The Texas Tech Red Raiders, led by Christian Anderson, suffered a crushing defeat in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. But it got even worse: the young national team player slipped and sustained an injury.
The Red Raiders face an uncertain future. After a solid season in the prestigious Big 12 Conference, the Texans suffered a heavy defeat in the final tournament against conference rival Iowa State.
For German national team player Christian Anderson, however, that wasn’t the only piece of bad news. In the second half, the 19-year-old slipped and apparently suffered a hip injury. Everyone involved quickly pointed to the glass floor on which the Big 12 tournament is played as the cause.
“I feel fine,” Anderson said after the game, offering a slight reassurance. “The floor is a bit slippery. I think I twisted my ankle or made a move that caused me to slip and put me in an unnatural position.”
Anderson is already familiar with the material from Munich’s BMW Park—the first professional venue worldwide where the technology was installed. Despite the injury, the teenager remained conciliatory: “I don’t think anyone is to blame. It’s just the material.”
Kansas State coach Taj Manning had already been more blunt beforehand: “It’s really bad, to be honest. (…) They shouldn’t bring it back. It’s just an eyesore. Everything keeps changing, with the flashing lights and all that. Nobody wants to play on it; they just want to play on a normal hardwood floor.”
It’s still unclear what lies ahead for Anderson and the Red Raiders. By being eliminated from the Big 12 tournament, the team missed out on direct qualification for the March Madness tournament. However, a spot is considered virtually guaranteed via a nomination by the selection committee. The margin of the loss is likely to negatively impact their seeding, though. It remains unclear whether Anderson will be in the lineup following his injury.
