Head Coach Grant McCasland built this extremely talented Texas Tech roster with purpose and role definition, meaning each player understands what his responsibilities are and has a skillset that compliments the man next to him.
Because of this great design, the schemes are extremely effective, helping the Red Raiders to the reach the Elite Eight, where a red-hot Florida squad awaits with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
As good as Tech’s X’s and O’s are, the players ultimately have to execute – the Red Raiders have multiple stars, including two players with borderline first-round ability in multi-positional wing Darrion Williams and power forward JT Toppin. Though Williams struggled mightily against the Razorbacks and their aggressive ball pressure, starting 2-for-14, he did have both the game-tying three-pointer to force overtime as well as the game-winning tip in at the end of the extra period.
Williams this season has been an incredibly versatile player, playing guard, wing, and occasionally forward. With a skillset as varied as his, Williams is a position-less type of player, which is a huge benefit in the NBA, where positional definition is beginning to go by the wayside. He has averaged 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists so far in 2024-25, and could be selected late in the first round or early in the second.
Toppin dominated throughout the Arkansas game, as he does when he’s given empty post-ups and other easy opportunities to get in rhythm. When allowed to get downhill on pick-and-rolls, he’s extremely difficult to stop due to his mobility and his size, but where he was truly special in the Sweet 16 was defensively as a deterrent at the rim. He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and a monster five blocks, having the biggest impact of anyone on the floor.
The Big XII Player of the Year for 2025, Toppin has been one of the best players in the country this season for the Red Raiders after transferring over from New Mexico this summer. So far, he’s put up 18.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.3 stocks while shooting 56% from the field, fulfilling his rim-running and paint protection duties even better than most would have hoped.
These two will have a huge opportunity tonight to further improve their draft stock against an absolutely loaded Gators team that boasts NBA players of its own, including Walter Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon (though Condon is banged up). If Texas Tech wants to reach its first Final Four since 2019, they will have to get huge performances from Williams and Toppin.
