It feels as if the length of this year's NCAA Tournament run for the Texas Tech basketball team might hinge on how healthy the Red Raiders will be. So after the team learned on Sunday that it would be the No. 3 seed in the West Region and would open the tournament Thursday against UNC Wilmington in Wichita, Kansas, it didn't take long for the media to ask head coach Grant McCasland about the health of his players.
Of course, the two that everyone is most curious about are Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams. That duo missed Friday's Big 12 Tournament semifinal loss to Arizona. Fortunately, McCasland seemed optimistic about the likelihood of both players giving it a go on Thursday.
"In regards to our health," McCasland said, "honestly, I don't know exactly, as of today. I mean, we just got back from the Big 12 Tournament yesterday, and [we are] trying to get a feel for where we are. I am optimistic that we'll have everybody playing. At to what level, I'm not real sure. But I do know that they're hard at work and trying to get specifically Darrion and Chance ready to go."
What is interesting, though, is that Tech has played well when missing key pieces of the rotation. Even when the Red Raiders have faced top opponents while shorthanded, they have held their own.
In December, Tech was missing leading scorer and rebounder JT Toppin when the Red Raiders played Texas A&M in Fort Worth. Still, Tech had a chance to win that game in the final minutes before falling 72-67.
Then, on February 1, the Red Raiders beat Houston (which earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament) on their own court. Of course, that 82-81 overtime win was unforgettable because that was the game when Toppin and McCasland were ejected less than four minutes into the game.
Unfortunately, when Houston came to Lubbock a few weeks later, Tech was missing two starters as McMillian and Williams sat out that game. Still, despite having just a six-man rotation, Tech was within three points in the game's final minute before losing 69-61.
Most recently, the Red Raiders had a shot to beat Arizona in the Big 12 semifinals despite missing McMillian and Williams. In the 86-80 loss, Tech pushed the Wildcats to the limit despite getting only 11 points and six rebounds from Toppin who was slowed by illness that night in Kansas City as well.
Thus, Texas Tech fans are confident that when this team has all of its pieces available, it can compete with and beat any team in the country. And according to McCasland, that's the expectation to open the NCAA Tournament. Just how healthy McMillian and Williams will be, though, is still going to be a concern around West Texas this week.