In Kansas City, Missouri, the Big 12 Tournament has proven to be tough on teams trying to maintain their health. Despite facing some challenges, second-ranked Houston secured a spot in the title game with a decisive 76-56 victory over No. 17 BYU on Friday night. The win came even as they had to manage without their top rebounder, J’Wan Roberts, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle and sat on the bench, his leg in a boot. Meanwhile, Arizona earned their place in the final by defeating No. 9 Texas Tech 86-80. The Texas Tech team faced adversity as well, with key players Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams absent due to injuries.
Additionally, Texas Tech’s standout forward, JT Toppin, was battling an illness during the game, even having to leave the arena tunnel to be sick at one point. “We were a little short-handed, and the guys that played — it was just our competitiveness that I loved,” remarked Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland. He addressed his team after the game, saying, “This is not where it ends. That is the beauty of what we’ve done this season. This is just the beginning of another season for us that we’re excited to be part of.”
McMillian had previously missed the second half of Texas Tech’s quarterfinal win due to an “upper body strain,” and Williams was seen with a walking boot following an aggravation of an ongoing foot injury. McCasland explained, “Chance last night was in pretty severe pain, and this morning he woke up and was definitive that he couldn’t play. Our hope is we get him back for the NCAA Tournament. Darrion tried to warm up and said he couldn’t go. We hope we get him back for the tournament, too.”
Despite the setbacks, Texas Tech pushed Arizona to the brink, thanks to substantial contributions from their role players. Kevin Overton led the charge with 20 points and six rebounds, while Christian Anderson provided a strong performance, scoring 19 points while playing the entire game. Anderson highlighted the team’s determination, stating, “It just goes to show how much work we put in practice, and how everybody on our team wants to win, and we all know what it takes to win. Like you said, we were a little short-handed, but even with that and some fatigue, we played strong. We had some great moments, and sometimes we didn’t, but we played hard the whole game.”
Houston, on their part, had to adjust their lineup in the absence of J’Wan Roberts. Cougars’ coach Kelvin Sampson noted, “Obviously having J’Wan out we had to shuffle things around, but whether that’s good or bad, we’re used to having guys out with injury here the last few years, so we plug somebody else in.”
In earlier tournament action, No. 12 Iowa State faced their own lineup difficulties, having to compete without leading guards Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey during their 96-92 quarterfinal loss to BYU. The Cyclones’ coach, T.J. Otzelberger, expressed uncertainty regarding their readiness for the NCAA Tournament. Gilbert, the second top scorer for the Cyclones, was managing a muscle strain, which limited his play in their second-round game against Cincinnati. He managed only 11 minutes on the court and sat out the entire second half as Lipsey sustained a groin injury late in the 76-56 win over the Bearcats.
Otzelberger highlighted the athletes’ competitive spirit, “Those guys have been phenomenal competitors for us over time, so now the competition comes in the training room, the rehab, everything that you do and how much you put into, you know, getting your body healthy and doing what you need to do to be out there.” Although his team now has some additional time to recuperate compared to Houston and Texas Tech, Otzelberger remains cautious, stating, “Evaluate it day by day, and just see where we’re at.”
