The Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball team was trending in the right direction before a season-ending injury to superstar JT Toppin in February.
In 2025, Toppin was expected to be a first-round pick, but he decided to bypass the NBA and landed a $4 million NIL deal to return to college.
However, the new NCAA rule of 5-in-5 raised questions on whether or not Toppin could play, but Texas Tech ended that with a video announcing that he would play in the 2026-27 season.
26-27 pic.twitter.com/6ORDSe9Gmx
— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) July 8, 2026
Toppin averaged 21.8 points with 10.8 rebounds this past season in 25 games before he suffered the injury.
Toppin is recovering from a torn ACL, and although there has been no firm timetable on when he will return, the good news for Texas Tech is that he will play next season.
Texas Tech was expected to be a Final Four contender before Toppin’s injury. The Red Raiders defeated Akron in the first round before losing to Alabama in the second round of this past NCAA Tournament.
However, the Red Raiders were not in the way-too-early top-25 rankings by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. Still, there is hope in Lubbock with JT Toppin set to play this upcoming season, although it might be a while before he is ready to go at full strength.
