TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Texas Tech star JT Toppin was doing his usual work in the paint Tuesday night, pouring in buckets and grabbing rebounds against Arizona State in a tough road environment.
Then late in the second half, the junior forward drove to the basket before going down in a heap, holding his right leg.
The 13th-ranked Red Raiders can recover from their 72-67 loss to the Sun Devils. But it’s going to be much harder if the 6-foot-9 Toppin — a preseason All-America selection averaging nearly 22 points per game — is out for an extended period.
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said Toppin injured his lower leg with 6:03 remaining, but wasn’t sure about the severity. Toppin stayed down for a few minutes before needing assistance to gingerly limp off the court.
“It’s hard to say until we get it looked at closely,” McCasland said. “But I just know he’s really disappointed. He’s such a competitor. We’ll get back and get him looked at.”
Toppin finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks, and the Red Raiders were obviously shaken when he left the floor. He sat on the bench for a brief period before going back to the locker room.
“I hope he’s OK, and I hate to see a guy go out of a game like that. He’s one of the best players in the country,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “My heart goes out to him and hope that he’s back soon for them.”
Texas Tech was trailing 61-56 at the time of the injury and fell behind 67-56 over the next few minutes. The Red Raiders regrouped and pulled to 70-67 in the final seconds, but Christian Anderson turned the ball over, costing them a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer.
“It knocked us on our heels a little bit,” McCasland said of Toppin’s injury. “But, man, we’ve got a competitve group and found a way to get it to a one-possession game. Gave ourselves a chance late, which is what you want. I told our team that I loved the group that was on the floor at the end and the fight.
“If we had done that for the previous 38, 37 minutes, then we would have put ourselves in better position.”
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