Tonight, for the first time this season, the Texas Tech basketball team will have a rematch with a Big 12 team as the Red Raiders travel to Tucson to face the No. 20 Arizona Wildcats in the game of the day in the conference. In the process, Tech will put the Big 12's longest current winning streak (seven games) on the line.
Tech can expect to get the Wildcats' best effort in Arizona's home arena, which is one of the toughest atmospheres in the nation for opposing teams. What's more, after the Red Raiders' win over Arizona in Lubbock last month, Tech will have the Wildcats' full attention.
In the previous matchup between the two teams, a 70-54 Red Raider triumph, Tech closed the game on a 17-2 run to break open what had been a back-and-forth affair. JT Toppin had a monster game with 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Red Raiders but tonight, his health is in question after he rolled his ankle Tuesday against Baylor and didn't finish that contest.
Since that game, Arizona has rattled off five wins in a row. That includes a dramatic overtime win over then-No. 3 Iowa State that saw the Wildcats hit a half-court shot at the second-half buzzer to extend the game.
However, the other teams Arizona has taken down during its winning streak have been some of the worst teams in the conference (Oklahoma State, Colorado, Arizona State, and BYU). That's a far cry from what Tech has done during its current winning streak by taking down Houston, Arizona, and Baylor as part of the run.
This game could have massive Big 12 regular-season title implications as well. The Red Raiders enter play in third place in the conference trailing Houston and Arizona by one game in the league race. Of course, both of the one-loss teams atop the league standings can attribute their only conference loss to Texas Tech.
Tonight, something has to give as the two hottest teams in the league meet in the desert. It will be a fascinating matchup and Tech fans will be by the TV to see how it plays out. So let's look at all the info fans need ahead of this massive Big 12 showdown.
Texas Tech vs. Arizona broadcast information
Tip: 9:30 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN
TV CALL: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Sean Farnham (analyst)
RADIO: TEXAS TECH SPORTS NETWORK
RADIO CALL: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Chris Level (analyst)
Texas Tech vs. Arizona series history
Tech is 29-24 all-time against Arizona after its win in January and is 12-17 in Tucson. The Wildcats had won seven in a row over the Red Raiders before seeing that streak snapped in the first matchup as Big 12 opponents.
Texas Tech vs. Arizona odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.com.
Favorite | Moneyline | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|
Arizona -2.5 | Texas Tech +118 | 148.5 |
Texas Tech vs. Arizona game notes
Notes courtesy of TexasTech.com.
- Texas Tech is 5-0 on the road this season with all five wins coming in Big 12 play.
- Texas Tech's current 7-game winning streak is the 11th-longest active streak in the nation.
- Arizona, which has not lost since its trip to Lubbock, leads the Big 12 by scoring 82.9 points per game and averaging 14.5 fastbreak points and 40.6 rebounds. The Wildcats are third in the conference with 8.5 steals, 17.1 assists, and 12.7 offensive rebounds
through their 22 games.
- The Red Raiders travel to Tucson for the first time since 2013 and are currently leading the Big 12 by shooting 48.3 percent from the field and with an 81.8 winning percentage.
- Tech is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55), effective field goal percentage (56.2), scoring margin (15.9), 3-point percentage (38.1), and 3-pointers per game (9.5). The team committed only eight turnovers against Baylor and is now third in the conference by limiting its turnovers to an average of 10.7 through 22 games this season along with being third at the free-throw line at 76.1 percent after going 8-for-10 on Tuesday night and by scoring 81.0 points per game.
- This will be the first time both teams are ranked while playing against each other.