weathered the storm.

The team closed the regular season going 3-2 with Toppin sidelined. Others stepped up in his absence. One was guard Christian Anderson.

In the five games without Toppin in the lineup, Anderson averaged 20 points per game to go along with 8.4 assists. He became the offense’s top threat.

With Anderson leading the charge, Texas Tech won games against the likes of fourth-ranked Iowa State and Cincinnati. Now, his future is also in doubt.

Christian Anderson slipped on the new Big 12 basketball court.

The LED court is made of glass to allow for promotional graphics to be flashed before and during games. In many ways, it’s cool. Pregame introductions have never been better.

The court is unique. It was a talking point in postseason play. Unfortunately, the Big 12 has received largely negative attention for the design following the start of the tournament.

Kansas State players hated the court. Taj Williams provided his thoughts after a Round 1 loss to BYU.

“It was pretty bad,” the forward said. “It’s slippery. The lights caused Khamari (McGriff) to get a migraine. It’s a bad floor. They shouldn’t bring it back, if you want my honest opinion…

“It’s an eyesore. It’s constantly changing and flashing different lights. Nobody wants to play on that. Just go back to normal hardwood.”

The overwhelming majority of criticism revolves around the playing surface.

The court is slick. BYU star and future first round NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa said, “I like the idea of the court, (but) It’s a little slippery in terms of glass.”

The surface is not waterproof. Fans sitting courtside are not permitted to have drinks in hand. Perspiration on the floor is a concern.

Christian Anderson learned about the dangers firsthand. He slipped midway through the second half of his first tournament game Thursday.

His fall was impactful enough to force his exit from the game. Texas Tech would go onto lose by double digits. Was the floor to blame? Maybe so.

The game had little meaning in terms of NCAA Tournament projections. The Red Raiders are safely in the field, though seeding could’ve been improved with a Big 12 championship run.

The focus, instead, is on getting healthy.

The team will be without JT Toppin. If down Anderson and LeJuan Watts, who was also injured in the most recent contest, Texas Tech has no legitimate shot at winning a national title.

The team will hope to receive good news on the injury before Selection Sunday.