Some losses sting more than others and Saturday's 85-84 OT loss to No. 3 Iowa State in Lubbock might be rather painful for the Texas Tech basketball team for quite some time. That's because the Red Raiders blew a 13-point first-half lead and couldn't seal the win at the end of both regulation and overtime as they fell to 2-2 in Big 12 play with both of their losses coming at home.
On the final possession of regulation, Tech held a 74-72 lead with just six seconds to play. However, the Cyclones were able to drive to the rim and get a game-tying layup from Joshua Jefferson to extend the game.
Then, in the overtime period, Tech led 84-83 with 16 seconds to play. Unfortunately, ISU was again able to penetrate the lane and this time draw a foul. That's when Jefferson would calmly drain two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to play to give his team a one-point lead.
Tech had one final chance to win and got a great look from Darrion Williams but his left-handed runner in the paint clanged off of the back of the rim. It was the fourth loss of the season for the Red Raiders and those defeats have come by a total of 11 points.
However, close losses don't get teams into the NCAA Tournament. Rather, critical wins over good teams do and that's what the Red Raiders missed out on by failing to make winning plays down the stretch. Let's take a look at some quick reactions to what took place at United Supermarkets Arena on Saturday.
Texas Tech misses two critical free-throws that changed the game
The story of this game was late free-throw misses by two of the Red Raiders' better free-throw shooters. Though the Red Raiders were 19-24 at the line to hold a two-point edge over ISU, the Red Raiders twice missed free throws that might have iced the game.
At the end of regulation, Tech led 73-72 when Chance McMillian, a 91% free-throw shooter, steppd to the line for two shots. Unfortunately, he would miss the first of his two shots before making the second to extend his team's lead by only one point. On the ensuing possession, ISU tied the game with an easy layup to beat the buzzer.
Then, in overtime, with the game tied at 81 with 49 seconds to play, Williams, an 83.3% free-throw shooter, would miss the first of two free throws before making the second. That would prove to be a massive moment in what ended up being a one-point game.
Meanwhile, in overtime, ISU was 6-6 from the line including the two clutch game-winners from Jefferson. If you ask any Tech fans who they want at the line with the game in doubt, it would be McMillian or Williams but on Saturday, both missed out on opportunities to help seal the win by missing crucial free throws.
JT Toppin struggles for Texas Tech after turning his ankle
Part of how Tech built its large first-half lead was by feeding sophomore forward JT Toppin. He had 14 big points in the first half to help the Red Raiders take control of the game early.
However, in the second half, Toppin turned his ankle forcing him to head to the locker room for evaluation. Though he would return, he wasn't the same after that.
Toppin finished with only 18 points and in the second half, he was just 2-6 from the floor. Most of Toppin's misses after rolling his ankle came up short leading one to believe that he was struggling to get as much lift as he's accustomed to.
Now, everyone will be on Toppin watch for the second time this year (he previously missed four games in December with a knee injury sustained in practice). Hopefully, this ankle turn was just a scare and nothing that will be a long-term issue.
Two of Texas Tech's key backups struggle
Saturday, the Red Raiders were essentially a five-man team. That's because three players who saw the floor were absolutely ineffective.
While we've come to accept that Kerwin Walton isn't going to give this team much despite being in the starting give, the struggles of backup guard Kevin Overton and backup big man Federiko Federiko were not what the Red Raiders needed against ISU.
Overton was just 1-6 from the floor for three points while turning the ball over twice and committing three fouls in just 16 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Federiko was able to contribute only three points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.
When Overton was on the floor, Tech was a -11 on the scoreboard and when Federiko was on the floor, Tech was a -9. That's proof that both were liabilities on each end of the floor causing Tech to be reliant on just five players to handle the majority of the minutes. That's not a formula that any team wants to follow, especially in such a rugged game.
Texas Tech freshman grows up in a big way
One bright spot from Saturday was the play of freshman guard Christian Anderson. Playing in just his fourth Big 12 game, he was fantastic with 18 points on 6-11 shooting (including 4-4 from 3-point range).
Because of foul trouble for starting point guard Elijah Hawkins and the poor play of Overton and Walton, Anderson had to log 38 minutes and during much of that time, he was asked to guard Iowa State's star point guard Tamin Lipsey who ended the game with nine points and two assists.
Anderson is quickly figuring out how to thrive in Big 12 play. He's had two double-digit scoring games since the start of conference play and he showed on Saturday that playing against the best team in the league won't intimidate him in the slightest.