Texas Tech’s social media had a flurry of activity after the No. 16-ranked Red Raiders defeated No. 1 Arizona 78-75 in overtime. They defeated a top-ranked team for just the third time in Tech’s basketball history. They went on the road in front of a packed McKale Memorial Center and pulled off the upset.<\/p>\n
“Wreck ‘Em” pride, Valentine’s Day jokes, and awe at the remarkable performance on the basketball court were all present on social media.<\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/hg4Zi2rdcc<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n JT Toppin<\/a>, a forward who had an incredible game with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and no turnovers, received the majority of the individual social media posts with a “season-defining win,” according to national experts Matt Norlander and Jeff Goodman. Many said that Toppin was the first player to achieve those numbers against a top-ranked team in almost two decades.<\/p>\n Per CBS Sports research: JT Toppin is only the second player in the last 30 years with at least 30 points and 12 boards against a No. 1 team.<\/p>\n Luke Maye’s 30 and 15 vs. Duke in 2019 is the other.<\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Toppin was “on a different level,” according to the “Big 12 Conference” report, and many Lubbock fans agreed.<\/p>\n JT Toppin is only the 2nd player in Big 12 History with a 30+ point Double-Double vs an AP No. 1 Team.<\/p>\n \u2014 Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Tech head football coach Joey McGuire joined in on the festivities on X (formerly Twitter) by posting his signature tweet, “Let’s gooooooooooooo!!!! #WreckEm.”<\/p>\n Lets gooooooooooo!!!! #WreckEm<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/9qLaXZtMfA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joey McGuire \ud83c\udf35 (@JoeyMcGuireTTU) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The team’s three significant victories this season\u2014on a neutral court against Duke, on their home court against Houston, and now on the road against Arizona\u2014were immediately cited by fans and college basketball media analysts. They claimed their team had three of the most impressive victories in the nation, and that doesn’t include their victory against BYU. Another slogan that became viral on social media was “The Toughest Team Wins.” People heard McCasland’s catchphrase everywhere. Because Tech outscored Arizona in overtime, fans used the hashtag #TTW to highlight how difficult the victory was.<\/p>\n Many supporters commented that after resolving the team’s defense issues from the beginning of the season, Grant McCasland had “arrived” as a top-tier coach. He received a lot of positive comments on social media.<\/p>\n Here now is a look at some of the most viewed social media posts.<\/p>\n DOWN GOES NUMBER ONE \ud83d\ude31<\/p>\n No. 16 Texas Tech goes into Tucson and knocks off No. 1 Arizona\u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/0ytzZkvTiX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ESPN (@espn) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/74FdH8Y8bZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Tech can beat anyone, anywhere.<\/p>\n The Red Raiders now hold wins over:<\/p>\n #1 Arizona (Away) A team NOBODY wants to play. pic.twitter.com\/baYgnBqJyh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Toughest. Team. Wins.#WreckEm<\/a> | @TexasTech<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xWuAS6oVP9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Texas Tech Red Raiders (@TechAthletics) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n This game felt like March \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n Texas Tech and Arizona were trading haymakers late in this battle \ud83e\udea3 pic.twitter.com\/FJXstGx2Vp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Took down #1 in their house. Going to sleep dreaming about this one \ud83d\udca4<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa5 Highlights | @Gatorade<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fGGoCI5TAZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Tech takes down No. 1 on the road \u203c\ufe0f#Big12MBB<\/a> | @TexasTechMBB<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AvAhyjX2EW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A seismic win for Texas Tech at Arizona. <\/p>\n This offsets the Red Raiders’ home loss to Kansas a few weeks ago. <\/p>\n And Donovan Atwell? <\/p>\n THE LEAST APPRECIATED TRANSFER IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL.<\/p>\n 31 and 13 for JT Toppin.<\/p>\n His life = video game.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 15, 2026<\/a>What is next for Texas Tech following their win over Arizona?<\/p>\n Their next three games are very manageable. They travel to play Arizona State on Tuesday in a game that they will be favored to win, as the Sun Devils are only 4-8 in conference play. The Red Raiders then host Kansas State on Saturday, which should be a win due to the Wildcats having only won one Big 12 game this season. Their third game will be against Cincinnati and even though that will be the most challenging game of this three-game stretch, Texas Tech will be favored at home, as the Bearkats have a losing record in conference play. <\/p>\n Where does Texas Tech stand among the various metrics and analysis rankings?<\/p>\n KenPom Ranking (2\/15): 16<\/p>\n ESPN’s BPI Ranking (2\/15): 19<\/p>\n NET Ranking (2\/15): 16<\/p>\n T-Rank (Barttorvik) (2\/15): 11<\/a><\/p>\n Evan Miya Ranking (2\/15): 11<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Tech has solidified a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament at this time and the latest bracketology reports will reflect it. The Red Raiders have seven Quad 1 victories as well as three wins over teams in the top four on the NET rankings. They have quality losses against Kansas, Houston, Purdue, and Illinois. The Red Raiders should win their next three games before they travel to Iowa State to get another potential top-five win.<\/p>\n More From Texas Tech On SIStay up to date on Texas Tech Athletics by bookmarking\u00a0Texas Tech On SI<\/a>\u00a0 and following us on\u00a0X\/Twitter<\/a>.
#3 Houston (Home)
#4 Duke (MSG)<\/p>\n