Watching Monday night's National Championship Game, Texas Tech fans were in a no-win situation. Either hated in-state Big 12 rival Houston would win its first title or the team that Texas Tech should have beaten in the Elite Eight, Florida, would cut down the nets for the third time in its program's history.
Judging by the comments on social media, it seemed as if the vast majority of Red Raiders were hoping to see Houston prevail. That was likely due to a sense of Big 12 pride and wanting to see a conference bunkmate spoil the SEC lovefest that was one of the driving narratives of this college basketball season.
What's more, many Red Raider fans were turned off by the cockiness and bravado Florida displayed in the Elite Eight comeback win over Tech. Also, Florida head coach Todd Golden became an extremely unlikable figure among the Tech populace given his sideline demeanor during the Elite Eight and when that was combined with the off-court controversy that he was embroiled in early in the season when he was accused of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking from multiple women, including students. he was easy for Tech fans to despise.
Though an internal Florida investigation found no evidence to substantiate those claims (what a shock), it cast Golden in an extremely unflattering light. Thus, it was hard to see him receive all the praise that he did as his Gators clipped Houston 65-63 to win the game's biggest prize in the Alamodome.
With all of that said, though, there may also be an underlying reason why Tech fans found themselves pulling for Houston. Could the thought of what might have been had Tech finished off Florida in the Elite Eight been too much for Tech fans to wrestle with, thus leading them to hope that Houston would claim the crown instead? It would make sense.
After all, the Red Raiders had Florida on the ropes in the Elite Eight. After outplaying the Gators for the entire game and being in control for the majority of the second half, Tech held a 75-66 lead with just over three minutes remaining as a Final Four trip to San Antonio was on the horizon.
Then, the Red Raiders endured one of the worst collapses we've ever seen from a Texas Tech team, regardless of the sport. Down the stretch, while Florida could do nothing wrong, Tech simply wilted, including twice missing the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity that would have extended the lead.
After the 84-79 loss to Florida, it was tough for Red Raider fans to simply tip their caps to the Gators and wish them well. That's because, on that night, Tech was clearly the better team for 37 minutes of the game.
While the Gators (and specifically their top player, Walter Clayton Jr., whose late 3-point barrage helped pull his team back from the brink of elimination) deserve some of the credit for their improbable comeback, for Tech fans, that game will always be about what the Red Raiders did to let things slip away.
That night, an above-average free-throw shooting Texas Tech team was just 7-13 (53.7%) at the line. And the two critical late misses came from the team's two best overall players, Darrion Williams and JT Toppin.
It will always feel to Texas Tech fans that their team let the Elite Eight game against Florida slip through its fingers. That's far worse than simply being outclassed by an opponent as Tech was in the program's only other Elite Eight defeat, 2018's 71-59 loss to that season's eventual National Champion, Villanova.
While both the Wildcats in 2018 and the Gators in 2025 went through Tech in the Elite Eight on their way to winning it all, the feelings Red Raiders endured in the wake of each game were vastly different. In 2018, we were simply happy to have finally reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. What's more, there was never really a time in that game when it felt as if Tech might upend Villanova.
Since then, though, Tech has gone on to even greater heights as a program, and the bar is now set at a National Championship level thanks to 2019's run to the title game. No longer is an Elite Eight considered a high-water mark for the program. The dream in Raiderland is much larger these days.
What's more, it appeared that Tech was perhaps on the cusp of realizing that dream this year. Florida was considered by many to be the tournament's overall favorite, so if Tech could have knocked off the Gators, who was to say that they couldn't win it all? That was what was going through the minds of Red Raiders across the globe with three minutes left in the Elite Eight.
However, the painful ending to that game crushed those dreams and propelled the Gators to the title. So it was hard for Tech fans not to picture the Red Raiders being the ones to take on Houston in what would have been an epic all-Texas final in San Antonio.
Sure, there is no guarantee that Tech would have beaten Auburn in the Final Four or taken down Houston in the National Championship Game as the Gators did. However, Tech fans will forever lament the fact that we didn't get to see the Red Raiders have the opportunities to do so.
What's more, seeing the team that ripped our hearts out go on to hoist the trophy provided an extra twist of the knife that still sticks in the hearts of Texas Tech basketball fans. It was a reminder that Tech could have won it all in 2025 had it just made one or two more plays (or free throws) in the Elite Eight. That's not going to be easy for Texas Tech fans to come to terms with.