TAMPA, Fla. (KCBD) – The 2025-26 campaign came to a sudden end for the No. 20 Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-11) as they fell to the No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide in unexpected fashion Sunday night 90-65.
“I told these guys this isn’t going to define who they are as people. It’s not. It’s all tough. Nobody loves going through difficult times like tonight. But man, I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else,” said Red Raiders’ mens head basketball coach Grant McCasland. “And, we had some great moments in games. It’s really not the time to talk about it.I just love those guys and am thankful for them and thankful for the way they competed all the way through some tough times, and it’s always worth it to give your whole heart to them.”
Early in the game, both teams were tied 7-7 before the Crimson Tide erupted on a 42-18 run to end the first half. The biggest difference throughout the game came from behind the three-point line. Alabama was 19-of-42 and Tech was 4-for-25, often answered by Alabama on ensuing possessions. The Red Raiders also continued to struggle on the boards and were outrebounded 47-35.
“Once they saw the ball go in, you can just tell their pace and attack really grows when those offensive toughness plays happen on offensive rebounds,” McCasland said. “We just couldn’t grab the ball in a stretch there, and it was impressive, it really was.”
While LeJuan Watts lead the Red Raiders with 16 points, Donovan Atwell registered 12 and was 2-for-5 in three-point attempts- a category where he had become one of the nation’s best. Leon Horner had 10 points and was Tech’s lead-scorer at halftime. Jaylen Petty scored nine points and Christian Anderson had seven.
“It’s going to take a while to get past it. We had so many ups-and-downs during the season and what a great group of guys we had,” Anderson said. “So many unique, different players than what I’ve ever played with. So, no, I think we had a special group of guys and it’s hard to take away from the season we just had, especially with the loss, but yeah to be an unforgettable season.”
One of the few positives for Tech was their ability to limit Alabama’s lead-scorer Labaron Philon, Jr to nine points. He came into the game averaging 20.1. However, they had no answer for Latrell Wrightsell who was the game’s top-scorer with 24 points and was 6-for-9 in three-point attempts.
Tech ends its season with wins over Duke, Houston, Arizona and Iowa State- all of which were in the Associated Press top five whenever the Red Raiders beat them. Once All-American forward and Big 12 Player of the Year suffered a season-ending ACL injury Feb. 17 at Arizona State, Tech won three straight games before losing four of their last five.
“We’ll learn from this and grow from this,” McCasland said, when speaking about Sunday night’s loss. “Our program will definitely be better because of it, but I love this team and am genuinely thankful for the way they competed all season long in some tough circumstances.”
The Crimson Tide now advances to Chicago, Ill. where they will play No. 3 Michigan. The winner of that game will play the No. 6 Iowa State-No. 23 Tennessee victor for the right to play in Indianapolis, Ind in the Final Four.
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