Texas Tech battled to the end but saw No. 3 Kansas pull out a 67-63 win and clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Red Raiders (16-14, 5-12 Big 12) dropped their second straight game in the final minute, this one in a contest where it was 61-60 with 30 seconds to play before Kevin McCullar came up with a loose ball under the basket for KU and made a shot to push their lead to three. After a missed layup by Pop Isaacs, Dajaun Harris would make a layup for a 65-60 lead before a De’Vion Harmon 3-pointer with four seconds remaining gave Tech a momentary reprieve until Gradey Dick sealed the win with two free throws. Kansas improved to 13-4 in conference play with the win that gives them at least a share of the regular-season title.
“I thought both teams had struggled on the offensive end, but I thought they made some big plays down the stretch,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. “Especially in the last couple of minutes. It was the difference in the game and that’s what Kansas does – they’re a home-court advantage. They know how to win in late games and did it against us again. I was proud of our guys. I thought we fought hard, and I thought we got better tonight. We’ll just keep moving forward.”
Fardaws Aimaq led Tech with 18 rebounds and 13 points for his third double-double of the season and 43rd in his career, while De’Vion Harmon scored 15 points and Kevin Obanor had 14. Jaylon Tyson had 13 rebounds and six points in the loss, while Pop Isaacs had 11 points. The Red Raiders finished the game 25-for-61 from the field but were only 3-for-16 in the game where they owned a 40-32 scoring advantage in the paint and a 42-33 rebounding margin. Aimaq had seven offensive rebounds for Tech which had 10 offensive boards. KU had four but still had an 8-6 advantage on second-chance points.
Tech finished the game 10-for-14 at the free-throw line, including Isaacs going 6-for-6. Following McCullar’s shot to make it a three-point game, Isaacs would drive to the basket for a layup but had his shot blocked and McCullar grabbed the rebound with 15 seconds to play. KU pushed the ball, finding Harris open under the basket for an easy shot.
“We were deciding on going for the three or just trying to score and get something quick, and we went with that,” Adams said. “We didn’t get the call, but it was exactly what we wanted to happen. We just expected Pop to get to the free throw line.”
Kansas finished the game 18-for-22 at the free-throw line, overcoming the rebounding disadvantage and also a night where it was only 5-for-23 on 3-pointers. Jalen Wilson finished the game with 21 points to lead the Jayhawks, while Harris had 16 points and five rebounds. McCullar, who played three seasons at Tech before transferring to KU this year, had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Aimaq’s 18 rebounds matched a Texas Tech program record in Big 12 games with Devonne Giles having 18 against Colorado in 2004 and Cliff Owens grabbing 18 at Texas in 1998. His 18 rebounds were a season high but still seven shies of his career high while playing at Utah Valley. Jim Reed holds the Tech program record with 27 rebounds in a pair of games during the 1956 season. Aimaq was 6-for-14 from the field for his 13 points in 33 minutes of play. Obanor finished the night 6-for-12 from the field while Harmon was 6-for-11.
KU took a 30-21 lead into halftime with Tech missing its final five shots of the half. Harmon led the Red Raiders with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting while Aimaq had 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Obanor had six points, while Isaacs, Aimaq, Tyson, and Fisher each had two. Tech was just 10-for-32 from the field and 1-for-11 on 3-pointers with Harmon making the 3. The team had seven turnovers while KU had only two. McCullar led KU with 10 points and five rebounds in the half while Wilson had nine points and Harris five. KU was 11-for-30 from the field and 4-for-17 on 3-pointers through 20 minutes in the game. Tech had a 23-18 rebounding advantage and was leading 23-18 on points in the paint.
Kansas is now 22-1 all-time against Tech at Allen Fieldhouse and is 3-10 against ranked opponents this season. The Red Raiders were coming off an 83-82 loss to No. 24 TCU last Saturday after a four-game winning streak.
Texas Tech concludes its regular season against Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the United Supermarkets Arena. The Cowboys (16-14, 7-10 Big 12) are coming off a 74-68 loss to Baylor on Monday but will be looking for a season sweep of Tech after taking a 71-68 win back on February 8 in Stillwater. The 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship seeding and bracket will be determined on Saturday night following results from throughout the conference. The tournament is from March 8-11 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
