5 things to know about Akron, Texas Tech in NCAA men's basketball tournament
· Yahoo Sports
The University of Akron men's basketball team will make its eighth appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament at 12:40 p.m. Friday, March 20, in Tampa.
No. 12 seed Akron (29-5, 17-1) enters the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a rowas the Mid-American Conference Tournament champion and will meet No. 5 seed Texas Tech (22-10, 12-6 Big 12) in a Midwest Region first-round game.
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Here are five things to know about Akron and Texas Tech.
Akron men's basketball's path to eighth NCAA Tournament
Akron won the MAC Tournament championship in dramatic fashion for the third year in a row with a 79-76 win over Toledo on March 14 before a crowd of 11,072 at Rocket Arena.
Akron graduate student Shammah Scott swished a 3-pointer from NBA range with 6.0 seconds remaining to join former Zips standouts Greg Tribble Jr. and Nate Johnson in making a last-second game-winning shot to win a MAC Tournament title.
"I knew I had to make a play," Scott said. "Going into the huddle, the coaches put a lot of trust in me, so I just wanted to come through for my coaches and my teammates. I love all these dudes."
Akron led only for three minutes and two seconds. Toledo led for 32 minutes and 54 seconds.
“We wanted to get the ball in his [Scott's] hands," Akron coach John Groce said. "With the ball in his hands, obviously we trust him, his teammates trust him, and he made a big shot."
Texas Tech men's basketball's path to 22nd NCAA Tournament
Texas Tech earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after advancing to the Elite Eight last season.
Texas Tech was ranked No. 20 in the last Associated Press Top 25 poll, and have a program-record four wins over top-10 teams this season — No. 1 Arizona (78-75 in OT, Feb. 14 in Tucson), No. 3 Duke (82-81, Dec. 20 in New York), No. 4 Iowa State (82-73, Feb. 28 in Ames) and No. 6 Houston (90-86, Jan. 24 in Lubbock).
The Red Raiders also defeated No. 11 BYU 84-71 on Jan. 17 in Lubbock.
Texas Tech will be without 6-foot-9 junior JT Toppin, the only player in Division I who ranks in the top 10 in points (21.8) and rebounds per game (10.8), and double-doubles (16). Toppin suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a 72-67 loss at Arizona State on Feb. 17. He played in the wins over Arizona, Duke, Houston and BYU.
Texas Tech 6-3 sophomore Chrisitan Anderson (18.9 points, 7.6 assists) is expected to be available after slipping on an LED glass court in Kansas City and suffering a groin injury in a 75-53 loss to Iowa State in a Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal on March 12.
Anderson and Toppin earned All-Big 12 first-team honors, and are the only teammates in the nation to be named to the John R. Wooden Award ballot for consideration as the most outstanding men's college basketball player.
Akron men's basketball's players to watch in NCAA Tournament
Akron is projected to start four seniors — 6-foot Tavari Johnson, 6-9 Amani Lyles, 6-6 Evan Mahaffey and 6-3 Bowen Hardman — along with 6-5 redshirt sophomore Zach Halligan. Johnson and Lyles are All-MAC first-team selections.
Johnson leads Akron in scoring (20.1 points), assists (5.0) and free-throw percentage (87.0).
Lyles averages 14.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds. Mahaffey averages 10.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a team-high 1.7 steals. Hardman is at 7.9 points.
Johnson was named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring 25 points against Buffalo, 18 points versus Kent State and 15 points against Toledo.
Lyles was also voted to the All-MAC Tournament team after totaling 12 points and 16 rebounds against Buffalo and 15 points and 16 rebounds versus Toledo. Scott had 18 points against Kent State and 12 apiece versus Buffalo and Toledo.
Akron's top reserves are two-time MAC Sixth Man of the Year Scott (12.7 points, 2.9 assists, team-best 42.2% from 3-point range), redshirt freshman Eric Mahaffey (7.8 points, 5.7 rebounds) and sophomore Sharron Young (7.3 points).
Texas Tech men's basketball's players to watch in NCAA Tournament
Texas Tech has changed over the past month with Toppin out, but coach Grant McCasland still has several talented players.
Texas Tech's projected starters are Anderson, 6-6 junior LeJuan Watts, 6-5 senior Donovan Atwell, 6-1 freshman Jaylen Petty and 6-11 sophomore Luke Bamgboye.
Anderson has a program single-season record 236 assists. He leads the Big 12 with 7.6 assists per game (third nationally), averages 18.9 points (sixth in the Big 12) and has made 105 3-pointers.
Atwell has set Tech’s single-season record with 124 made 3s, is second nationally with 3.88 made 3s per game and third nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (45.4%). He averages 13.5 points. Watts averages 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Petty is at 9.5 points.
Sophomores Josiah Moseley and Leon Horner and senior Tyeree Bryan are key reserves.
Akron sets Mid-American Conference men's basketball record
Akron is the first team to win three consecutive MAC Tournament titles since the event started in 1980.
“It's unfathomable,” Groce said of the three-peat. “You think about all the great coaches and great players that have been in this league, the ones that are currently in the league, and how long the league's been around. It's humbling.”
Akron also joined Buffalo (2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019) as the only men’s basketball teams to win four MAC Tournament titles in five seasons.
"The first MAC team to three-peat, it is extremely special," Evan Mahaffey. "That's history."
Akron, Ball State, Kent State and Ohio are tied for the most MAC Tournament titles with seven. Keith Dambrot won MAC Tournament championships as Akron's coach in 2009, 20011 and 2013. Groce has added MAC Tournament crowns in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026, and his 2020 Akron team had the No. 1 seed, but the postseason was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron vs Texas Tech in NCAA men's basketball tournament, what to know