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Jeff Borzello
The controversy surrounding the ejections of Texas Tech forward JT Toppin and coach Grant McCasland didn’t end with the Red Raiders’ 82-81 overtime win over No. 6 Houston.
Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt issued a statement shortly after Saturday’s game ended, calling the decision “egregious” and saying he spoke with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark.
“I am appalled and disappointed by the official’s egregious decision to eject JT Toppin from tonight’s game against Houston,” Hocutt said in a statement posted on X. “This decision, made on a play that was clearly accidental and without intent, is unacceptable.
“Immediately after the ejection, I spoke with Commissioner Yormark, who assured me that the situation would be addressed and there would be accountability. On behalf of Red Raider Nation, we are extremely proud of our team and the leadership of Coach McCasland.”
Less than four minutes into Saturday’s game, Toppin jumped and made a crosscourt pass to a teammate. While in the air, Toppin’s leg came up and made contact with Houston’s Joseph Tugler. While it appeared inadvertent, the officials went to the monitor to review the play, ultimately issuing Toppin a Flagrant 2 foul, which triggers an automatic ejection.
According to the NCAA rule book, a Flagrant 2 foul is considered a “personal foul that involves contact with an opponent that is not only excessive but also severe (brutal, harsh, cruel) or extreme (dangerous, punishing) while the ball is live.” Among the factors the rule book says officials should consider when determining a Flagrant 2 foul is “any contact by the offending player to the groin area of an opponent which is not clearly accidental.”
After the teams broke their respective huddles following the review, Toppin was completely unaware he had been ejected, with the officials needing to come over and notify him. McCasland then erupted at the officials, yelling and signaling that Toppin was passing the ball. He was assessed a pair of technical fouls and ejected.
Despite losing their head coach coach and their leading scorer and rebounder – and already missing sixth man Kevin Overton due to injury – Texas Tech (17-4, 8-2 Big 12) was able to end Houston’s 33-game homecourt winning streak in overtime, 82-81.
The Red Raiders went into halftime with a four-point lead and led by six midway through the second half before Houston (17-4, 9-1) began to take advantage of Tech’s shorthanded bench. The Cougars led by six with 3:40 left, but Tech surged and tied the game with 26.3 seconds left on a Darrion Williams 3-pointer. In overtime, the Red Raiders jumped out to a four-point lead – but Houston came back and took a one-point lead on a J’Wan Roberts free throw with 24 seconds left.
Chance McMillian was fouled going the other way, hitting a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left that were ultimately the game-winning points.
McMillian finished with 23 points to lead the way for Texas Tech, while Elijah Hawkins had 17 points. Roberts had 18 for Houston and LJ Cryer paced the Cougars with 22 points.
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