Texas Tech Comes Back to Beat West Virginia 78-72
Texas Tech started off Saturday’s slate of Big 12 games with a statement win against Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Red Raiders rallied back from an eight-point deficient to win in a game that could be a defining victory for their NCAA Tournament chances.
Led by sophomore guard Jaylon Tyson who scored a game-high 27 points, the Red Raiders found a way to extend their winning streak to three following back-to-back upsets of Kansas State and Texas.
While Mark Adams’ bunch hasn’t been talked about in the same conversation as other Big 12 members they have now totaled three straight wins and have three Top 25 wins on the season (Iowa State, K-State, Texas).
The Big 12 Conference currently has eight teams in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology update, with the Red Raiders on the outside looking in as of Saturday morning. But with the win from Texas Tech, there is potential for them to become the record ninth team to make the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The Mountaineers were in control for most of the game before the Red Raiders put up an 8-0 run to tie the game up 63-63 and from that moment on the momentum had swung in Tech’s favor. Tyson and Erik Stevenson exchanged three points to tie the game at 66, and then Fardaws Aimaq hit two free throws at the 5:08 mark of the second half and the Mountaineers would never again tie or lead the game.
Leading the Red Raiders with Tyson was Aimaq, who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds and De’Vion Harmon, who scored 13 points. For the Mountaineers, Erik Stevenson matched Tyson’s total with 27 points of his own.
Both teams are now 4-10 in Big 12 play, and 15-12 overall, heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. The Mountaineers have lost three in a row and now have a home date with the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Monday night, while the Texas Tech Red Raiders head to Norman to take on Porter Moser and the Sooners on Tuesday.
