One team that survived a midseason hiccup to surge to the top of the Big 12 Conference tangles with another that has encountered some unexpected stumbles at home when Arizona visits Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Wildcats (11-5, 5-0 Big 12) are in a tie for the league lead with Iowa State and Houston. They bring a seven-game winning streak to Lubbock, Texas, with three of the past four victories having come against teams that were nationally ranked at the time (Cincinnati, West Virginia, Baylor).
That contrasts with the Red Raiders’ rare two-game home skid, losses to UCF and then-third-ranked Iowa State by a total of five points. Texas Tech (12-4, 3-2) has balanced that by winning its first three conference road games for the first time since 1997, including a 61-57 decision at Kansas State on Tuesday.
Arizona hasn’t lost since Dec. 14, the turnaround fueled by better balance and star Caleb Love’s re-emergence. Since a cold shooting start to the season (36.6 percent field-goal shooting through the first nine games), the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year has lifted his scoring average to 15.3 ppg.
Coupled with that, big man Henri Veesaar has settled in since his role increased after Motiejus Krivas sustained a season-ending foot injury in late December. Coinciding with the Wildcats’ turnaround, Veesaar has averaged 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in conference play.
“I knew we had a good team,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We wanted to get off to a good start in conference — that was important for us — and I think we’ve done that.”
The Red Raiders aren’t far off from being in the same rare air as the Wildcats, and efficient offense is a big reason why.
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in field-goal shooting (50.5 percent), is tied for first in free-throw accuracy (77.2 percent) and ranks second in 3-point shooting (39.7 percent). That equates to 83.9 points per game, which rates third in the league — behind just Iowa State (85.4 ppg) and Arizona (84.2).
JT Toppin leads the Red Raiders with averages of 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. Chance McMillian supplies 14.9 ppg and is shooting 48.1 percent from 3-point range, while Elijah Hawkins’ 6.1 assists per game top the Big 12.
As well as Texas Tech has played offensively, the Wildcats will put the Red Raiders’ defense to the test. UCF and Iowa State each scored at least 85 points to win in Lubbock.
“We’re trying to improve on the little things that we know we can improve on,” Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams said. “Our defense is getting better game by game — the intensity and rebounding. We’re going to have to hit first in this game … don’t let them hit us to put us in a bad spot. We have to be aggressive. There has to be a sense of urgency.”
–Field Level Media
