Texas Tech bolted to a big lead quickly against Colorado in Wednesday’s 78-44 victory, which had a familiar feel to it.
What didn’t transpire was the other subplot to the first meeting against the Buffaloes as the 16th-ranked Red Raiders ran away and hid in the second half on the way to a rout in Lubbock, Texas.
In a dominant tune-up for a national showdown at No. 1 Arizona on Saturday, Texas Tech (18-6, 8-3 Big 12 Conference) snatched the lead for good barely three minutes in and wasted no time extending the lead the rest of the half.
That was similar to the first meeting with Colorado (14-11, 4-8) on Jan. 10 when the Red Raiders bolted to a 24-point second-half lead, then had to hold on for dear life and prevailed 73-71 when a last-second Buffaloes 3-pointer was off the mark.
History did not repeat itself Wednesday with a familiar recipe working well for the Red Raiders on the way to their most lopsided win this season and widest margin of victory in a Big 12 game since they beat Oklahoma State 93-55 last Feb. 15.
Instead, Texas Tech produced identical 39-22 scores in each half with the familiar cast of characters leading the way.
J.T. Toppin dominated the interior with 16 points and 18 rebounds, Christian Anderson scored 14 points and dished out seven assists and the biggest offensive spark came from sharpshooting Donovan Atwell, who led the Red Raiders with 20 points, bolstered by 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.
Texas Tech was 12 of 30 from beyond the arc, close to its season averages for makes and attempts.
Isaiah Johnson led the Buffaloes with 13 points and was one of two Colorado players who shot 50% or higher from the floor. He was 5 of 9, while Ian Inman was 4 of 7, all four shots he hit coming from 3-point territory in the first half.
The Buffaloes shot 29.1% overall (16 of 55) and just 6 of 25 from deep.
Colorado never got into an offensive rhythm and was equally as inept on defense. The Red Raiders connected on 8 of 16 3s in the opening 20 minutes — four by Atwell — while Anderson recorded 10 points and five assists in the opening 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Buffaloes had as many turnovers (9) as made field goals in the first half and did not shoot a single free throw.
