TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Then late in the second half, the junior forward drove to the basket before going down in a heap<\/a>, holding his right leg.<\/p>\n The 13th-ranked Red Raiders can recover from their 72-67 loss to the Sun Devils<\/a>. But it\u2019s going to be much harder if the 6-foot-9 Toppin \u2014 a preseason All-America selection averaging nearly 22 points per game \u2014 is out for an extended period.<\/p>\n Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said Toppin injured his lower leg with 6:03 remaining, but wasn\u2019t sure about the severity. Toppin stayed down for a few minutes before needing assistance to gingerly limp off the court.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say until we get it looked at closely,\u201d McCasland said. \u201cBut I just know he\u2019s really disappointed. He\u2019s such a competitor. We\u2019ll get back and get him looked at.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he\u2019s OK, and I hate to see a guy go out of a game like that. He\u2019s one of the best players in the country,\u201d Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. \u201cMy heart goes out to him and hope that he\u2019s back soon for them.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt knocked us on our heels a little bit,\u201d McCasland said of Toppin\u2019s injury. \u201cBut, man, we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we had done that for the previous 38, 37 minutes, then we would have put ourselves in better position.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a> and here<\/a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-basketball<\/a><\/p>\n