No. 19 Texas Tech Red Raiders Storm Back To Beat Duke Blue Devils
You know the old saying about Madison Square Garden being the Mecca of basketball? Well, sometimes the basketball gods demand a sacrifice. For the first 30 minutes of Friday night’s showdown, it looked like business as usual for the Duke Blue Devils. They were cruising, the offense was humming, and the Knicks fans in the building were probably just wishing their pro team looked this cohesive.
But in college basketball, a 17-point lead is never safe. In a stunner that will likely keep Jon Scheyer up for a few nights, No. 3 Duke saw their 11-game winning streak evaporate, falling 82-81 to a relentless No. 19 Texas Tech squad.
Duke Loses Control In the Second Half
If you turned the game off midway through the second half to go grab a late dinner, you probably assumed Duke walked away with a comfortable W. You would be wrong.
The Blue Devils had the game in a stranglehold. They were up 17 points, capitalizing on a Texas Tech roster that looked plagued by foul trouble. JT Toppin and LeJuan Watts were glued to the bench with four fouls each. That should have been the nail in the coffin. Instead, it was the spark the Red Raiders needed.
Duke suddenly went cold, and the defense, which had been a fortress earlier in the game, started leaking like a cheap faucet. It was the classic “tale of two halves,” except the second half felt more like a horror movie for anyone wearing royal blue.
The Freshman Phenom vs. The Comeback Kid
You can’t pin this collapse on the new guys. Cameron Boozer looked every bit the part of a future lottery pick, dropping 23 points and seemingly scoring at will in the paint during the second half. He was doing everything he could to keep the ship afloat. His brother, Cayden Boozer, and Caleb Foster chipped in with big buckets to keep Duke within striking distance as the momentum shifted.
But the night belonged to Christian Anderson. The Texas Tech guard turned into a human torch, dropping a game-high 27 points. He was hitting threes, converting four-point plays, and generally making life miserable for the Duke backcourt. When Anderson stepped to the line with seconds left and sank the game-winning free throw, it was the capstone on a performance that Duke fans will be seeing in their nightmares.
A Controversial Turning Point
It wouldn’t be a high-stakes college basketball game without five minutes of referees staring at a monitor like they’re trying to solve a complex math equation. The momentum seemed to genuinely flip on a controversial play involving Duke’s Patrick Ngongba II and Tech’s Toppin.
What initially looked like a foul on Toppin was overturned into a flagrant on Ngongba. Was it the right call? Depends on who you ask. But there is no denying that the energy in the building shifted immediately after. The crowd got chippy, the players got tense, and Texas Tech found a second wind while Duke seemed to lose their composure.
What’s Next For the Blue Devils?
Scheyer called a timeout with 1.6 seconds left, hoping for a miracle, but the magic had run out. History did not repeat itself at the Garden. Seven years ago, Zion Williamson, Tre Jones, and RJ Barrett bulldozed Texas Tech here. This time, the Red Raiders got their revenge.
Duke now heads into ACC play on a sour note, facing Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve. The talent is undeniable, but Friday night proved that talent doesn’t always beat a team that simply refuses to die.
