LUBBOCK, Texas — When one team is 9-3 in the Big 12, and the other is 3-9, and the team that's 9-3 is at home, and the team that's 3-9 is missing its best freshman, there's no real reason to expect an instant classic. You can hope for one, sure, but there are few tangible things to attach to that hope, which is one of many reasons Texas Tech closed Wednesday as a 16.5-point favorite over Bobby Hurley's Arizona State Sun Devils, who entered with a 2-8 record in their previous 10 games and without Jayden Quaintance, the five-star freshman sidelined with an ankle injury.
And yet we still got an instant classic!
Final score: Texas Tech 111, Arizona State 106 in 2 OT.
Incredible game.
I was fortunate to be the sideline reporter inside United Supermarkets Arena for CBS Sports Network, in part because watching a game where both teams shoot above 55% from the field and make a double-digit number of 3-pointers over a span of 50 minutes is a fun way to spend a few hours.
It was a blast.
And JT Toppin was awesome. The 6-foot-9 sophomore from Dallas took 22 shots, made 17 of them and finished with a career-high 41 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. According to Jared Berson, that makes Toppin the only player in the past 30 years to get at least 40 points, at least 15 rebounds and multiple steals and blocks in a Division I game.
"In a game where it's open-flow like this, and you can give him some space, he's so dynamic -- but having shooters around him gives him that space," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland told me late Wednesday. "That's why this game is so awesome, man. It's about the team; JT would say it. But what was best about it is he's getting buckets, but he's more excited about getting stops at the end of the game. That's the heart behind our program. If we can keep scrapping and find a way to be good defensively, we've got enough offensive-talent to be special."
Texas Tech is No. 17 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Auburn remains No. 1 for the 37th consecutive day. The Red Raiders are now 19-5 overall and 10-3 in the Big 12 heading into Saturday's game at Oklahoma State.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Johni Broome finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 80-68 win at Vanderbilt. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 29-5 |
| 2 |  | Jarin Stevenson finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 103-80 win at Texas. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 25-8 |
| 3 |  | Denzel Aberdeen finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 81-68 win at Mississippi State. The Gators' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 30-4 |
| 4 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 27 points and three steals in Wednesday's 78-57 win over California. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Stanford. | -- | 31-3 |
| 5 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 14 points and three assists in Monday's 76-85 win over Baylor. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Arizona. | -- | 31-4 |
| 6 |  | Chaz Lanier was 3-of-13 from the field in Tuesday's 75-64 loss at Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Vanderbilt. | 1 | 28-7 |
| 7 |  | Solomon Washington finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 69-53 win over Georgia. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 8 |  | Keshon Gilbert finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 77-65 win at UCF. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Cincinnati. | 1 | 24-9 |
| 9 |  | Caleb Furst was 2-of-7 from the field in Tuesday's 75-73 loss at Michigan. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Wisconsin. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 10 |  | Simeon Wilcher was 4-of-11 from the field in Wednesday's 73-71 loss at Villanova. The Red Storm's next game is Sunday against Creighton. | 4 | 31-4 |
| 11 |  | Kam Jones finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 68-58 win over DePaul. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against Seton Hall. | -- | 23-10 |
| 12 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 20 points and seven assists in Sunday's 90-82 win over Temple. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at South Florida. | -- | 29-5 |
| 13 |  | Danny Wolf finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 75-73 win over Purdue. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday at Ohio State. | -- | 26-9 |
| 14 |  | Malik Dia finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 72-68 win at South Carolina. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Mississippi State. | -- | 22-11 |
| 15 |  | Otega Oweh finished with 13 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 75-64 win over Tennessee. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Texas. | -- | 22-11 |
| 16 |  | John Tonje finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 74-63 win over Iowa. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Purdue | -- | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | JT Toppin finished with 41 points and 15 rebounds in Texas Tech's 111-106 double-overtime win over Arizona State. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | -- | 26-8 |
| 18 |  | Tre Holloman was 2-of-8 from the field in Tuesday's 71-67 loss to Indiana. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Illinois. | -- | 27-6 |
| 19 |  | RJ Melendez was 1-of-5 from the field in Tuesday's 81-68 loss to Florida. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | -- | 21-12 |
| 20 |  | Steven Ashworth was 1-of-8 from the field in Tuesday's 70-66 loss to UConn. The Bluejays' next game is Sunday at St. John's. | -- | 25-10 |
| 21 |  | Caleb Love was 3-of-15 from the field in Tuesday's 73-70 loss at Kansas State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 22-12 |
| 22 |  | Sebastian Mack was 4-of-11 from the field in Tuesday's 83-78 loss at Illinois. The Bruins' next game is Friday at Indiana. | -- | 23-10 |
| 23 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 82-58 win over Oklahoma. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Georgia. | -- | 22-12 |
| 24 |  | J'Vonne Hadley finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 91-66 win at NC State. The Cardinals' next game is Sunday at Notre Dame. | -- | 27-8 |
| 25 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 71-59 win over Colorado. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Utah. | -- | 21-13 |
| 26 |  | Viktor Lakhin finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Monday's 85-65 win over North Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Florida State. | -- | 27-7 |
