Texas Tech (19-7 straight up, 14-12 against the spread) star forward JT Toppin sustained a torn ACL in Tuesday’s 72-67 loss at Arizona St. The 2025 Big 12 Player of the Year will miss the rest of the season in a crushing blow to a legitimate Final Four contender.
The Red Raiders, who were in a vintage letdown spot against the Sun Devils after Saturday’s 78-75 overtime win at Arizona as 9.5-point road underdogs, saw their three-game winning streak both SU and ATS snapped in Tempe.
Before leaving the game, Toppin had 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals. In the Valentine’s Day stunner over the Wildcats, Toppin became the first college player in more than 20 years to score 30 points (31 actually) and pull down 10 rebounds (13) without committing a turnover against a top-ranked opponent. He added three assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 44 minutes of playing time.
“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,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said after the game. “My heart goes out to him and hope that he’s back soon for them.”
In 25 games this season, Toppin is averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 1.4 steals per game. He’s buried 54.8 percent of his field-goal attempts. He’s produced 16 double-doubles.
Toppin has scored at least 30 points six times, including a season-high 35 points in an 81-77 loss at Illinois back in early November.
The 20-year-old Toppin was a consensus second-team All-American last season. After transferring from New Mexico, he led Texas Tech to an Elite Eight appearance before dropping a heartbreaker to Florida, the eventual national champion.
During the 2024-25 campaign, Toppin averaged 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocked shots and 1.2 APG. He drained 55.4 percent of his FGAs.
Toppin produced double-doubles in all four NCAA Tournament games for the Red Raiders last year. During the four-game stretch, the 6-foot-9, 230-pounder averaged 19.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and 1.3 APG. He made 59.0 percent of his FGAs and 40.0 percent of his 3-pointers.
Texas Tech is currently #16 in the NET rankings and #17 at KenPom. As of 1:50 p.m. Eastern today, FanDuel had the Red Raiders with 40/1 odds to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Once the ACL tear was announced a couple of hours later, the betting shop adjusted their number to 100/1.