Texas Tech and Arkansas’ Candy 16 matchup gave us the primary additional time recreation of the 2025 NCAA event after a historic comeback for the Crimson Raiders on Thursday evening.
Darrion Williams transformed a troublesome end on the rim with seven seconds left because the No. 3 seed Texas Tech Crimson Raiders shocked the Arkansas Razorbacks 85-83 in an additional time thriller on the Chase Heart.
With the win, Texas Tech etched itself into the NCAA event historical past books, as its 16-point comeback within the second half was the second-largest second-half comeback in Candy 16 historical past.
The Crimson Raiders appeared useless within the water with 10 minutes left within the recreation, because the Razorbacks jumped out to a 61-45 lead. However, the whole lot modified from there as Texas Tech pulled off the miraculous comeback to achieve additional time, in the end sealing the deal within the ultimate seconds with Williams’s game-winner.
Williams and freshman Christian Anderson had been the heroes on Thursday, combining to attain 22 of Texas Tech’s 27 factors over the ultimate 9:28 as they willed the Crimson Raiders again, extending their season 5 further minutes with the momentum on their facet.
It was a a lot completely different second half for Williams, who began off the sport taking pictures 1-for-11 earlier than settling down with 15 second-half factors to carry Texas Tech again.
“I simply needed to present it my all as a result of I felt like I wasn’t doing that within the first half offensively or defensively,” Williams acknowledged after the sport. “So as soon as I checked again in at halfway by the second half, I don’t know what time it was. I simply advised coach, I’m gonna play my hardest and no matter occurs, occurs. And we simply advised one another, let’s simply exit swinging.”
As for Anderson, the freshman had a day for the file books, getting his profession excessive within the largest recreation of his life, with Texas Tech trying his means for essential buckets down the stretch.
“It simply reveals the belief the staff and the coaches have in me,” Anderson stated. “Once I was coming to Texas Tech, I actually may sense the belief that they had in me in the beginning of the season. And, all the best way thus far, it simply reveals, permitting me to take these large pictures, not even making them, however permitting me to take them and getting performs and the final shot I made, simply the boldness they’ve in me to even take that shot. It simply reveals how a lot they imagine in me.”
In additional time, Williams and star ahead J.T. Toppin had been the leaders, helping on or scoring all of Texas Tech’s 13 factors, whereas taking pictures 4-for-5 within the interval. Using their dimension benefit, the frontcourt duo pounded the paint to search out high quality pictures, placing the stress on Arkansas on each offensive possession.
The important thing turning level, nonetheless, got here from a participant who had seen his worst taking pictures evening of the season: Elijah Hawkins. Enjoying all 45 minutes in Thursday’s thriller, Hawkins missed his first 9 pictures of the sport, together with six from past the arc.
However, with Texas Tech down 76-74, Hawkins hit a vital catch-and-shoot three. The Crimson Raiders had tied the sport on a few events, however securing the lead was large within the back-and-forth motion as Toppin and Williams had been capable of get the job performed after that.
“He’s a gamer man, and that’s the heartbeat of our staff,” Williams stated about Hawkins. “He makes the whole lot rock. Clearly he’s a help chief for a motive and he simply performs as laborious as it doesn’t matter what. I don’t suppose he got here out the sport tonight. So he’s only a gamer man. He wants his respect.”
“All yr, we talked about being resilient and simply by no means giving up,” Hawkins stated after the sport. “And my teammates received confidence in me and I received confidence in them and once I get the open shot or anyone get the open shot, we received to take it with confidence. That’s what I did. I wasn’t capable of get the rest to fall in the present day, however you already know, large shot, needed to lock in and shot it of confidence. My teammates imagine in me.”
The win wasn’t a reasonably win by any means. The Crimson Raiders shot below 40 % from the sphere. Underneath 25 % from three. They led for under 3:20 out of the 45 minutes on Thursday. However, on the finish of the day, it was their identify forward on the scoreboard when the clock ticked zero.
It’s been a yr of varied outcomes for Texas Tech, as they’ve misplaced shut video games, come again from behind earlier than and been in battles all season lengthy.
“It simply reveals our toughness,” Anderson stated after the sport. “Our motto is: hardest staff wins. And I feel that basically confirmed tonight. We’ve had a tough couple video games taking pictures and it confirmed tonight at first of the sport and in the direction of the tip, I feel we sort of discovered that click on. And as a staff, we had been simply working collectively, each offensive and defensively to come back again. And I feel that’s what we did.”
“I feel (this win) simply reveals our resilience, man,” Darrion Williams added. “We’ve been in each sort of recreation this yr. Clearly down 16, we’ve been up, blew a lead and needed to come again and win once more. So I feel we’ve been in each sort of recreation. Nothing actually phases us. We’re simply going to combat to the tip.”
Now, they flip their focus to the No. 1 seed Florida Gators, who’ve been nearly as good as any staff within the nation over the past month of the season. The Crimson Raiders will definitely have their fingers full with one of many deepest groups within the nation, as 5 gamers simply noticed over 36 minutes of motion in Thursday’s win.
Seeking to make an upset in opposition to Florida, the Crimson Raiders will hope to shoot a lot nearer to their season common of 37.9 % past the arc compared to their putrid 25 % from distance on Thursday.
However, the formulation for victory will stay the identical: win the rebounding battle, play stellar protection to sluggish issues down and depend on the highest gamers to create sufficient offense.
Well being might be a key to observe on either side, as Florida star ahead Alex Condon handled a lower-body damage within the Gators’ 87-71 win over Maryland, whereas Texas Tech hopes to get again guard Probability McMillan, who hasn’t performed because the Huge 12 Match quarterfinals.
For now, nonetheless, the Crimson Raiders will relish their victory on Thursday, as they discovered a technique to will themselves again, regardless of seeming getting ready to defeat by the primary half-hour.
