The one possession that sparked Texas Tech's massive comeback against Arkansas

Basketball is generally a game of runs. Unlike football or baseball, where set plays in between stoppages are trapped in time, making it easy to point to individual moments as the instance when a game turns, basketball is a game of ebbs and flows where momentum carries even more weight than in other sports. However, sometimes, we can look back on even a basketball game and find that one moment when things changed. That was certainly the case in the 85-83 Texas Tech win over Arkansas in Thursday's Sweet 16.

Some will say that Tech had no business winning a game in which the Razorbacks held a 16-point lead with around ten minutes to play in the second half and a ten-point lead near the 4:00 mark of regulation. They will point to the statistical dominance of Arkansas, which outshot the Red Raiders 40% to 25% from 3-point range and which held a 19-9 edge at the free-throw line, as reasons why Tech was fortunate to survive.

However, there is one stat in the game of basketball that measures effort and determination more than any other...rebounds. No aspect of the game is more impacted by a team's overall desire to win than what happens on the glass.

So to understand how Tech pulled off the second-biggest comeback in the history of the Sweet 16, we need to look no further than the Red Raiders' 51-39 edge in rebounds. That is a stunning advantage for a Red Raider team that was by far the shorter team in Thursday night's game.

However, height isn't the only determining factor when it comes to rebounds. Rather, heart often plays a larger role in deciding who wins that battle.

That was true for Texas Tech against Arkansas. What's more, one unforgettable possession in the second half saw the Red Raiders refuse to quit on the boards. Eventually, that single trip down the court wound up sparking the comeback that has the college basketball world buzzing. What's more, it was an unlikely hero who did most of Tech's dirty work.

Federkio Federiko has his signature moment at Texas Tech

Federiko Federiko is far from a dominant player. He doesn't have great coordination, especially when trying to grab a loose ball or corral a bounce pass. He lacks the ability to shoot from outside of five feet. He doesn't handle the ball at all.

However, for all of his flaws, there is no doubting the senior big man's heart. Though he's played through an upper body injury for most of this season, the first-year Red Raider has always given this team everything that he has in the tank. And that was again the case on the possession that started Texas Tech's comeback on Thursday night.

With 9:02 left in regulation, Federiko stepped to the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity after being fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound following a Darrion Williams miss. At that time, his team was in the knockout zone, down 61-47. After making the first free throw, he missed the second, sparking one of the wildest sequences in recent Texas Tech basketball memory.

The possession was kept alive when Kevin Overton came up with the offensive rebound off of the Federiko miss. He then drove to the rim and missed a tough shot in the paint.

Federiko then came up with an offensive rebound before kicking the ball back out. Next, Christian Anderson would brick a 3-point shot only to see Federiko somehow come up with another rebound despite initially being blocked out.

In the ensuing action, Elijah Hawkins would take a 3-pointer and miss. However, Federiko again was there to grab an offensive board.

That extra opportunity eventually led to a Williams drive to the rim, one that was unsuccessful. However, once again, Federiko was in position to grab the rebound.

Finally, with players from both teams strewn about the baseline in a pile of humanity, Federiko finished things off himself by laying the ball into the basket. On that one trip down the floor, not only did Federiko score three of his seven points in the game, but he also brought in four of the seven offensive rebounds he gathered on the night.

It was only fitting that Federiko was rewarded with the basket to end that possession. However, at the time, it seemed like that little burst of effort was going to be nothing more than a brief respite from Arkansas' domination.

Ultimately, though, it would be the spark that ignited Tech's comeback. After that wild possession, Tech would score two more unanswered baskets (one by Federiko, in fact) to crawl to within 61-54.

At that point, a comeback was realistic. That might have been the moment when Arkansas started to hear Tech's footsteps.

Eventually, the Red Raiders would close regulation on a 22-11 run following the possession that saw Federiko grab four offensive rebounds.

For most of the season, Federiko has been a frustrating watch given his offensive limitations. However, his effort and heart have been a perfect fit for this team, and often, what he has provided Texas Tech has come outside of the stat sheet. His interior defense and ability to help protect the rim can't be overlooked, especially for a team that is lacking in size.

Though Williams, Anderson, and JT Toppin, the three 20-point scorers from Thursday's win, will get most of the accolades, Tech wouldn't be in the Sweet 16 without Federiko's contributions on a night when the Red Raiders had a 16-9 edge in second-chance points.

The comeback was fueled by Anderson's 3-point shooting and completed when Williams hit his final shot with just over nine seconds left to play, however, it started with a rugged effort by Federiko on the glass in what might be the best possession of the season for the Red Raiders.