This is the kind of news that shifts a season overnight.
An MRI has confirmed that Texas Tech’s star forward JT Toppin suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee Tuesday night during Texas Tech’s game at Arizona State. For the Red Raiders, it is a brutal blow to a team that has leaned heavily on its frontcourt star all year.
Toppin has been the Red Raiders’ best player and one of the most dominant forwards in the country, averaging 21.8 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally, along with 10.8 rebounds per game, sixth in the country. Those are not just solid numbers. They are All-American level numbers.
The Red Raiders will now need to look for some front-court help coming off the bench, with a player who plays nearly every minute of regulation out of the lineup. Texas Tech will have five regular-season games to test out lineups and rotations before the Big 12 Tournament and eventually March Madness. They take on Kansas State, Cincinnati, No. 6 Iowa State, TCU, and No. 23 BYU to close out the year.
For Texas Tech, the path forward changes immediately, and the margin for error gets thinner. There is still a ton of talent on the roster, but losing a top ten scorer and top six rebounder nationally is the kind of loss few teams can absorb without feeling it.
More than anything, it is tough for Toppin. This was shaping up to be a defining season, the type that cements a legacy and boosts draft stock. Instead, it ends with surgery and rehab ahead.
The Red Raiders will regroup and adjust, but there is no sugarcoating it. Losing JT Toppin changes everything.
