No. 16 Texas Tech rallies to beat No. 1 Arizona 78-75 in OT for Wildcats' second straight loss

Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson (4) drives past Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — JT Toppin scored eight of his 31 points in a dominant overtime performance and No. 16 Texas Tech sent No. 1 Arizona to its second straight loss, shocking the Wildcats 78-75 on Saturday.

Texas Tech (19-6, 9-3 Big 12) beat the No. 1 team for the third time in school history. The Wildcats (23-2, 10-2) were 23-0 before losing to No. 9 Kansas 82-78 on Monday.

Arizona had a 64-57 lead with 3:29 left in regulation, but Texas Tech responded with 9-0 run, capped by Donovan Atwell’s corner 3-pointer with 25 seconds left for a 66-64 lead. Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov tied it at 66 with two free throws and Christian Anderson couldn’t hit a contested jumper as time expired.

After the short break, Toppin went to work, scoring four baskets on an array of tip-ins and low-post moves. The preseason All-America selection shot 13 of 22 from the field and had 13 rebounds to finish with his 47th career double-double. Anderson added 19 points, hitting six 3-pointers.

Arizona’s Tobe Awaka had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Brayden Burries also scored 16 points.

The Wildcats were without star freshman Koa Peat in the second half because of a lower-body injury. Peat had two points and a rebound in the first half.

Arizona was already missing backup guard Dwayne Aristode, who was out with an illness, meaning coach Tommy Lloyd was down to essentially a six-man rotation.

Arizona led for the majority of the first half, but Texas Tech pushed ahead 30-29 on Toppin’s short jumper with 2:04 left before the break. It was tied at 32 at the half.

Up next

Texas Tech: At Arizona State on Tuesday night.

Arizona: Hosts BYU on Wednesday night.

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