Texas Tech’s game against Houston spun out fast after a wild first quarter incident. JT Toppin, Tech’s top scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker, was ejected just four minutes in. After passing the ball cross-court, his follow-through leg kicked a Houston player below the belt. The referees reviewed it and decided the act was intentional. Toppin didn’t even realize he had been ejected at first, staying in the huddle until an official came over to remove him. His face didn’t show much surprise, which only raised more questions about whether it was deliberate or not.
Tech’s head coach lost it after seeing the replay. He kept yelling that Toppin was just “passing the ball” and didn’t deserve to be tossed. He stormed around, threw papers, and tried to fire up his team with an animated pep talk. Meanwhile, Houston’s bench got loud, and their mascot joined the taunting. The hit player, who had gone down clutching himself, stepped up and sank several free throws, helping Houston take the lead. The ejection and technicals gave Houston an early edge, and the game turned testy from there. Whether the kick was intentional is up for debate, but losing Toppin clearly rattled Texas Tech.