Texas Tech is victimized by the same kind of late rally that got the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — This time, Texas Tech gave up the game with a collapse down the stretch in the NCAA Tournament.

Two days after the Red Raiders' furious comeback to beat Arkansas in overtime, they were on the other end of a rally by top-seeded Florida in an 84-79 loss in the Elite Eight on Saturday. Texas Tech missed a chance to reach the program’s first Final Four since losing the championship game to Virginia in 2019.

The third-seeded Red Raiders squandered a nine-point lead over the final 3:14. They came from 16 points down to beat Arkansas 85-83 on Thursday in the only OT game of the tournament.

Until the waning, crucial minutes, the Red Raiders (28-9) crashed the boards with authority to corral timely rebounds that led to extra scoring chances. They forced turnovers and capitalized on Florida's miscues.

Then Walter Clayton Jr. took over the game for the Gators and Texas Tech went flat.

“I thought we could win it the whole game,” said JT Toppin, the Big 12 player of the year and newcomer of the year who missed all five of his free throws. “There wasn’t a doubt in my mind until the clock hit zero. Obviously, definitely some plays we could have changed, especially on free throws.”

Darrion Williams missed the pressure shots he made in crunch time against the Razorbacks. He led Texas Tech with 23 points but couldn't convert two 3-pointers over the final 33 seconds. Florida, meanwhile, made four straight shots during a 12-2 run in the closing minutes, a spurt featuring two 3s by Clayton.

“It hurts right now,” Williams said. “We look back at it, feel like we could have went farther but I think overall we had a good season.”

Williams, Toppin and their supporting cast could have another chance at making a deep run for coach Grant McCasland next March if the team stays together.

But this one will sting for a while.

Williams played brilliantly before those two misses that he will wish he had back.

The Red Raiders did so much right, yet every missed opportunity at this stage is magnified. They held a 22-5 advantage in points off turnovers and led 23-8 in second-chance points.

Once the final buzzer sounded at Chase Center and Texas Tech had been oh so close, fifth-year senior Kerwin Walton stood with his hands on his hips as Florida and its well-traveling crowd, and not the Red Raiders, celebrated having earned a berth to the Final Four next weekend in San Antonio.

“I wanted to sit in that locker room forever, honestly,” McCasland said. “You get in these moments and a lot has happened in a short amount of time because the game has a scoreboard.”

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Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland yells during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Texas Tech forward JT Toppin (15) shoots over Florida forward Alex Condon (21) during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. looks to pass around Texas Tech forward JT Toppin (15) during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Florida forward Alex Condon (21) rebounds over Texas Tech forward JT Toppin (15) during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) is fouled by Florida forward Thomas Haugh during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams (5) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland yells during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Texas Tech players huddle up during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Florida, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Florida players celebrate their win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

LONDON (AP) — Britain and Mauritius are finalizing a deal to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a disputed U.K. territory that is home to a major U.S. military base, the U.K. government said Tuesday.

The government signaled that President Donald Trump’s administration, which was consulted on the deal, has given its approval and no further action is needed from the U.S.

“We are working with the Mauritian government to finalize and sign the treaty,” said Tom Wells, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Once signed it will be laid before both houses of Parliament for scrutiny and for ratification.”

Britain and Mauritius have been negotiating a deal for the U.K. to hand over the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is home to a strategically important naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. The U.K. would then lease back the base for at least 99 years.

But the deal has faced criticism from the opposition Conservative Party and from some allies of Trump. Last year the now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it posed “a serious threat” to U.S. national security.

Trump indicated during a visit to Washington by Starmer in February that he would support the deal, saying: “I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”

Britain split the islands away from Mauritius, a former British colony, in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence, and called the Chagos archipelago the British Indian Ocean Territory.

In the 1960s and 1970s Britain evicted up to 2,000 people from the islands so the U.S. military could build the Diego Garcia base.

Mauritius has long contested Britain’s claim to the archipelago and in recent years the United Nations and its top court have urged Britain to return the Chagos to Mauritius.

Britain agreed to do so in a draft deal in October, but that has been delayed by a change of government in Mauritius and reported quarrels over how much the U.K. should pay for the lease of the Diego Garcia air base.

The Chagos islanders, many of whom relocated to Britain, say they were not consulted over the agreement. Under the draft deal, a resettlement fund would be created to help displaced islanders move back to the islands, apart from Diego Garcia. Details of any such measures remain unclear.

Two Chagossian women are seeking to take the U.K. government to court over the issue. Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, both British citizens, fear it will become even harder to go back to live where they were born once Mauritius takes control of the islands.

FILE - This image released by the U.S. Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Island group. (U.S. Navy via AP, File)