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Drake falls in NCAA Tournament: Toppin, Texas Tech too much for Bulldogs

Drake falls in NCAA Tournament: Toppin, Texas Tech too much for Bulldogs
HAS INDEED ENDED FOR THE BULLDOGS. SHANNON. SCOTT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SHOW THE HIGHLIGHTS, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY SHOW YOU SOME PRETTY COOL PICTURES HERE. DRAKE DID NOT GET IT DONE AGAINST TEXAS TECH. WE KNEW THAT IT WOULD BE VERY TOUGH, BUT TEXAS TECH PLAYED BULLY BALL. DRAKE COULD NOT HANG WITH THEIR BIGS AT ALL. THEY LOST 7764. 50 OF TEXAS TECHā€™S POINTS CAME FROM THE PAINT, 50 POINTS FROM THE PAINT. J.T. TOPPIN, THE BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR. AND DERON WILLIAMS COMBINED FOR 53 POINTS. COACH BEN MCCULLUM SAID THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEM, THOUGH, WAS THAT THEY COULDNā€™T GET TEXAS TECH TO TURN THE BALL OVER. THE RAIDERS WENT RIGHT TO THE RACK WITH THEIR SIZE AND PHYSICALITY, WHICH KILLED OFF THE DOGS 7764. THEY JUST WENT RIGHT AT US. AS IN THE PAINT, AND I THINK THATā€™S 60 SOME POINTS IN THE PAINT BETWEEN THEIR TWO BIGS. SO I MEAN, WE JUST HAD TO BE BETTER. SO I MEAN THATā€™S SOMETHING I HOLD WITH ME. SO ITā€™LL MOTIVATE ME. AND I MEAN THEY GOT REALLY GOOD PLAYERS OVER THERE. SO YEAH THEYā€™RE OBVIOUSLY GOOD. THOSE TWO BIG GUYS GAVE US WORK AND DIDNā€™T COULDNā€™T FIND A REASON TO STOP THEM. BUT YEAH, THEY WERE THE BETTER TEAM TONIGHT AND THEY DESERVED THE WIN. I DIDNā€™T THINK WE PLAYED OUR BEST BASKETBALL. YOU KNOW THEY HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THAT. COULDNā€™T GET DEFLECTIONS. YOU KNOW THEY JUST KIND OF WENT TO THERE WHICH I KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO THAT I JUST WE JUST COULDNā€™T STOP THOSE GUYS INSIDE. AND YOU HAD TO PICK YOUR POISON. AND OUR POISON WAS TRY TO SEE IF THEY COULD BEAT US WITH TOUGH TWOS. AND THEY DID. WELL, WHAT WE ALL WANT TO KNOW IS WHAT THAT MAN RIGHT THERE, COACH BEN MCCULLUM IS GOING TO DO NEXT SEASON. WILL HE STAY WITH DRAKE OR WILL HE TAKE ANOTHER COACHING JOB? HE LED DRAKE TO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE DECADES. HE HAD A PROGRAM BEST 31 WINS WITH DRAKE. HEā€™S AN EXTREMELY HOT COMMODITY. SO I ASKED HIM, WHAT IS HE THINKING? WILL WE SEE YOU AROUND NEXT SEASON? I THATā€™S THOSE ARE QUESTIONS THAT I DONā€™T PROBABLY WANT TO ANSWER RIGHT NOW. I DONā€™T THOSE ARE SOMEBODY ELSE ASKED ME IN THERE. AND ITā€™S PROBABLY THE SAME ANSWER THAT I GIVE EVERYONE. I WAS PRETTY FOCUSED ON, ON MY TEAM AND ALL THOSE THINGS. WELL, WE KIND OF FIGURED THAT THAT WOULD BE THE ANSWER THAT Iā€™D GET FROM COACH BEN MCCULLUM. THEY JUST WRAPPED UP THAT SECOND ROUND GAME, A LOSS TO TEXAS TECH. THAT PROBABLY WASNā€™T THE FIRST THING THAT BEN MCCULLUM WANTED TO HEAR, BUT HE DID SAY THAT HE WAS ASKED THAT EARLIER IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE. SO IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE HE HAS LED DRAKE TO A HISTORIC SEASON. AND THOUGH THEY DID LOSE IN THE SECOND ROUND, THEY SHOULD STILL BE VERY PROUD. AND I KNOW FANS ARE GOING TO REMEMBER THIS SEASON WITH DRAKE FOREVER. SCOTT Iā€™M LI
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Drake falls in NCAA Tournament: Toppin, Texas Tech too much for Bulldogs
Darrion Williams scored a season-high 28 points, JT Toppin had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Texas Tech dominated No. 11 seed Drake in the paint on its way to a 77-64 victory Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Elijah Hawkins added 16 points for the Red Raiders (27-8), who denied the Bulldogs their first Sweet 16 trip in more than five decades and will play No. 10 seed Arkansas in the West Region semifinals Thursday night in San Francisco.Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points and Daniel Abreu added 15 for Drake (31-4), which was outscored 50-20 inside by the bigger, stronger Red Raiders, and had its eight-game winning streak come to an end.Texas Tech beat UNC Wilmington in the first round with a 3-point barrage, setting a tournament record with 46 attempts. But with the Bulldogs blanketing the Red Raiders' guards, coach Grant McCasland chose to funnel the ball inside to Toppin, a second-team All-American, and Williams, who has been dealing with a right leg injury.Toppin had 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting in the first half. Williams had 14 by the break. And the duo contributed all of the Red Raiders' points during a 13-2 first-half run that helped to send them into the locker room with a 37-30 lead.It was almost as if Texas Tech knew exactly how to dismantle the nation's No. 2 scoring defense.Maybe it learned during its scrimmage with Drake back in November.The Bulldogs were still within 43-38 early in the second half when coach Ben McCollum earned a technical foul, and Hawkins went to the line for Texas Tech and hit four straight free throws. And while the Missouri Valley champions kept fighting the final 15 minutes, the Red Raiders ā€” well, Williams and Toppin ā€” were able to answer every basket to put them away.TakeawaysDrake hopes it can keep McCollum in Des Moines, Iowa. The native of Iowa City ā€” the home of the University of Iowa ā€” is one of the leading contenders for the open job with the Hawkeyes.Texas Tech survived the opening weekend without Chance McMillian, its third-leading scorer. The hope is that his upper-body injury is sufficiently healed to play in the Sweet 16.Up nextThe Red Raiders will play John Calipari's Razorbacks for a spot in the Elite Eight.

Darrion Williams scored a season-high 28 points, JT Toppin had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Texas Tech dominated No. 11 seed Drake in the paint on its way to a 77-64 victory Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Elijah Hawkins added 16 points for the Red Raiders (27-8), who denied the Bulldogs their first Sweet 16 trip in more than five decades and will play No. 10 seed Arkansas in the West Region semifinals Thursday night in San Francisco.

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Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points and Daniel Abreu added 15 for Drake (31-4), which was outscored 50-20 inside by the bigger, stronger Red Raiders, and had its eight-game winning streak come to an end.

Texas Tech beat UNC Wilmington in the first round with a 3-point barrage, setting a tournament record with 46 attempts. But with the Bulldogs blanketing the Red Raiders' guards, coach Grant McCasland chose to funnel the ball inside to Toppin, a second-team All-American, and Williams, who has been dealing with a right leg injury.

Toppin had 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting in the first half. Williams had 14 by the break. And the duo contributed all of the Red Raiders' points during a 13-2 first-half run that helped to send them into the locker room with a 37-30 lead.

It was almost as if Texas Tech knew exactly how to dismantle the nation's No. 2 scoring defense.

Maybe it learned during its scrimmage with Drake back in November.

The Bulldogs were still within 43-38 early in the second half when coach Ben McCollum earned a technical foul, and Hawkins went to the line for Texas Tech and hit four straight free throws. And while the Missouri Valley champions kept fighting the final 15 minutes, the Red Raiders ā€” well, Williams and Toppin ā€” were able to answer every basket to put them away.

Takeaways

Drake hopes it can keep McCollum in Des Moines, Iowa. The native of Iowa City ā€” the home of the University of Iowa ā€” is one of the leading contenders for the open job with the Hawkeyes.

Texas Tech survived the opening weekend without Chance McMillian, its third-leading scorer. The hope is that his upper-body injury is sufficiently healed to play in the Sweet 16.

Up next

The Red Raiders will play John Calipari's Razorbacks for a spot in the Elite Eight.

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