The Texas Tech Red Raiders have missed a golden opportunity to reach the Final Four after losing to No. 1 seed Florida in the West Regional Final 84-79.
The Red Raiders were looking to make their second-ever trip to a Final Four in program history. The last and only time Texas Tech reached the Final Four came in 2019, when Tech reached the National Championship Game under Chris Beard and lost to Virginia.
Texas Tech led the game 71-61 with just over seven minutes to play, but then Florida closed the game on a 23-8 run.
Tech got 23 points from Darrion Williams and 20 points from JT Toppin, but that wasn’t enough to overcome 30 from Walter Clayton Jr. Also, Tech was hampered by their free throw shooting. The Red Raiders were just 7-13 from the line, while Florida went 25-27. Tech missed some key free throws in the final four minutes the second half when leading, which helped Florida in its comeback.
Florida will now go to the Final Four to take on either Michigan State or Auburn.
Texas Tech and the Big 12 2024-25 Basketball Season
Prior to the season, Texas Tech was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 under second-year head coach Grant McCasland, and received zero first place votes.
But the Red Raiders ended up going 28-8 and 15-5 in the Big 12, good for second place in the conference standings. The Red Raiders opened the NCAA Tournament with an 82-72 win over No. 14 UNC-Wilmington, followed by a victory over No. 11 Drake 77-64, and then it was the comeback to beat No. 10 Arkansas 85-83, before the loss to Florida.
The Big 12 is currently in the midst of a two-season drought for Big 12 teams reaching the Final Four. The Big 12 Conference did not have a team in the Final Four in 2023 or 2024. The last team to get here was Kansas in 2022, a season that saw KU win the National Championship.
The last chance for the Big 12 to reach the Final Four is No. 1 seed Houston on Sunday, when the Cougars take on No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Midwest Regional Final. Tip off is set for 1:20 p.m. on CBS.
