Kansas State’s upcoming road matchup against Texas Tech suddenly looks less intimidating. The Red Raiders will be without star forward JT Toppin for the rest of the season after he tore his ACL during Tuesday’s game against Arizona State. With one of the conference’s top players sidelined, the Wildcats may have a real chance to pull off an upset.
Kansas State heads to Lubbock on Saturday amid a chaotic stretch late in conference play, but Texas Tech is facing its own major setback. Toppin, widely considered a frontrunner for Big 12 Player of the Year, had been one of the team’s most reliable contributors before the injury.
His absence could shift momentum in Kansas State’s favor. The Wildcats recently ended a six-game losing streak with a home win over Baylor, marking just their second conference victory as they try to climb the standings. Since former head coach Jerome Tang’s departure, the team has shown signs of life, posting its largest win margin in more than two months against a Baylor squad that nearly upset then-No. 7 Iowa State on the road.
In that game, senior guard Nate Johnson exploded for a career-high 33 points, just one shy of P.J. Haggerty, who has now led Kansas State in scoring for 15 straight games. The pair also became the first teammates since 2008 to each score 30 or more points in the same game coincidentally also against Baylor. If that offensive momentum continues, especially with Toppin no longer anchoring Texas Tech’s lineup, the Wildcats could play spoiler.
Still, the Red Raiders aren’t without options. Toppin wasn’t their only scoring threat, though he had led the team in points in seven of the last ten games and paced them in assists in eight. In his absence, more responsibility will likely fall on forward LeJuan Watts, a junior in his first season with the program. Watts hasn’t reached double figures since a Feb. 2 loss to then-No. 11 Kansas, though earlier in the season he posted several big performances, including a 36-point outing against Northern Colorado and strong showings versus Illinois and Duke.
Watts has flashed potential during conference play with games of 19 and 20 points against Oklahoma State and BYU, respectively, but he’s cooled off over the past four contests. Texas Tech’s strategy whether it leans on a guard-heavy lineup or relies on bench depth could heavily influence the outcome.
If Kansas State delivers another offensive performance like it did against Baylor, a win isn’t out of reach. With players like Andrej Kostic and Khamari McGriff back in rotation and improved depth, the Wildcats have reason for optimism. Still, beating a ranked Big 12 opponent on the road won’t come easy, even with Toppin out.
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