On Wednesday night, Texas Tech sophomore forward JT Toppin had yet another 30-point or more performance, his third of the season. In the Red Raiders' 91-75 win over Colorado in Lubbock, the transfer from New Mexico posted 30 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
There's no question that Toppin has been one of the best players in the nation this season. In fact, on Wednesday, he was announced as one of five finalists for the Karl Malone Award given each year to the country's best power forward. (The other finalists are Auburn's Johni Broome, Michigan's Danny Wolf, UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg, and Villanova's Eric Dixon.)
What is fascinating, though, is that Toppin is already one of the most dominant scorers in the country despite being just a second-year collegiate. That has Texas Tech fans dreaming of what he could become over the next two years with the program.
However, when speaking to the media following Wednesday's win over Colorado, Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland said that he hopes Toppin isn't on his team next season.
"I don't talk to [NBA] G.M.s specifically about next year because I don't care about that right now," McCasland said. "I mean, I care about making JT the best basketball player he can be for this team, and if he does those things, then he will be one of the best players, and he'll get drafted.
"So honestely, everybody's asking me, like 'Do you think JT will come back?' and I'm like, 'Honestly, I hope not because that means we won the whole thing, and he's an obvious lottery pick'. You know what I mean? That's my mentality with this deal. Let's get everything we can to put him in the best position, our team in the best position for us to be good. And he had 30 and 14 tonight. And do I think he can be better than that? Yes, I actually do. So let's push him to be the best he can be and that will put him in the best position, and we'll let that stuff take care of itself after we win."
While Texas Tech fans would love to see Toppin return next year to form the foundation of another Big contender in Lubbock (along with Christian Anderson and Darrion Williams), McCasland's vision is also one to embrace. If Toppin can lead the Red Raiders to glory in the NCAA Tournament, it would make his likely departure to the NBA far easier to handle. After all, Red Raider fans would gladly trade the last two seasons of Toppin's college eligibility for this season's National Championship.
Most believe that Toppin is destined for the NBA this offseason. After all, he nearly went into last year's draft after earning Freshman of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference.
Last summer, he participated in the NBA Draft Combine before deciding to return to college. It appears that his decision was wise.
This year, despite playing in a tougher conference, Toppin's scoring is up from 12.4 points per game in 2023-24 to 17.8. That is despite the fact that he's playing fewer minutes per game for the Red Raiders than he did for the Lobos.
Certainly, people around the country are taking notice of what Toppin has been doing in Big 12 play. Thus, his draft stock is on the rise. Of course, if he dominates in the NCAA Tournament, that rise will only continue. And if McCasland's dream comes true, it could be a storybook ending at Texas Tech for one of the best players the program has ever produced.