‘Whatever it takes’: TTU storms back in OT thriller
Mar 28, 2025, 01:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO– Darrion Williams could barely make a shot for the very first thirty minutes. He didn’t miss out on when it mattered most, sending out Texas Tech to an improbable spot in the Elite Eight.Williams scored
the consent basket with 7.3 seconds left in overtime after connecting the game with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to lead Texas Tech to an 85-83 win over Arkansas on Thursday night.”The heart of the group is Darrion Williams, and he’s just a resistant guy, “coach Grant McCasland said.” I indicate I can’t even describe it. I put faith in him due to the fact that I do think that he’ll find a method one-game scenarios to do whatever it takes to win. I truthfully do. Whatever it takes.”
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The very first overtime game of March Madness came thanks to a furious resurgence by the third-seeded Red Raiders (28-8) from 13 points down with less than 5 minutes left versus coach John Calipari’s 10th-seeded Razorbacks (22-14).
Texas Tech advances to play top-seeded Florida in the West Area last on Saturday with a possibility at the school’s 2nd Final Four trip after losing the title game to Virginia in 2019.
That concept appeared improbable for most of this game as Arkansas broke out to a double-digit lead early and remained in control most of the method, leading by as lots of as 16 points in the second half, making the Red Raiders’ resurgence the third-largest ever in the Sugary food 16. According to ESPN Research Study, Arkansas had the lead for 38 minutes, 53 seconds, whereas Texas Tech led for 3 minutes, 20 seconds.
“In the huddle, Coach kept stating, ‘We’re going to discover a method to win this,'” guard Christian Anderson stated. “No matter just how much we’re down, I think it was like 16 [points] with 10 minutes left or something. As a team we kind of had that look, like, ‘We’re not losing this game no matter what.’ No matter if it’s defensive, offending rebounds– we got to get defensive rebounds, steals. I understand we had to find a way to make it occur, and at the end we did.”
Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams sent the game into overtime with a 3 at the end of regulation and later struck the game-winning bucket with 7.3 seconds left in the additional frame. Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Williams helped will the Red Raiders down the stretch after opening the game by missing out on 13 of his 15 shots in front of a big contingent of his family and friends that originated from Sacramento, California, for the game.But the Red Raiders closed guideline with a 16-3 run behind three 3-pointers from Anderson and three baskets from Williams. The most significant came when Williams rattled in a 3 with 9.7 seconds left after Jonas Aidoo had missed out on the front end of a one-and-one.
Williams had missed 8 of his first 9 efforts from 3 before that make.
“Undoubtedly they weren’t going in, however I was shooting open ones,” Williams stated. “They’ll fall.”
JT Toppin then scored to begin overtime and give Texas Tech its very first lead since the opening minutes. It went back and forth from there, with D.J. Wagner connecting it for Arkansas with 34 seconds left.Williams then scored down low to give Texas Tech the lead and Wagner’s last shot struck the front rim, sending the Red Raiders into a wild celebration at midcourt as Williams indicated the crowd.
“If we would’ve simply rolled over and let them beat us by 30, season would’ve been over, and none of us wanted that,” Williams said.Calipari could
only stroll off the court with pursed lips and a sigh as his first season at Arkansas ended in heartbreak after he fell simply short of being the very first coach to take four schools to the Elite Eight.Thursday’s loss
marked the biggest blown lead in the NCAA tournament by a Calipari-led group.
“We’re all dissatisfied here,” Calipari said. “But I informed them, there’s absolutely nothing them separately or my group could do to disappoint me because of what they have actually done this year. I’m so proud of them.”
Anderson scored 22 points to lead Texas Tech, while Toppin and Williams included 20 apiece.Johnell Davis scored
30 points for the Razorbacks and Karter Knox added 20. ESPN Research Study and The Associated Press
contributed to this report.