Texas Tech Faces Arizona in Crucial Big 12 Showdown

LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland will face off against his former colleague Tommy Lloyd as the Red Raiders host the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday at 1 p.m. in United Supermarkets Arena. The matchup marks a reunion for the two coaches, who worked together on the U19 national team last summer and will reunite later this year in Switzerland.

McCasland praised Lloyd’s ability to turn around Arizona’s season after a rocky 4-5 start. “The fact that Tommy’s character is there,” McCasland said Thursday, “but it’s his enjoyment of it being difficult. I just don’t think he shies away from it.” Arizona (11-5, 5-0) enters the game on a seven-game winning streak, while Texas Tech (12-4, 3-2) looks to rebound from two narrow home losses in Big 12 play.

The Red Raiders are 3-0 on the road but have struggled at home, losing their two conference games by a combined five points. McCasland echoed Kansas head coach Bill Self‘s recent comments, emphasizing the need for his team to transition from playing hard to competing. “I believe it’s a real character of competitiveness together that we’re trying to build,” McCasland said, “and that’ll be the difference in this game Saturday.”

Texas Tech’s JT Toppin has been battling illness, causing him to lose weight and underperform in recent games. McCasland revealed that Toppin is working to regain his strength and will be ready for Saturday’s game. Meanwhile, Darrion Williams, who tweaked his ankle in Tuesday’s game, assured reporters he is fine and will play against Arizona.

Arizona’s resurgence has been fueled by its depth. While Caleb Love leads the team in scoring (15.3 points per game), his 3-point shooting has dipped to 31% this season. Jaden Bradley (11.7 points) and KJ Lewis (10.6 points) have stepped up, along with 7-foot sophomore Henri Veesaar, who has shown significant improvement in conference play.

Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs continues to shine, averaging 13.2 points and boasting a remarkable 7.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in Big 12 games. However, Arizona’s opportunistic defense, averaging 8.2 steals per game, will test Isaacs’ ball-handling skills. The Wildcats also lead the Big 12 in rebounding and rank 11th nationally in rebound margin.

This marks the 53rd meeting between the two programs, with Texas Tech holding a 28-24 edge. However, Arizona has won the last seven matchups, including their most recent encounter in 2013. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2, with Dave Pasch and Sean Farnham on the call.