SAN FRANCISCO — Darrion Williams’ teammates had a hard time picking out which of his clutch shots in Thursday’s Sweet 16 game was their favorite.
Was it the game-tying 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds, completing the 16-point comeback to send the game into overtime? Or was it the classic Williams bucket, picking up the mismatch, backing his man down into the low post, spinning to his right and finishing over a pair of leaping Arkansas defenders for the game-winning bucket?
Whichever one it was, the Texas Tech basketball team needed both to pick up the 85-83 overtime victory. As they had several times throughout the season, the Red Raiders looked dead in the water, out-gunned and a man down. The Razorbacks had the goods to end Texas Tech’s season, getting up 59-43 with 11:40 left in regulation.
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Through the first half of play, with Tech down seven at the break, Williams was just 2 of 12 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. That didn’t matter to the Red Raiders. They needed their headstrong leader to push them home.
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“We’re all confident in him,” said JT Toppin, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. “He got to keep shooting. If you open, you got to shoot it. We knew he was going to make it that time. We all got confidence in him.”
Christian Anderson was in a similar dry spell, for the entire NCAA Tournament, actually. The freshman struggled with his jumper in the two games in Wichita, though hit a couple crucial 3s in the first- and second-round wins.
Williams and Anderson were both told the same thing with the Red Raiders’ season on the brink: just keep shooting.
“I told them we’re going to make it when it matters,” coach Grant McCasland said. “I believe it with all my heart. That’s Red Raider basketball. It doesn’t matter what the score is, what’s stacked against us.”
While Williams (20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals) had the two biggest shots of the night, Kevin Overton said his favorite shot was the 3 from Anderson (team-high 22 points, 7-of-14 shooting, 3 of 9 from 3) from the top of the key that made it a three-point game. A missed free throw on the other end set up Williams’ heroics, which have become a bit of a tradition this season.
Early in the season, Williams had his chance at a couple other key buckets, missing last-second runners in one-point losses to Saint Joseph’s and Iowa State. Those misses stuck with Williams, and he’s since had three of the biggest shots in recent Texas Tech history.
There was the game-tying 3 at Houston that sent the game to overtime for an eventual Texas Tech win. A month later, he iced Texas Tech’s second-ever win at Kansas from the left wing. For his game-tying 3 against Arkansas, he went back to old faithful, the right wing, and sent the Red Raiders to their third Elite 8 appearance in program history.
“I played a lot, honestly,” Williams said, “because obviously I was mad I was missing them. But my teammates and coach just kept telling me we’re going to make them down the line. And he’s going to rock with me whether I make or miss them. And just seeing it come to fruition and be good in this big moment, it’s really cool.”
Defining play of Texas Tech basketball’s 16-point comeback over Arkansas
One play above all the heroics stood out to McCasland. With about 8:45 left and facing a 13-point deficit, the Red Raiders came up with six consecutive offensive rebounds on one possession. The first two were corralled by Overton, who’s 12 early points were significant in keeping Texas Tech in the game.
The final four were all brought down by Federiko Federiko. The 6-foot-11 big man played just under 13 minutes in the game, but showed his length and importance by keeping the the possession alive. He finally stopped kicking it out for 3-pointers and made the layup himself to make it a 61-50 game.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Texas Tech basketball vs Arkansas final score: Darrion Williams wins Sweet 16 game for Red Raiders
That unofficially started the comeback as the Red Raiders outscored the Razorbacks 21-10 over the final 8:17 to send the game to overtime.
“I thought,” McCasland said of the possession, “it showed the grit of Red Raider basketball.”
Texas Tech basketball makes more history
This year’s Texas Tech squad has been making plenty of history throughout the season, but Thursday’s comeback win put another notch in their belt.
By overcoming a 16-point deficit, Texas Tech secured the third-biggest comeback win in the history of the Sweet 16. Last year’s team also overcame a 16-point deficit in a home win over BYU.
The Red Raiders moved to 28-7 on the season and now have the third-most wins in program history.
