The madness of March lived up to its name in San Francisco as Texas Tech pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in Sweet 16 history. Darrion Williams, who had struggled for most of the night, came alive when it mattered most, sealing an 85-83 overtime victory over Arkansas with a pair of clutch shots in the final moments.
A Night to Remember for Darrion Williams
For much of the game, Williams couldn’t buy a basket. His shots clanked off the rim, his confidence visibly shaken. But when the Red Raiders needed him most, he delivered.
With Texas Tech trailing by three in the final seconds of regulation, Williams buried a deep three-pointer to force overtime. Moments later, he muscled his way inside for the go-ahead basket with 7.3 seconds left in overtime.
“The heart of the team is Darrion Williams, and he’s just a resilient guy,” said Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland. “I put faith in him because I do believe that he’ll find a way in one-game scenarios to do whatever it takes to win. I honestly do. Whatever it takes.”
The Red Raiders’ Furious Comeback
For much of the night, it seemed like Arkansas had punched its ticket to the Elite Eight. The Razorbacks controlled the game, building a 16-point lead in the second half and keeping Texas Tech at bay.
Then came the collapse.
With just under five minutes left, the Red Raiders trailed by 13. Christian Anderson, who finished with a team-high 22 points, ignited a 16-3 run that turned the game on its head. Williams, who had missed 13 of his first 15 shots, suddenly found his rhythm, scoring three key baskets in the closing moments.
Arkansas led for an astonishing 38 minutes and 53 seconds. Texas Tech? Just 3 minutes and 20 seconds. But in March, timing is everything.
Grant McCasland’s Trust Pays Off
McCasland never wavered. Even as his team struggled, even as Williams’ shots refused to fall, he believed.
“In the huddle, Coach kept saying, ‘We’re going to find a way to win this,'” Anderson said. “No matter how much we’re down, we had that look like, ‘We’re not losing this game no matter what.'”
It was the type of belief that turns near-certain defeat into triumph. Texas Tech’s full-court pressure and defensive intensity wore down Arkansas, forcing key turnovers and shifting momentum just in time.
The Razorbacks’ Painful Collapse
For Arkansas, this one will sting for a long time.
The Razorbacks had Texas Tech on the ropes for nearly the entire game, but costly mistakes and missed free throws down the stretch left the door open.
- Arkansas led by 16 in the second half, the third-largest blown lead in Sweet 16 history.
- They held a double-digit lead for 35 minutes.
- Jonas Aidoo missed the front end of a crucial one-and-one in the final seconds of regulation.
Coach John Calipari, who was seeking to become the first coach to take four different schools to the Elite Eight, could only watch in frustration as his team’s season slipped away.
“We’re all disappointed here,” Calipari said. “But I told them, there’s nothing them individually or my team could do to disappoint me because of what they’ve done this year. I’m so proud of them.”
What’s Next for Texas Tech?
With the win, Texas Tech advances to the West Region final, where top-seeded Florida awaits.
The Red Raiders are now one step away from their second-ever Final Four appearance, the first coming in 2019 when they fell just short of a national championship against Virginia.
Williams, Anderson, and JT Toppin—who also scored 20 points—will need to be at their best if Texas Tech wants to continue its Cinderella run. But after Thursday night’s heroics, it’s clear: underestimate this team at your own risk.
